Beyoncé and the art of the haute holiday wardrobe

Just when you thought that you had a pretty snazzy beach wardrobe sorted- a fancy kaftan, tick, pom pom earrings tick, maybe even some nice new sunnies- Beyoncé comes along and shows us all how it really should be done. Well, how it should be done when you have a team of stylists and limitless budget. 

This week, Queen Bey as she's come to be known, expanded upon the brief glimpses we've already seen of her holiday dressing oeuvre via some pap shots taken in Capri and Como by releasing a carefully curated album of images entitled 'Thank you Europe' on her personal website which is an Instagram-busting power move few others can replicate given it would probably only be our mums who bothered to visit our eponymous domains. Needless to say, it's a captivating glimpse into life with the Carter family. 

Here,  Beyoncé's haute holiday look dissected...

Look 1: the floppy hat

This has been the summer of the floppy hat, the most notable of the genre being Jacquemus's vastly oversized straw creation. Beyoncé makes the look her own with a more wearably-sized fuchsia number. Note how she she underscores the floppiness by obscuring most of her face save for a corner of sunglasses and lush red lip. The windswept curls add a note of nonchalance. 

Look 2: the chic cover-up

Beyoncé has been admirably patriotic with her Euro wardrobe, wearing pieces by Italian labels. When in Rome etc. Here she pays tribute to the classic Missoni zig-zag stripe with her co-ordinating vest and cardigan combo. The denim shorts keep it relatable (ish). 

Look 3:  statement cover-up

 Surely you didn't think Beyoncé would stop at one category of cover-up? Here she moves the look forward with a tiered, tasseled baby pink design which puts even the jazziest of  swimming costumes to shame. What's clever about Bey's holiday look is the sense of consistency- it's all very boho-pristine. Note that Blue Ivy offers a perfect matchy-matchy compliment to the look, which brings us to our next point...

Look 4: the best-dressed child

Any self-respecting a-lister now knows that the ultimate accessory is no longer an It bag, but a child. Thus Blue Ivy is an important part of this story, and we know that because she is dressed just like her mother. Parents of other six year-olds may be astounded to see how Beyoncé  has managed to get her daughter wearing a mini-me straw hat and shell necklace in such a polished, non-dressing-up-box sort of way, but that's par for the course when you're Blue Ivy. 

Look 5: sunset glamour

We all know that a holiday wardrobe really and truly begins with the evening looks- daytime beachwear is a mere amuse bouche. Beyoncé knows this too and so has included a look at her night time choices in her holiday album. Her co-ord cropped top and palazzo trousers is a more thoughtful option than a dress and niftily shows off her stomach. The straw fedora is an authentic, casualising touch which takes this from a suggestion of overdressedness to ideal yacht style. 

Look 6: the palette cleansing Versace

 Just to keep us on our toes, Beyoncé  broke away from the bohemian look she favoured for most of her holiday with a Versace mini dress which could hardly have been a more dramatic change of pace. There is actually a useful style lesson for us all in this leopard-printed design and that's that sticking to too much of a theme for your getaway can make packing easier, but you may get bored at some stage. Therefore, packing something entirely different, it needn't be va-va-voom Versace, could be just what you need on day eight of hippie embroidery.