We may be in the middle of London Fashion Week, but, for a growing number of women, it's not the catwalk providing inspiration for what to wear next season, it's television. Lockdown may have ended long ago, but some habits have stuck: not least, our fondness for our sofas, from whose soft, cushioned bosom we love to binge-watch whichever shiny new TV show is thrown at us.
![[The H&M take on the look available to buy from its collection released yesterday]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/02/21/00/95427449-14419675-image-a-14_1740098165027.jpg)
The latest to hit our screens is The White Lotus, whose third season premiered on Sunday to record-breaking ratings. According to The Hollywood Reporter, 4.6 million viewers tuned in during the first 36 hours the show was available – double the same figure for the second season, which went on to average 15.5 million viewers.
![[H&M’s taste of White Lotus: kaftan dress (£64.99]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/02/21/00/95427451-14419675-image-a-21_1740098234782.jpg)
While these numbers are hugely significant for broadcasters, they're becoming increasingly important for fashion brands. In a fragmented culture such as ours, few things have the power to unite. What better way to drive sales of your brand than by aligning it with a feel-good, water-cooler-worthy cultural moment such as The White Lotus?.
![[H&M’s taste of White Lotus: broderie anglaise dress (74.99)]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/02/21/00/95427461-14419675-image-a-22_1740098241733.jpg)
The latest brand to employ this tactic is H&M, whose new womenswear collection is inspired by the new season of the show to such a degree that anyone wearing it may be in danger of being taken for a cast member. So aligned is the Swedish retail giant's new spring/summer range that it was even designed in collaboration with the show's costume designer, Alex Bovaird.
![[Cool summer: Oversized patterned shirt and matching frill trimmed trousers (both £44.99)]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/02/21/00/95427453-14419675-image-a-23_1740098256304.jpg)
Recreate the style: Aimee Lou Wood in The White Lotus. The H&M take on the look available to buy from its collection released yesterday. H&M’s taste of White Lotus: kaftan dress (£64.99. While the first season of The White Lotus was set in Hawaii and the second in the Sicilian resort of Taormina, season three takes place in the exotic environs of Thailand's Koh Samui.
![[H&M’s taste of White Lotus: patterned dress (£54.99)]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/02/21/00/95427457-14419675-image-a-24_1740098297121.jpg)
Those for whom a Thai vacay is strictly off-menu this summer can at least console themselves with dressing the part. Launched yesterday, the collection is comprised of 25 pieces that capture the vivid colours, dynamic prints and high-octane silhouettes of all the best holiday wardrobes. Colours are cheerful and upbeat – salmon pink, emerald green and gold – while fabrics run the gamut from breezy, lightweight silks to more artisanal cotton crochet.
At this point, you may, with some justification, be fretting that while you might not need the bank balance of a White Lotus guest to enjoy the collection, you may well need the youthful body. In fact, the collection has been thoughtfully designed to cater to most body shapes, ages and tastes – though lovers of minimalism might want to sit this one out.
Granted, the tiny gold crochet hotpants might be a reach for many, but other pieces are friendlier. The well-loved character Tanya (played unforgettably by Jennifer Coolidge) might have been killed off last season, but her spirit and style live on in a roomy peach lotus print kaftan dress with billowing sleeves (£64.99). A soft peach bell-sleeved dress (£54.99), meanwhile, wouldn't look out of place in a Chloe collection.
Anyone can wear these pieces – as they can an emerald green sarong (£44.99), or a brown and blue print beach cover-up (54.99). Accessories are equally inclusive, and include raffia pool slides (64.99), a dark khaki basket bag (£74.99) and a gold shell pendant necklace (£37.99). Those whose holiday wardrobes involve a large degree of flesh and fantasy haven't been overlooked.
A black and white bikini (£47.98 for the set), a white broderie anglaise mini dress (£74.99) and a bright orange co-ord set comprised of a cropped top (£37.99) and skirt (£44.99) will be catnip for the body-confident. Boho fans will love the crochet pieces, and everyone will love the well-priced aviator shades (£44.99).
'We always have this little catchphrase on the show: 'Nothing's too much for The White Lotus!' says Ms Bovaird. 'The collection incorporates the jungle, the show's bright iconic colours, and some gold and glitz that signify a stylish and luxurious resort vacation. I love that the collection can be worn all day - something you could just throw on to go to breakfast or the pool, or you could add jewellery and wear it to dinner. There's something for everyone.'.
H&M’s taste of White Lotus: broderie anglaise dress (74.99). Cool summer: Oversized patterned shirt and matching frill trimmed trousers (both £44.99). Fashion designers have been taking inspiration from Thailand decades before The White Lotus existed, of course, and with good reason. Nothing says 'colourful holiday wardrobe' like Koh Samui, a paradise whose tropical beaches and sparkling blue seas practically birthed the boho look.
While it's always been a popular destination, those with Koh Samui on their bucket list might want to consider visiting before prices surge. Such is the potency of 'The White Lotus Effect' that after season two was filmed in Taormina, the island of Sicily enjoyed a tourist boom, while the hotel in which the show was set, the five-star San Domenico Palace, found itself fully booked for six months.