Amalfi Coast Dresses — What to Wear in Italy

Inspired by my travel through the picture perfect turquoise blue coast of Amalfi, Italy. Famous for the perfumed lemons, mouth-watering oregano and chillies, hand-painted ceramics, stunning architecture and more. One cannot walk through the cobbled lanes of Sorrento or Positano and not be inspired. The visual treat is one in a lifetime kind of experience!

The Amalfi capsule

Four pieces came directly out of that trip. The Amalfi Positano Print Jacket Dress at $198 carries the print I drew from the cliffside houses. The Gianna Blue Printed Scuba Mini at $128 takes its pattern from the hand-painted ceramics of Vietri — the blue and white tiles you see on every stair riser and table top. The Minara Resort Midi is $128 and the Valentina Bodycon Mini $138.

What else I would pack

Everything else here is not an Amalfi print, and I would rather say that than pretend otherwise. These are the dresses I would actually put in the case for that coast, chosen for colour and for how they behave in heat.

Lemon is the obvious one, because the lemons are the whole point — the Yellow Cotton Square-Neck Maxi at $298, and the Gatsby Square-Neck Poplin Maxi at $298, which comes in four colours. For the water: the Marquis Royal Blue Off-Shoulder Maxi at $328 with hand embroidery, and the Palm Tree Dress at $358 in sky blue and yellow.

For boat days and beach clubs, a kaftan beats everything, because it goes on over a wet swimsuit without a fight: the Taj Orange Kaftan and the Duchess Red Kaftan, both $298. For dinner on a terrace, the Casablanca Hot Pink Pinstripe Wrap Midi at $298 or the Habibi Halter Maxi at $358. And for the long lunch that turns into an afternoon, the Bagh Orange Mini Shirt Dress at $228 or the Moroccan Mint Top at $228 with white trousers.

Two things nobody tells you about dressing there

The streets will destroy a heel. Positano, Amalfi, Ravello and Atrani are built on cliffs and paved in uneven stone, and most of the walking is stairs. Pack flat sandals you can genuinely walk in and keep one pair of heels for a sit-down dinner you arrive at by car or boat. A floor-length dress plus stairs plus cobbles is a combination worth thinking about before you buy — a midi is easier there than a maxi.

Churches have a dress code and it is enforced. The Duomo di Sant'Andrea in Amalfi and most working churches on the coast will turn you away with bare shoulders. A dress with sleeves solves it without a scarf you have to carry all day, which is why the wrap and shirt dresses here earn their place. There is a whole collection of dresses with sleeves if that matters for your trip.

Fabric and sizing

Cotton and viscose, almost entirely. Both breathe, and neither clings when the afternoon gets to thirty degrees. Hand wash gently in cold water or dry clean, and hang dry rather than tumble. Sizes run XS to 3XL on most styles, and any piece can be made to your measurements for $50 to $100 above retail. My models are 5 foot 8 to 5 foot 9, so check the size chart for length rather than judging from the photographs.

Every print here is drawn by hand in my studio and made in small runs that are not repeated.

Also worth a look: all resort wear · vacation dresses · cruise wear · swimsuit cover-ups and kaftans · beach wedding guest · plus size resort wear

Planning the trip? Read my Amalfi Coast itinerary, or what to wear in Italy.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What should I wear on the Amalfi Coast?
Light cotton or viscose in colour, flat shoes you can climb stairs in, and at least one piece with sleeves for churches. Midi lengths are more practical than floor-length because of the stairs and cobblestones. Evenings on a terrace are dressier than the daytime, so pack one dress you would wear to dinner and let everything else be easy.

Is there a dress code on the Amalfi Coast?
Not for the towns generally, but yes for churches — shoulders and knees covered, and it is enforced at the Duomo in Amalfi. Beach clubs and restaurants are relaxed in the day and smarter at night. Nobody will mind a swimsuit and a kaftan at lunch by the water, but a proper dress is expected at dinner in Ravello or Positano.

What colours work best in Amalfi photographs?
Anything that stands against blue water and pastel buildings — lemon yellow, coral, white, hot pink, and the blues of the ceramics. Black disappears in bright sun and photographs flat. A print does more work than a solid, which is the entire reason I design the way I do.

Can I wear these to a wedding on the Amalfi Coast?
Yes. The maxis and the halter styles are built for exactly that, and the kaftans work for a welcome party or rehearsal dinner by the water. Avoid white and ivory, ask about the bridesmaid colour, and remember the aisle may well be stone — choose a heel you can stand in for an hour.

Do these come in plus sizes?
Most styles run XS to 3XL, which covers US 00 through 24. The size dropdown on each product shows exactly what that piece is made in, and anything can be cut to your own measurements for $50 to $100 above retail with no upper size limit.