The Holiday Willoughby effect! How Holly’s summer break style is so tailor-made for mid-life women that everything she wears flies off the shelves
- Holly Willoughby been showcasing something new – the Holiday Holly effect
- The 42-year-old has showcased a raft of looks that are more laid-back on holiday
By now, everyone is familiar with the ‘Holly Willoughby effect’. Thanks to her popularity on ITV’s This Morning and 8.4 million Instagram followers, any brand the TV golden girl wears enjoys an upsurge in sales. Like the Princess of Wales, Holly has an innate ability to sell clothes.
Over the past few weeks, however, Holly has been showcasing something new – the Holiday Holly effect – a summer adjunct to the year-round phenomenon that sees the mother of three in an enviable capsule wardrobe for the beach.
On holiday in Portugal this summer, Holly, 42, swapped the brightly coloured midi dresses and printed separates she wears on This Morning for a raft of looks that are more laid-back in style, but equally covetable.
Holly herself may divide opinion, but most women would concede her wardrobe choices are unassailable: even after the Phillip Schofield scandal broke in May, a £149 Ghost dress Holly wore on This Morning sold out on Marks & Spencer’s website within hours. Not surprisingly, Holly was signed up as an M&S brand ambassador in 2018, in a deal thought to be worth a cool seven figures.
Her floral Phase Eight number, £110, worn in July, and a white New Look frock, £12, spotted earlier this month, have also seen an uptick in sales.
Over the past few weeks, Holly has been showcasing something new — the Holiday Holly effect
When it comes to beach dressing, Holly’s choices are pitch perfect. Take her choice of swimsuit. Anyone feeling nervous about donning swimwear this summer need look no further than Holly
On holiday in Portugal this summer, Holly, 42, swapped the brightly coloured midi dresses and printed separates she wears on This Morning for a raft of looks that are more laid-back in style, but equally covetable
When Holly was pictured wearing a pale yellow sundress by British independent label Albaray (£89, albaray.co.uk) while shopping in Portugal, the style swiftly sold out
And when Holly was pictured wearing a pale yellow sundress by British independent label Albaray (£89, albaray.co.uk) while shopping in Portugal, the style swiftly sold out.
‘We’re always thrilled when Holly chooses to wear Albaray,’ admits Karen Peacock, the brand’s founder and creative director. ‘The yellow dress was a great style and ideal summer shade that quickly sold out when she wore it.’
When it comes to beach dressing, Holly’s choices are pitch perfect. Take her choice of swimsuit. Anyone feeling nervous about donning swimwear this summer need look no further than Holly. Strolling on the Algarve’s golden sand, she proved that nothing beats a simple black one-piece.
Her swimsuit is by Hunza G, a brand that was relaunched in 2015 and has become known for its figure-flattering, body-sculpting crinkle-stretch fabric.
Costing £160, Holly’s ‘Domino’ swimsuit certainly isn’t the cheapest she could have chosen, but it’s one of the most flattering. Given that she is rumoured to be signing a new ITV contract ‘any day now’ – one alleged to be ‘even more lucrative’ than her current £700,000 salary – she can well afford to shell out three figures on a costume.
For when it comes to her holiday wardrobe, it appears that, in the pursuit of looking ‘effortless’, no effort has been spared. Who needs Phillip Schofield as an accessory when you have a raft of judiciously well-chosen sunglasses, sarongs and sandals at your disposal?
For when it comes to her holiday wardrobe, it appears that, in the pursuit of looking ‘effortless’, no effort has been spared
She wore this with dark grey cut-off denim shorts and a pair of black ‘Henrietta’ sunglasses by London-based brand Finlay
Thus to her black Hunza G swimsuit, Holly added a chic broad-rimmed straw sun hat by Eugenia Kim (£310), trimmed with a smart black ribbon.
She wore this with dark grey cut-off denim shorts and a pair of black ‘Henrietta’ sunglasses by London-based brand Finlay.
Those £150 shades are proving to be something of a holiday favourite, worn on repeat. She’s also been seen in a pair of £175 Santa Barbara sunglasses by British luxury label Aspinal.
While, as a brand ambassador, Holly is pointedly loyal to M&S, she’s not afraid to flash the cash. Yes, you can buy countless dupes of her flat brown leather sandals – including a £95 pair by Dune, sold through M&S – but Holly’s are the original Oran sandals by Hermes, costing £570. Her handbags also run the gamut from ‘affordable’ to ‘expensive’. She may favour a capacious raffia tote on the beach, but when she’s out and about in the Algarve, she has also been seen with a cross-body raffia box bag by Aspinal. Trimmed with brown leather and featuring the British brand’s trademark silver clasp, it retails at £650.
Accessories aside, Holly’s holiday capsule wardrobe is, in the main, relatively affordable, as befits her status as the nation’s most relatable fashion plate. Which of us doesn’t have a pair of frayed, denim cut-offs among our summer holiday staples? Holly’s £60 Levi’s look as reassuringly well-loved and well-worn as our own.
So, too, does her breezy peasant blouse, her slightly battered Trilby and her seashell ankle bracelet, which was probably bought on a whim from a local stall.
And that’s Holly in a nutshell: a celebrity who interprets trends in a relatable, attainable way, and mixes High Street and high end with a confidence that is never offputting.
While her wardrobe may not be on the cutting edge of fashion, she interprets catwalk trends in a way that feels achievable. For many of us, Holiday Holly is a ray of sunshine – no matter what the weather is back home.
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