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From The Times
July 17, 2006

Continental chic

Alice Olins
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As the WAGs so inelegantly proved in Germany, looking chic on holiday is not a sport we excel at. Nor, frankly, is football, but that is beside the point. So think carefully about what you pack this summer; we can’t afford more global embarrassment.

With their blistering summers and glamorous fashion houses, the French and Italians have a home advantage when it comes to holiday style. It is no wonder that Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren and Jackie Onassis hopped from Capri to Cannes in the 1960s: where else offered Pucci on the promenade? It takes a certain calibre of woman and bank account to carry off these designer swirls, but the essence of a jet-set uniform is easy to replicate. You might not receive impromptu party invitations to hilltop villas as a result, but it certainly pays, style-wise, to play the part. The princess of elegance, Grace Kelly, would surely have agreed that understatement is key on the Continent.

  • String your outfits together with a few woven belts and one capacious beach bag — this can be as wildly printed as your heart desires — and don’t be afraid to go glitzy on the jewels. When in doubt, take fashion cues from the locals; you know what they say about being in Rome.
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