Hotel Portofino Inspired Edit

There are few places

as conducive to falling in love—or to having a languorous honeymoon—as Portofino. Portofino: a pastel painting, a pearl.

It’s easy to imagine days here devoted to nothing more than aimless strolls and sun-drenched aperitivos, wearing wide-brimmed hats and linen dresses. The little town offers beauty so opulent, it’s difficult to know what to admire first: perhaps the villas painted in ochre, sepia, red, and yellow, “like the bright spines of so many books crammed together onto a bookshelf,” muses author Lucy Foley, “a quiet spectacle.”

Walking through Portofino, even the most prosaic scenes move the heart—morning markets are filled with jeweled fruits, and there’s always laundry on the line, hanging in plain sight. As evening sets in, the bay takes on a poignancy, as fisherman return home.

Everywhere, everywhere, Portofino offers exquisite natural beauty, from lush palms and pines to secluded bays, and from homes built high up in the hills to the hanging gardens that adorn their balconies. There is no need, in Portofino, to search “for hidden beauties, since they are offered to me openly,” writes Barbara Athanassiadas. “This is a place to which nature has bestowed gifts lavishly, and beauty is not in the service of a dream, but of reality.”

Imagine my delight when I found that Downton Abbey’s creator, Julian Fellowes, is helming a new series dedicated to Portofino, with all the lavish scenery and costuming for which his creations have become famed. If I am not yet in love with the storyline of Hotel Portofino, the sheer visual beauty of it all enchants me. For those planning a honeymoon or wedding guest capsule wardrobe, few series could offer more inspiration.

The transporting beauty of Portofino takes on an even greater potency in the 1920s era in which Hotel Portofino is set. Perhaps no era could better capture the languor and seduction, the glamour and simplicity, that belongs uniquely to Italy. The series’ fashion, its interiors, and watercolor sunsets had me dreaming of a destination wedding week, followed by a relaxed honeymoon. Such reveries inspired the Hotel Portofino edit, brimming with looks for every moment on a wedding itinerary: a rehearsal dinner in a Mediterranean garden overlooking the sea. Aimless strolls to the market, or up the winding cliffs that lead to a villa— a path scented entirely in pine. A honeymoon, with trips to the beach and so many leisurely, terrace dinners. If you feel compelled to skip straight to the shopping, visit our Hotel Portofino Pinterest Board with shoppable links, or scroll to the gallery below, which features a beguiling blend of high and low options, including a smashing Hotel Portofino Amazon Edit.

“it’s all about two things: the homes and the costumes.”

When it comes to these kinds of series, it’s all about two things, for me: the homes and the costumes. The actual Hotel Portofino is more than a subtle character in the series, and the very first view of the lemon-yellow villa enchants. Bella, the mistress of Portofino, has that graceful touch, that magic with homes, and Hotel Portofino reflects her tender care. She is shown designing a flower arrangement punctuated with peacock feathers. She places a sprig of lavender on a little collection of tea cakes. Presents jeweled fruits on a silver platter. Watches as a cook pours wine, carefully, into a decanter. Spritzes perfume in a beautiful room. Even folding a towel is a fashion moment, as these are printed with the chic HP monogram. Anyone who loves creating home spaces will adore these moments, these graceful gestures, that make a house a sanctuary of beauty and welcome. These opening scenes will immediately put you in the mood for a Mediterranean summer, as you dream of pulling up the gravel entrance of HP, taking in the beautiful yellow façade and the curving tree that frames it, then walking into the cool interior of its pale blue lobby.

Photos of Hotel Portofino by Italian Post, hotels of Bella by IMDB.

But, visually speaking, the scene of scenes, for me, unfolds at the train station, as leading man Lucian arrives to collect his potential new bride, Rose-- and her ever-present mother.

I am less interested, however, in the (likely doomed) love match than I am in the building that serves as backdrop. At the station, there’s a little villa composed of two halves: the bottom a beautifully crumbling stone, the top, a delicious, watermelon pink. It’s as though the home was begun by a bachelor who, midway through the process, fell passionately in love, and abandoned the rest of the home’s design to his signorina’s care. One imagines her leaning over a ladder with a paintbrush dripping pink paint, as the dawn casts golden light on rosy walls. And then there are the windows: the top half are trimmed in mint green paint, while the ground story windows are a darker jade. I have never, never been so in love with a trim color. These green windows are, without exaggeration, the stars of the scene. (Let the fact that I can find no good image of this moment serve as incentive to watch the episode for yourself). As Lucian’s horse carriage pulls away and the camera lingers on the villa, I was practically crying to move in. The home is framed in graphic palms and bougainvillea flowers, indolent and lovely companions that endow the scene with color, movement, and incredible shape.

The costuming in this scene is also genius: the peach of Rose’s suit draws the eye the melon pink façade, and Constance, the new nanny (a girl who’s unaware of her own beauty and who will, I’m sure of it, catch Lucian’s eye), wears a dappled yellow scarf, a bright burst that feels so, so Portofino. It’s the kind of scene styling that’s so next level, so carefully composed, it fairly takes the breath away.

But the costumes that most enchant me are Bella’s, owner of HP-- and of the most enviable 1920s wardrobe.

Bella has a kind of uniform, many variations on a signature look: an ecru linen skirt, always with a beautifully embroidered waistband or jeweled belt, which she pairs with a blue blouse and an embroidered linen jacket or kimono. One jacket features crocheted details at the waist and elbows and, across the collar, a scatter of pearl-colored sequins. These looks always include a layered necklace situation: beautiful beads in pale blue or jade green and a gold locket—a piece which she often caresses, revealing some deep personal significance. At night, the blue beads are swapped for a single strand of carnelian gemstones, the perfect amber hue to complement the flowing glasses of Pinot Grigio and Prosecco.

“The constant thread connecting these looks— a dash of blue".

The constant thread connecting these looks is a dash of blue—certainly to complement Bella’s blue eyes. These blue fashion moments are perfectly poised to pair with HP’s many blue backdrops: the pale interior of the lobby, the graceful, wainscoted staircase, or a balcony overlooking the sea (with a blue and white book of poetry—Emily Dickinson’s—in hand). And then there are the hair accessories: Bella’s golden curls are often accented with a head scarf, tied across the forehead: the perfect ‘20s accessory. Even at bedtime, she keeps up her penchant for beautiful embroidery, wearing kimonos and robes with delicate floral patterns, and incredible hair accessories. If only we could all look so glamorous at bedtime, writing wistful love letters.

Inspired by Bella. Note the defining elements of her looks: crocheted details, smart suiting, delicate floral embroidery, and heavenly blue.

The Bella-esque accessories: long blue necklaces and romantic, nostalgic lockets. Purchase the bracelet, one of the most adored pieces in my own collection here. The Egyptian-born designer of this bracelet was favored and often worn by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

There are other smashing looks, especially those belonging to Claudine, with her belted bathing suits, swim turbans, and a silk, teal scarf tied over a chic, close crop. She struts through HP with full knowledge of the scandal she’s causing, and at one point, Constance muses that Helen of Troy must’ve looked like Claudine. She causes a delightful ruckus when, stuck at the hotel one night while her husband ditches her for the party, she brings out an assortment of fringed flapper looks, feathered boas, and fans—all compliments of her Paris show. But her best looks are always poolside, as she peers over a pair of round eyeglasses.

Photos: IMDB, WTTW, IMDB.

And, presenting the Hotel Portofino Amazon edit! Channel Bella’s grace with silk kimonos, layered necklaces (ocean blue beads by day, and carnelian for evening) or antique-worthy golden lockets. Some of these items, like the locket charm bracelet by Ben-Amun, are among my own most cherished pieces— this bracelet in particular has become a kind of signature. Ethereal nightgowns in pale lavender and pure white make me feel like a princess, while the deep teal nightgown doubles as an incredible little slip dress. Finally, or white I’m always questioned as to who designs these 1920s-style sunglasses, and I adore pairing Brinker + Eliza pieces like this with every outfit.

Whether you’re enjoying a late, languorous Mediterranean summer or planning a honeymoon next year, this series will have you dreaming. Dreaming of gentle walks through old villages, and sun-drenched aperitivos on the terrace. Of balconies more beautiful than Juliet’s, covered with lush greens and flowers, the perfect, fragrant place to watch a classic, Portofino pink sunset. And dreaming of the perfect Mediterranean wardrobe: dresses to wear to Riviera weddings, or to honeymoon dinners. Be sure to shop this post for all the 1920s, Hotel Portofino-inspired looks—and book your ticket to Ligurian Riviera stat.