From macramé and crochet to slinky metallic mesh and sheer fibrous slips, netting takes many forms in the fashion world. One place it’s very at home, though? On a beach, over a bikini, where clothing is generally optional.
While on holiday, Dua Lipa showed off her own attachment to the style. In a recent carousel of sun-kissed Instagram snaps taken in Jamaica, where she has been vacationing, she wore two different netted looks – both worthy of taking inspiration from as the prospect of warmer weather becomes a reality.
In her first look, she wore a white netted minidress over a matching white bikini, making for a monochrome look that injected some bohemian flair to a classically Ursula Andress-style Bond girl set. Andress was an appropriate source of style inspiration: as Lipa noted on Instagram, the photos were taken at the GoldenEye resort in Jamaica’s Oracabessa Bay, where she spent two weeks, and where Ian Fleming wrote the James Bond novels. In the crochet dress, Lipa reclined on some rocks perched on the ocean in a scene worthy of The Little Mermaid live action remake.
Next in her netting phase was a pair of orange fisherman’s pants from Andreādamo spring/summer 2023, which Lipa paired with a red and orange ombré blouse from the same brand. It tied around her waist, and doubled over with a gold belly chain from the jeweller Moya. A tumble of gold necklaces completed the look. Elsewhere, she opted for a floral neon bikini by Feline Swim.
Delicate, shimmering netting has been a popular look on runways of late, from Supriya Lele to Giorgio Armani. Think of it as a more grown-up alternative to the more craft-led styles of crochet and macramé – but with a similar disregard for actually covering up the body. As Lipa shows, it’s at its best when layered in interesting ways, so follow her lead and throw on a netted mini over a bikini as a cover-up, or translate it to night-time and wear over a crop and straight-legged jeans. The world is your oyster (net).
