Best resort wear

You may have had your 15 minutes on some reality television show already but you're not a multi-millionaire celebrity yet. Neither are you about to jet off to your rock star lover's private island in the Bahamas next weekend.

So what exactly, you were wondering, does resort wear have to do with you? So-called cruise lines and what is known as lounge wear fall into the same bewildering category.

Overseas this has become a new niche market with some big-name labels, such as Versace, Pucci and Christian Lacroix, coming up with versions of resort wear. British socialite Elizabeth Hurley, who's well known for her penchant for wandering about with not a lot on, launched her line of beach wear earlier this year, and up-and-coming British designer Matthew Williamson told British Vogue that he will be starting his collection of resort wear soon and that, ahem, it will be better than Hurley's.

Despite the glamorous trappings and the fancy monikers, resort wear is not complicated. It's simply a range of clothing specifically designed with holidaying in mind - that is, when you go to a resort, on a cruise or to a beach and lounge about.

But you can't categorise your daggy old board shorts and an old cotton T-shirt as such because resort wear is holiday clothing with sophisticated intentions. Often it has matching components - beaded sandals and matching bag or a sarong in the same print or colour as your swimsuit, perhaps. Another typical trait is that you can take these garments from the cabana to the beach to the poolside cocktail bar of an evening.

Okay, so we know that a lot of New Zealanders won't be holidaying like that over Christmas. We're more likely to be camping by a beach and eating baked beans cooked on a gas stove than having a cute cabana boy massage oil into our tanned backs.

Nonetheless it's the idea of resort wear that appeals. There's nowhere better than the beach for getting all boho on it and your Christmas holidays will be the perfect time to bring out those long, flowing printed skirts, silky drawstring trousers, those exotic beaded kaftans and a soft cotton summer frock or two. Ditch the daggy shorts (at least for a day) and just pretend you're off to the Maldives with the Jaggers.

But there's something even better about resort wear. It's designed to cover your swimsuit.

For some of us, being on the beach is just about as frightening as getting onstage. And then there's that moment where you have to get up from the safety of your towel and head to the water's edge. How you get to the waves without anyone seeing you in your togs is something you'll have to work out for yourself. But a few savvy purchases can help you to feel more comfortable while you're lounging on the sand.

Specialists such as Moontide make matching Lycra skirts to go with their swimwear but you'll find more choice at your local mall because there are plenty of stores and labels selling beach-bound items.

Choose something that covers the bits you're most worried about. If it's hips and thighs, check those unstructured, ankle length hippie skirts out. If it's upper body, your first purchase may involve a kaftan. They're everywhere and, as one British fashion editor put it, they're posing a serious challenge to that other holiday standby, the sarong.

Beaded, embroidered, brightly coloured or plainly feminine and floaty, most kaftans end at the top of your thighs, which is great for covering up. They solve the arm problem, they'll protect you from the sun and you can also wear them with jeans at night.

If you shop around, you should find some longer kaftans, if you prefer knee-length. And remember the good old sari store. Most Indian specialty shops have a good supply of pretty kaftan-like cover-ups.

Most Indian shops also have a good supply of jewelled or embroidered sandals, as does your average chain store at the moment.

So by now, you may be embracing the idea of resort wear. If so, you may be ready for the next step: power dressing for the pool. This involves matching outfits, as described at the beginning of this story, and probably some chunky designer sunglasses a la Joan Collins.

It can also involve a touch of the unexpected and the evening. Some chandelier or other dangling earrings, a printed scarf in the hair or maybe some wedge espadrilles, perhaps even a chunky bracelet or two. And now, just one final word of advice: remember to take it all off before you jump in the water.