5 Luxury Beach Accessories for Riviera Chic

Summer ’22 is the first proper ‘post-Covid’ holiday season, and even with travel still difficult, beaches abroad are very alluring. It isn’t summer proper without a beach featuring on your plans. Whether for one day or a 14-day stay, a return to beach vacations demands celebrating in style. So what packs light and can give instant chic to get you from first dip to apero hour and after dark dining?

I like to think of Olentium silk scarves as the ultimate little luxury beach accessories that can multitask all vacation long.

Silk really does work that hard as well as look like you’ve serious style, even though it’s a simple matter of slipping a foulard in the carry-on at the last minute. The fibre is robust, yet light and cool, and with a little hanging out on arrival, can look pristine. One trick I find that works to get creases out of silk or linenwear is hang the item somewhere humid. Sea-level hotel balconies overnight are just perfect for that.

Of course, there are few more accessories to round off the 1960s’ riviera chic of Bardot- or Jackie O-in-Capri kind.  With space and carry-on weight in mind, I’ve chosen my top 5 that will ensure you not just look, but also feel the part on a beach vacay, even if not heading to the Amalfi Coast.

This year, Olentium’s home Mediterranean island of Malta has seen heatwave after heatwave, so lightweight and cool in both senses are pretty much all you need to pack if heading to the Mediterranean.  These 5 luxe beach accessories fit the bill and while some are a bit more expensive they are definitely slow-fashion classics that will last many more summers to come.

Our Top 5 Luxury Beach Accessories

1. ERES swimwear

ERES is an eponymous French lingerie and swimwear brand that has been making fluid, understated, figure-flattering designs since the late 1960s. It is credited with changing contemporary swimwear fashion forever and has gorgeous, sophisticated collections. With ERES black, one-piece swimsuits called the Chanel of swimwear, you can see just how luxe, timeless and chic it is. I particularly love ERES summer ’22 Nautic Line with its super streamlined cut, bold primary colours, and iconic brand touches of contrasting edging, zippers and pockets. James Bond girl swimwear. Need I say more?

ERES Paris

2. Pain de Sucre beach poncho

French too, Pain de Sucre has super stylish beach loungewear, accessories and swimwear with a touch of sexy about them. The cuts are contemporary and meant to reveal with their use of translucent materials and plunging necklines and backs. The Bay Poncho is in this genre and gives just enough cover up to get you from beach to beach bar in style. With its zig-zag, boho design and fringing, this viscose cover-up is the featherlight luxe beach accessory of the year, to my mind. I guarantee you’ll spend ages on the Pain de Sucre website even if not heading on a beach holiday. The browse alone takes you there.

Pain de Sucre

3. Malin & Goetz Sunscreen

Malin & Goetz is a NYC-based chemist brand that has conquered the world with its genderless, functional and efficient face and body care products. Coming in unfussy, apothecary-style packaging, Malin & Goetz bills its personal care as ‘clean’ and combines natural ingredients with ‘advanced technology’ to create uncomplicated, daily-use products. Its best-selling spf 30 sunscreen-high protection does what it says on the tin. The advantage of this SP30 sunscreen is that it’s non-greasy, easily absorbed and is light enough to be used everyday under makeup too, not just slathered on at the beach. All-year round skin protection in fact. Take a look at its natural, solid deo sticks which are ideal for traveling with hand luggage where fewer liquids make sense.

Malin & Goetz

4. Silk Foulards

A silk foulard, or two, gives your holiday wardrobe a colour pop and dash of beach vibe. Above, we feature Capri Blu and Anni Arancia 1960s (image 4, on hat). Orange is this summer’s new black and the rich, mid Capri blu is forever fashion and sports a fun, line-drawing of a beach bather. From sporting on white Ts and linen, to using as a hairband Bardot fashion or even supplementing as jewelry by tying it around your wrist as we feature above, the foulard is fun and versatile. No excuse for not making space for a silk scarf among this summer little luxes for the beach.

Olentium Capri and Anni 1960s silk foulards

4. Retro Sunnies

The necessary accessory, eyewear, gets a retro vibe with this pair aptly named Retro Chic from US brand Antonio & Co. There are plenty of brands out there with similar, but Antonio & Co comes in with a large range of well-priced sunnies in all kinds of retro and contemporary styles. From cat eyes to classic Chanel lookalike styles in black to enormous sunnies and aviator metal options, the brand has plenty to choose from. Shipping worldwide with free delivery over $100, these are good-looking sunglasses with an air of luxe that’s easy on the pocket.

Antonio & Co

These five luxury beach accessories are bound to transport you to the Mediterranean, and take you back to our favourite era of design – mid century – with its air of yesteryear sophistication when flying on holiday was a rarity for most. Perhaps with the price hikes, fuel woes and other travel troubles we’re still facing, these 5 fashion classics might be worth splashing out on even if you staycation this year; their style substituting for that real-world beach vacay.