Set on the picturesque island of Koh Samui, the third season of The White Lotus delivers plenty of immersive vacation porn as well as enviably audacious designer wardrobes on a new slate of badly behaving guests. “We don’t do quiet luxury,” says returning costume designer Alex Bovaird, who received two out of her three Emmy nominations for the first two seasons of the Mike White series.
As a fresh set of potential Blossom Circle members take in the stunning views from the private boat to the resort, Raleigh, North Carolina, matriarch Victoria Ratliff (Parker Posey), tightly clutching her Gucci 1947 bamboo top-handle bag, turns down her nose at fellow guests—and the entire Thailand experience. With a bright blue silk scarf by Swaine London primly tied over the shoulders of her preppy Banana Republic shirtdress, Victoria wishes she was in England—or anywhere in Western Europe—with her three children and sketchy financier husband Timothy (Jason Isaacs). “My inspiration for [the Ratliffs] was as if they just stepped out of a Ralph Lauren catalogue,” says Bovaird.
But Victoria did pack a suitcase, presumably checked first-class, of “loud Lilly Pulitzer”–esque dresses and floaty cover-ups, perfect for sipping mint juleps by a members-only pool. Bovaird referenced how the society set in Oxford, Mississippi, dress and the lifestyle of “the kaftan queen of Birmingham, Alabama,” Susan Dumas. “She and her country club friends love vintage kaftans,” says Bovaird, who also designed a resort-ready White Lotus–inspired collaboration with H&M.
The eldest Ratliff sibling, Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), thirsty for his withholding father’s approval, immediately telegraphs douchebag bro in one of his many Southern Tide polo shirts, wraparound Roger Federer sunglasses, and Gucci loafers sans socks. “His shorts are Brooks Brothers, and they’re just not the cool length,” says Bovaird. Younger sister Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook), who’s seeking spirituality on the island, hints at the burgeoning disconnect from her family with her ’80s-referential Ralph Lauren white lace dress. “She is a little bit more of the pure voice who’s looking for something more meaningful than her very materialistic family,” says Bovaird, who referenced a teenage Brooke Shields for Piper’s demure embroidered and lace-trimmed dresses. “[She’s] a bit more earthy, really wholesome, and a little more covered up.”
Off to the side, a trio of 40-something childhood best friends giggle and gossip at the start of their decadent, and potentially debauched, reunion trip. In their coordinating sundresses, bags, and blonde highlights, they could be a girl group: TV actor Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan) in Alemais and Valentino; Austin socialite Kate (Leslie Bibb) in Paul Smith and Delvaux; and New York City lawyer Laurie (Carrie Coon) in Zimmermann and Loewe—check, check, and check.
“They’re supposed to look interchangeable, but Laurie is the one who’s maybe trying to keep up with the girls,” says Bovaird. For the first-night dinner, Laurie dons a vintage Sue Wong watercolor-print jumpsuit, and later cries into her Giambattista Valli chain-link bag. Meanwhile, Kate, in red ruffle-tiered Lanvin, and Jaclyn, in a gold dragon-embroidered ’70s black vintage dress, trade fake, backhanded compliments.
Jaclyn also employs her holiday as an opportunity for designer spon-con. “We imagined that she got a box of resort pieces that Valentino sent over. Maybe Kate grabbed a suit out of Jaclyn’s box,” says Bovaird. “Because that’s true to life—brands want to support actors.” For their first trip to the pool, Kate wraps a black-and-white panther-print sarong from the 2023 Escape collection around the waist of a Valentino hot pink maillot. Jaclyn, who’s regularly recognized by guests, appropriately called dibs on the showier, logo-mania pieces, like an oversized shirt cover-up and a flashy silver-sequined minidress.
But odd couple Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) and older boyfriend Rick (Walton Goggins) don’t quite fit in with the designer label–stacked façade of their fellow guests. “You’re supposed to bump up against them and think, Who are these two grifters? Because they are a little bit less put-together,” says Bovaird. “They seem like a couple of rogues. You’re just supposed to wonder what their story is, and they’re supposed to have a crackling sexual chemistry.”
A grizzled Rick broods and smolders in a steady rotation of slouchy, halfway unbuttoned Hawaiian shirts, giving off the aura of an American expat with a questionable livelihood but deep pockets. Free-spirited Mancunian Chelsea takes selfies in a cutout My Beachy Side minidress. “She has this louche, sexy, Brigitte Bardot [vibe],” says Bovaird. “She’s been traveling for several years. We imagined she got the crochet dress from a market, or she collected things from Goa. She’s supposed to have this very market-driven, eclectic wardrobe.”
Chelsea effortlessly mixes vintage with market-bought sarongs and minidresses, but her colorful bikinis are mostly by Corsica-based Tara Matthews. Chelsea also pairs a parrot-printvintage-looking Loewe wrap skirt with a throwback Blondie T-shirt, and carries JW Anderson and Louis Vuitton bags. “She has lots of sunglasses that she ‘got down at the market,’ but are actually by Jacquemus,” says Bovaird.
Jacquemus also custom-designed two full looks for model Chloe (Charlotte LeBon), who a lonely Chelsea meets at the resort bar. (Keep an eye on Chloe’s “LBH”—“losers back home”—boyfriend, Gary, played by Jon Gries, who can’t seem to resist the nearest White Lotus location.)
“[Jacquemus] designed special pieces just for The White Lotus in Thailand and hand-delivered them to Koh Samui,” says Bovaird about Chloe’s black-and-white polka-dotted bodysuit and striped, sequined skirt outfit that Chelsea admires, and a pink one-piece and sheer sarong for a yacht party.
The White Lotus Maui spa manager Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) threads all three seasons of the slow-burn series together, as she spends a month at the Koh Samui outpost for a work-share session. She enjoys hands-on massage sessions with her very fit Thai counterpart, Pornchai (Dom Hetrakul)—and a resort wardrobe filled with colorful, tropical-print dresses and caftans from brands like Anthropologie and Verandah. “Belinda is a little self-conscious that she’s there on her work trip,” says Bovaird, who also custom-made looks with vibrant Thai fabrics for the character. “When she’s out of her uniform, she wants to feel as good as the guests.”
Speaking of, what was it like putting Lalisa Manoban, aka Lisa of Blackpink, in a uniform to play resort staffer Mook? “I think it was refreshing for her not to worry too much about the bits and baubles, and making sure everything was super-fashionable,” says Bovaird. With the help of a local Thai crew, and input from Manoban, Bovaird custom-designed Mook’s blouse-and-sarong uniform. But the staffer first greets the guests in a cute palm-tree-and-monkey-embroidered short-sleeve shirt-and-shorts set that’s by Tombolo.
“This season, we definitely upped our game,” says Bovaird. “We definitely had the right shoe for the right swimsuits, cover-ups, hats, bags, and sunglasses. Whereas, in season one, we were like, ‘Here are your flip-flops.’”
This story first appeared on vogue.com
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