Designer parasols at dawn — it’s the couture beach club wars!

A beach club has always been an upmarket experience. But this year things just got even swankier with fashion houses from Alberta Ferretti to Louis Vuitton competing to create the fanciest beachside event possible. These include everything from internationally renowned chefs, specially created cocktails and details from towels and loungers to paddleboards and keychains branded in house colours.
Each summer Dolce & Gabbana splashes its signature Italian finesse over several selected beach clubs from Capri to Taormina, Marbella to St Tropez. Casa Amor sits at the heart of the last on Pampelonne beach, a spot that is synonymous with sybaritic excess. It’s a barefoot chic kind of space, the aesthetic merging Mexico and Sicily, rattan and cactuses, the furnishings all kitted out with the iconic Carretto Siciliano print in red, green, gold and blue. The refurbished restaurant is led by the Italian-Moroccan chef Zouhair.
Think cocktails, canapes, jazz and gastronomic experiences with sunset views: Mallorca’s Hotel de Mar Gran Meliá is marking its 60th year in style as Alberta Ferretti is set to “dress” its Bombon Pool Club, bar, restaurant and Sandy Cove private beach with parasols and loungers in her signature tie-dye print. Constructed by the Catalan architect José Antonio Coderch in the 1960s, the resort has become a home away from home for Mallorcan high society, having hosted the summer holidays of royal families, renowned artists and members of the aristocracy. Don’t skip the equally regal, brand-new Alby cocktail on the poolside menu, with minty notes personally crafted by Ferretti herself. It’s the ultimate crossover of Italian luxury with Balearic hospitality.
Designed by Alberto Caliri, the creative director of Missoni’s home collection, the One&Only Reethi Rah resort has undergone a total stripy takeover. Located in the Indian Ocean’s North Malé Atoll, the resort is home to 122 private villas (90 located on the beach and 32 set over the lagoon). Customised furniture showcases the label’s iconic zigzag motifs, along with beach towels, parasols and loungers in patterns that mimic the brand’s colourful knits. Guests can also use Missoni-designed paddleboards, bicycles and golf carts. If you don’t make it as far as the Maldives, Missoni has also done club collaborations in Capri, Costa Smeralda and Portofino.
The Turkish Riviera has become a hotspot this summer with various chic new openings including Yazz Collective and Maxx Royal. The five-star Mandarin Oriental Bodrum resort — which features 132 rooms and suites (some of which include space for staff) — has also upped its game with a Vuitton summer residence. Dedicated to LV’s By the Pool collection, the private beach has been revamped with the brand’s nautical blue and white motif — right down to the volleyball nets and monogrammed deck chairs overlooking the Aegean Sea. If you get bored with soaking up the sun you can spend an hour or two soaking up the ready-to-wear collections on offer in the resort’s pop-up store.