Although we still consider the autumn/winter and spring/summer collections to be key indicators of the fashion year, Resort is actually the most commercial and, increasingly, the biggest business of all. It remains in store for longer than other seasons, dropping this month and staying resolutely in place until the summer sales.  Unsurprisingly, then, what began as showroom presentations or go-sees have morphed into full-on Resort 2016 shows, variously taking place on a cordoned off New York street (Gucci), Pierre Cardin’s legendary Le Palais Bulles built into a cliff on the French Riviera (Dior) and a "for-one-night-only" Parisian boite (Miu Miu), where models sashayed along aerial walkways while guests partied on the dance floor below.  If anyone wondered whether Gucci’s new designer Alessandro Michele might be a one trick pony after his AW15 womenswear debut, resort certainly put the kybosh on detractors. To quote Naomi Harris’s Miss Moneypenny in Spectre, "he was only getting started". Resort 2016 cemented his own offbeat signature alongside his interpretation of the house codes. The cracked silver varsity jacket has the makings of a contemporary heirloom piece. And who would have predicted that Raf Simmons's show at the Bubble Palace would be one of his last for Dior? But one thing we can certainly predict is the covetability factor of his Bubble drawstring bags with their delicate inlays and marquetry.  Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel, staged in Seoul, had something of the K-Pop about it – not least in trompe l'oeil booties (resembling Mary-Janes worn with ankle socks) and the camera-case bags that each boast their own removable plastic raincoat to protect the precious interior. However, while J.W.Anderson’s ruffled cutout boots guaranteed major fashion traction on home turf, most Instagrammable Resort accessory is undoubtedly Miuccia Prada’s python and leather cowboy boot for Miu Miu. Their exuberant colour clash, shouty logo and quirky motifs denote membership of the most exclusive of style clubs. Is your name on the door?
Remember remember the month of November; ‘tis the season of resort. Stephanie Hirschmiller picks out the hero pieces