The evolution of Mediterranean Aesthetics in 2022 Between on-the-beach campaigns and the explosion of resort aesthetics, seafaring escapism continues its run

The smell of bougainvillea in bloom, the sound of sea waves in the distance, the taste of a ripe tomato, the coolness of the wind at sunset when the sun sinks into the horizon. In 2020, these were the elements of the Mediterranean aesthetic featured in the Chanel Balade en Méditerranée video signed by Massimiliano Bomba on the occasion of the digital presentation of the brand's Cruise 2021 collection. The video shot in Capri was a celebration of the Mediterranean summer: a palette of sensations that easily connect to the blue of the sea, the green of the pine trees, the off-white saltiness of the plaster of seaside houses, the condensation on the glass of white wine during a summer dinner. It is a familiar and delicate aesthetic, a special kind of escapism turned toward pure, almost childlike pleasures and sensations, which began as a visual trend on Instagram and which today many fashion brands are discovering by aligning themselves also aesthetically with the changing meaning of luxury itself. The very release of that video marked the beginning of an increasingly powerful fascination that fashion has felt for Mediterranean settings. One of the most famous locations of Mediterranean tourism, Capri, has remained its symbol: the latest project to land on the island is Louis Vuitton's Librairie Éphémère, preceded by Etro, which opened a boutique on the island, used it as the location for one of its Liquid Pasley Beach events, and even decorated the Pegaso Suite at the local Hotel Punta Tragara; also on Capri (along with the other main Mediterranean beaches of Saint Tropez, Forte dei Marmi and Mykonos) Valentino plans to set the events of the Valentino Escape capsule while in May the island was the stage for Pucci's major relaunch at the hands of Camille Micieli.

Returning to Chanel's "Ballade en Méditerranée", it's no coincidence that this aesthetic has made the leap from brands such as Jacquemus, Jil Sander and Bottega Veneta, towards the luxury commercial mainstream. The motivations are varied, certainly the current historical moment pushes all the creative industries to produce content that makes dream of a reassuring world, made of simple and nostalgic sensations of childhood and sea life – a world curiously opposed to that of the big city, industrialism and small holidays. It is a change in the line with the transition from Old to New Luxury: the promise that Chanel makes to its consumers does not focus on the opulent product, on the apparition and belonging to the social class normally associated with luxury, but instead on a type of simplicity that until a few years ago was popular and that instead has now become luxury , where the most precious goods become the elementary but infinite concepts of space and time.