The finale of season two of HBO’s The White Lotus, a show set at an elite, five-star Sicilian hotel that follows the lives – and lies – of its privileged (and progressively unhinged) guests, didn’t quite go out with a bang, so much as a huh, really? However, it’s a denouement with just the right amount of weirdness we’ve come to know and expect from creator Mike White. Who can forget Murray Bartlett’s now-iconic exit from season one? #NeverForget.

And while the show’s conclusion will no doubt be divisive (don’t worry, no spoilers here) it’s a fitting swansong for a show that hinges on chaos: dysfunctional characters, tense situations and enough emotional leakage to be a psychologist’s dream.

Image: HBO.

But, what of the fashion? Like all good shows, it’s a direct line to each character’s inner psyche. Take, for instance, the rich eccentric Tanya McQuoid, played by Jennifer Coolidge, the inspiration behind every meme on the internet right now. When we met Tanya, back in season one (Coolidge’s character is the only one to star in both White Lotus outings), she was less put together, more casual in her style. In Sicily, she’s pushed the button on high-octane glamour. 

Firstly, because she’s plagued by fears that her husband Greg is unfaithful, secondly because the stakes are higher: her life is a swirl of adventures on yachts with chic gay men, Italian villas dripping in chandeliers and frescoes, an absent husband who is possibly not what he seems, or worse, who is plotting her impending death so he can swipe at her fortune.

Image: HBO.

Costume designer on the show Alex Bovaird, explained to Vogue. “I think she fancies herself an Italian Brigitte Bardot so, when she packed – or when she, you know, got her personal shopper to help her get some frocks for Italy – she got a whole rack of Dolce & Gabbana. She wears a lot of floral prints too, and she’s got Valentino purses, and she’s always teetering around on high heels.”

This culminates with a night at the opera where Coolidge, draped in a glittering full length dress and matching hood, looks every bit the dolce vita bombshell. As an aside, if this doesn’t spur a revival of floor sweeping hoods on the runway, I’m not sure what will.

In a similar vein, we meet Tanya’s beleaguered assistant Portia, played by newcomer Haley Lu Richardson. Portia is the definition of the overwhelmed, overworked Gen Z/millennial archetype, and her clothes match. Just as Tanya watching Madame Butterfly could be a symbol of her impending doom, Portia is also staring down the lens of her potentially chaotic demise, however it’s all hanging in her wardrobe.

Image: HBO.

Her outfits are a healthy mix of clashing prints, searing colours and more than a hint of 1990s raver gear (those Gen Z-ers, they love nostalgia). Think: marble bandeau tops, crochet bucket hats and clunky, ‘grandpa’ sandals. Outfits so divisive they’ve been the subject of many an internet snarl. However, their meaning is clear. Portia is young, brimming with expression and creativity but is utterly lost. If only she’d stuck with Albie, the idealistic Stanford grad and self-proclaimed feminist who is so dripping in American ‘nice guy’ vibes he dresses like Tom Hanks circa Sleepless in Seattle, things could have been different. In the meantime, we’ll be deep-diving to find the source of her beaded phone pouch.

In stark contrast, there’s Harper, played by Aubrey Plaza. In many ways, Harper’s turmoil is the most relatable. She’s trying to be a good person, but is holidaying with a couple who are so oblivious, and at odds with her moral compass, that it is testing her. As she reminds her naive husband Ethan, Daphne and Cameron can’t remember the last time they watched the news, or if they even voted.

Image: HBO.

Harper’s razor sharp personality is reflected in her shrewd fashion choices. At first, she’s the antithesis to Daphne’s playful holiday garb, which is an ode to Dolce & Gabbana’s jaunty Italian holiday prints. However, all isn’t what it seems. She carries a Bottega Veneta bag, she wears a Loewe swimsuit. At times her outfits nod to Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday, her love of shirting suggests a Katharine Hepburn don’t-mess-with-me femininity. Strikingly, in the final episode, Harper wears a frothy pink dress to the gang’s final dinner – an uncharacteristically feminine choice. Is she trying to paint herself in a different light, given everything that’s unfolded on the holiday?  

Aside from that, there are so many open-ended questions. Will Daphne see the light, divorce Cameron, become a wellness guru and give Goop a run for its money? Will Lucia use her grafted earnings to open a designer boutique, filled with bejewelled fashion, in Taormina? Did Portia really think those sunglasses she wore in the airport made her inconspicuous? There’s always next time – I’ll be looking forward to check in.

Image: HBO.