Bellissimo Beaches

Swim and resortwear, while so necessary in the ideal climate of our city, seems to be the first fashion item in a wardrobe to suffer from a lack of imaginative élan. Firing back at the calamitously cookie-cutter aesthetic plaguing our coastal costume is Designer Valentina Shah and her landmark brand Panarea Couture, a line whose very name evokes the foam-flecked grandeur of elite Italian seasides. “Panarea is one of the Aeolian Islands off of Sicily,” she says. “It’s one of the most exclusive islands in Italy where Domenico Dolce, Armani and other designers go to both vacation and be inspired.” Handcrafted in Italian cutting rooms and imbued with the love and attention of a standard undeniably La Dolce Vita, Panarea Dolce’s simple (if spirited) ethos is simple: “To bring back old-world, Italian luxury craftsmanship and translate it into a modern wardrobe with luxurious materials, architectural shapes and exquisite attention to detail,” the designer affirms; PanareaCouture.com.