Mary Katrantzou Resort 2024 Collection

Mary Katrantzou’s latest collection—which brings together both her namesake line, and Mary Mare, the “year-round resort” offering she launched in 2020—was inspired by a deeply personal event in her life: her son’s baptism. But you won’t find a collection of delicate white lace and babydoll silhouettes here; instead the designer was riffing on the table settings she created for the christening “after-party.”

“It all started because I was designing plates in the primary colors that you find on children’s playmats, for the art de la table we did for the christening,” she said on a Zoom from her studio in Greece. The prints themselves are taken from her bespoke ceramics—which you can see in the lookbook as set design. She also lifted details from other decorative pieces; the “perforation stripe” that has become a frequent motif, is a reinterpretation of the frilled edge of postal stamps.

The red group featured a mix of florals and butterflies combined with a scalloped pattern inspired by the little bread and butter plates. On a loose, caftan-esque silhouette it had a studied ease, while on a long sleeve mini dress it looked fun and youthful. In the blue group, a floral print that cheekily paired butterflies, star fish, and turtles was turned into an elegant maxi dress with an embellished floral beaded trim at the collar—the epitome of glamorous resort wear. Additional highlights included an easy shirt dress and a caftan in a “collaged” print that brings together all of the primary color floral prints, as well as a pleated striped skirt and matching swimsuit that really captured that carefree summer feeling.

Katrantzou has a healthy occasionwear business, and in the yellow group, a silk bias cut slip dress with all-over beaded motif of yellow flowers and butterflies on the bust had just enough ’90s appeal, while a mint green silk gown with garden-inspired embellishments at the bust brought to mind simple-yet-grand ball gowns from the 1950s and ’60s.

“We’ve been growing our bespoke business quite exponentially actually. The show we did at the Temple of Poseidon was our first foray into couture, and during Covid we had a lot of clients that came to us, inspired by that collection who allowed us to design a lot of pieces for them,” she said. “I think this collection bridges the two where, you know, it’s evening, but it’s still a ready-to-wear offering at a more democratic price point.”