What Is Resort Wear?
What Is
Resort Wear?
The answer — and the brand that has defined it for women worldwide.
Explore Resort WearResort wear is luxury clothing designed for vacations, warm-weather destinations, beach clubs, yacht days, and elegant travel. It combines the comfort of casual dressing with the intention of luxury fashion — pieces that move effortlessly from beach to dinner, from pool to terrace, from morning to midnight. Discover what resort wear means, how to wear it, and why Sai Sankoh has become one of the most recognised luxury resort wear brands for women worldwide.
Resort wear began as the wardrobe of women who wintered in Palm Beach and summered in Cannes — clothes designed for leisure, warmth, and a certain kind of effortless elegance. Today, it means something more precise: clothing designed to travel well, photograph beautifully, and move from beach club to beachfront dinner without a wardrobe change. The Alanya Collection — Mediterranean blue, swaying palms, the shimmer of ancient water — is resort wear as it was always meant to be worn.
True resort wear is not a trend. It is a category — one that exists between casual beachwear and formal evening wear, and that serves the specific demands of luxury travel. A piece of resort wear should be comfortable enough for a beach club at noon, elegant enough for a terrace dinner at eight, and striking enough to be remembered by the time the evening ends.
Sai Sankoh was built on this definition. Every print is designed with a destination in mind. Every silhouette is designed to work across occasions. The kaftans are one-size-fits-all and genuinely designed to look extraordinary from size 0 to 24. The fabrics — Georgette, silk viscose, poly crepe — pack without creasing and arrive ready to wear. This is what real resort wear looks like: intentional, designed, and made for the woman who travels with purpose.
Worn by Beyoncé, Lupita Nyong'o, Gabrielle Union and women around the world who refuse to go unnoticed · Sizes 0–24 · Ships in 24–48 hours
"I finally understood what luxury resort wear should feel like. Beautiful, comfortable, and completely effortless."
Mykonos · Positano · St. Barts · Ibiza · Dubai · Tulum · Palm Beach · Maldives
Start Your Resort Wear Wardrobe
Six pieces. One suitcase. Every moment covered.
How to Build a Resort Wear Wardrobe
Start with one kaftan. The goddess kaftan is the foundation piece of any resort wear wardrobe — it travels without creasing, goes from beach to dinner without a change, and photographs beautifully at every destination. Sai Sankoh goddess kaftans come in Georgette for all-day wear and Silk Viscose for elevated occasions. One kaftan. Multiple occasions. No decisions required.
Add a printed shirt dress for evening. A belted shirt dress in a bold print is the most versatile piece in resort wear — it reads as casual over a swimsuit, elevated when belted for dinner, and works in every climate from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean. The Sai Sankoh shirt dress range covers every print in the collection.
Finish with a scarf. The 42.5" square scarf is the most underrated piece in resort wear — it works as a headwrap, a sarong, a belt, or a shoulder wrap. In a matching print, it completes the look. In a contrasting print, it creates one. Every Sai Sankoh collection includes a scarf for exactly this reason.
Every Sai Sankoh piece is designed to fit sizes 0 through 24. The goddess kaftans are one-size-fits-all — which means they actually fit all. Resort wear should never require alteration.
Resort Wear, Explained
Everything you need to know about the category — and the brand that defines it
What is resort wear?
Resort wear is a category of clothing designed for vacations, warm-weather destinations, and luxury leisure. It sits between casual beachwear and formal evening wear — intentional enough for a resort restaurant, comfortable enough for a beach club, and versatile enough to move across both without a wardrobe change. Classic resort wear includes goddess kaftans, printed shirt dresses, wide-leg trousers, blouses, jumpsuits, and coordinating scarves. The defining quality of true resort wear is that it travels well, photographs beautifully, and requires no alterations or last-minute decisions.
What is the difference between resort wear and vacation wear?
Resort wear and vacation wear are often used interchangeably, but resort wear implies a higher level of intentionality and quality. Vacation wear can mean anything worn while traveling. Resort wear specifically refers to pieces designed for luxury leisure destinations — beach clubs, yacht days, tropical dinners, poolside settings — in fabrics and silhouettes that hold up to heat, sea breezes, and the visual demands of memorable settings. Sai Sankoh makes resort wear: clothing designed with a destination in mind and a certain kind of woman at its centre.
What is considered resort wear?
Resort wear typically includes: goddess kaftans (one-size flowing silhouettes worn over swimwear or as standalone pieces); printed shirt dresses (maxi length, bold prints, belt-able at the waist); wide-leg printed trousers; printed blouses; jumpsuits; coordinating scarves; and matching sets. The category is defined by bold prints, quality fabrics, flowing silhouettes, and the ability to transition across multiple occasions — beach, boat, dinner, terrace — within a single day.
Can resort wear be worn outside of vacation?
Absolutely. Resort wear translates naturally to warm-weather everyday dressing, dinner occasions, gallery openings, rooftop events, summer weddings, and anywhere a woman wants to look intentionally dressed rather than casually assembled. The Sai Sankoh kaftan, in particular, transitions from resort to brunch to cocktail hour without asking you to justify the choice. Resort wear is not a costume. It is a category of clothing for women who dress with intention — wherever they happen to be.
What fabrics are best for resort wear?
The best resort wear fabrics handle heat, pack without creasing, and move beautifully in warm-weather settings. Georgette is the ideal all-day resort fabric — lightweight, breathable, and wrinkle-resistant. Silk viscose is the elevated resort fabric — slightly heavier, more lustrous, and best reserved for evening occasions. Poly crepe is excellent for structured pieces like wide-leg trousers. Organza is the choice for statement blouses and tops that need drama and movement. Sai Sankoh uses all four across the collection.
What shoes should I wear with resort wear?
Flat strappy sandals are the default resort wear shoe — elegant, practical on sand and cobblestone, and appropriate from beach club to terrace restaurant. A low block heel or wedge sandal elevates the look for evening settings. Heeled mule sandals work beautifully with wide-leg trousers and a blouse combination. The key principle of resort wear footwear is that the outfit carries the look — the shoes support it. A bold printed kaftan or shirt dress does not need to be undermined by footwear decisions.
What is the best resort wear for women over 40?
The best resort wear for women over 40 combines genuine elegance with comfort that makes travel enjoyable — not a compromise between them. Flowing kaftans, wide-leg trousers, and belted shirtdresses in quality fabrics are ideal: they flatter without restricting, travel without creasing, and look intentional rather than age-appropriate. Sai Sankoh is available in sizes 0 through 24 and is worn by women across every age group who share a common quality: they dress for themselves. See our Vacation Outfits for Women Over 40 guide for more.
Are kaftans considered resort wear?
The kaftan is the defining garment of luxury resort wear. Originating in ancient Mesopotamia and worn across cultures for centuries, the modern goddess kaftan — long, flowing, one-size, boldly printed — is the piece that most fully expresses what resort wear is: comfortable without being casual, elegant without being formal, and visually striking without requiring effort. Sai Sankoh goddess kaftans in Georgette and Silk Viscose are available in prints designed with specific destinations in mind — and in sizes that actually fit all women, from size 0 to 24.
