There's a certain kind of holiday that demands a certain kind of wardrobe. Not beachwear, not casual separates — something more considered. The kind of destination where you're having a long lunch on a terrace, watching the sun set from a rooftop bar, or walking a harbour at golden hour. The kind of holiday where getting dressed is part of the experience.
OW Collection's High Summer edit is built for exactly that. Here's how to pack for it.
The Holiday Wardrobe Formula
The best holiday wardrobes work on a simple principle: a handful of pieces that do multiple jobs. A dress that works for lunch and dinner. A linen set that transitions from the pool to the restaurant. A statement piece that you bought for one specific evening and would wear again without hesitation.
The goal is to pack less and wear more — choosing pieces with enough presence to carry an outfit on their own, and enough versatility to work across different settings.
The Statement Evening Dress
Every great holiday wardrobe needs one dress that's built for an occasion. The kind of piece you wear to the best dinner of the trip — somewhere with a view, a long table, and the kind of evening that goes on longer than expected.
The ALVA Maxi Dress in Butter Yellow is that dress. A floor-length sequin maxi with feather-trimmed cuffs, it's the most statement-making piece in the High Summer edit. The sequin catches candlelight in a way that photographs beautifully, and the feather detail at the cuffs gives it a luxurious, tactile quality that elevates it beyond a standard evening dress.
The CLEA Maxi Dress in Pink is the alternative for those who want something equally striking but softer in palette. A deep V-neck maxi covered in 3D floral appliqué, the CLEA has a romantic, feminine quality that works beautifully at any outdoor evening setting — a cliffside restaurant, a garden terrace, anywhere the backdrop is as beautiful as the dress.
How to pack it: One statement evening dress is all you need. Build the rest of the wardrobe around it.
The Resort Maxi — From Pool to Dinner
The resort maxi is the most versatile piece you can pack for a summer holiday. Long enough to feel considered, light enough to wear all day, and easy enough to throw on without thinking.
The LYSA Maxi Dress in Baby Blue is the standout here. A halterneck draped maxi in a soft, fluid fabric, the LYSA has that effortless quality that's hard to define but immediately recognisable — it looks like it took no effort at all, which is exactly what a holiday dress should feel like. The baby blue colourway reads beautifully against a tan, photographs well in summer light, and works for everything from a long lunch to a relaxed evening.
How to style it: Flat sandals and minimal jewellery for daytime. Switch to heels and add a clutch for dinner. The dress does the rest.
The Linen Set — The Daytime Foundation
Every holiday wardrobe needs a daytime set that's as comfortable as it is considered. For a summer destination, that means natural fabrics — linen, cotton — in neutral tones that sit well against a tan and feel effortless in the heat.
The LUMA collection — a linen shirt, tie top, and wide-leg pants in Tan — is the daytime anchor of the High Summer edit. The pieces work individually or together: the shirt over the LUMA pants is a strong full set for exploring, the tie top with the pants is a cleaner, more polished take for lunch. The 100% linen construction breathes in the heat in a way synthetic fabrics simply don't.
The COLLETTE collection in Light Beige takes a similar approach in cotton crochet. The halterneck COLLETTE Maxi Dress is a full statement on its own — the open back and crochet texture are distinctly holiday — while the COLLETTE Top with the LUMA Pants creates one of the most considered daytime looks in the edit.
How to style it: Flat mules or sandals. Sunglasses. A raffia or woven bag. No jewellery needed — the fabric and texture carry the look.
The Night Out Dress — For Late Evenings
Not every evening on a summer holiday is a formal dinner. Some nights are a cocktail bar, a rooftop party, or a late dinner that turns into something else entirely. For those evenings, you want something shorter, sharper, and with more edge.
The WYNN Mini Dress in White is the standout for this occasion. A white sequin halterneck mini with a dramatic open back, the WYNN has the kind of impact that's built for a summer night out — it catches light, it moves well, and the open back means it looks as good from behind as it does front-on.
The DIONE Mini Dress in Light Beige offers a slightly more understated version of the same energy — a halterneck cut-out mini in a neutral tone that works equally well for a late dinner as it does for an evening out.
How to style it: Strappy heeled sandals, a small bag, and nothing else. These dresses are the entire look.
The Evening Co-ord — The Alternative to a Dress
Co-ord sets have become one of the strongest choices for holiday evening dressing — they look as polished as a dress, but feel more considered and slightly more unexpected.
The MARA Top in Light Yellow with the MIRA Mini Shorts in Butter Yellow is the more relaxed, playful alternative — textured and feminine, perfect for a casual dinner or drinks by the water.
How to Pack for a Summer Holiday
Build around one hero piece. Decide on your statement evening dress first — the ALVA, the CLEA, or the LYSA — and build the rest of your packing around it. Everything else should complement it rather than compete.
Prioritise natural fabrics for daytime. Linen and cotton breathe in the heat and look better as the day goes on. The LUMA linen pieces and COLLETTE cotton crochet are built for this.
Pack light, wear often. The pieces in this edit are versatile enough that you don't need to overpack. A linen set, a resort maxi, one night-out dress, and one statement evening piece covers the full range of a summer holiday.
Let the colour palette do the work. The High Summer edit is built around a summer palette — butter yellow, baby blue, soft beige, white, sage — that photograph beautifully in natural light and work together effortlessly. You can mix pieces across the collection without overthinking it.
Shop the High Summer Edit
Ready to start packing? Browse OW Collection's High Summer edit — resort dresses, linen sets, and statement evening pieces designed for the holidays that deserve to be dressed for.
- Shop the ALVA Maxi Dress
- Shop the LYSA Maxi Dress
- Shop the CLEA Maxi Dress
- Shop the WYNN Mini Dress
- Shop the DIONE Mini Dress
- Shop the LUMA collection
- Shop the COLLETTE collection
- Shop the MARA Top + MIRA Shorts
- Shop All New In →
- Shop All Dresses →
Final Thoughts
A summer holiday deserves a wardrobe that matches it. The right pieces — a statement maxi for the best dinner, a linen set for long days, a sequin mini for the nights that go on — make the difference between an outfit and a memory.
OW Collection's High Summer edit is built around exactly that. Pieces that look as good in person as they do in photos, and that feel as effortless to wear as the holidays they're made for.
Shop the full High Summer collection →
