The Coastal Grandmother trend had many of us in a chokehold last summer, myself included. Now the Coastal Grandmother’s offspring, Tomato Girl, is taking over. The Tomato Girl aesthetic is a cheekier, flirtier take on coastal style more aligned with that of the Amalfi Coast than Nantucket.
I don’t know about you, but my Instagram feed is flooded with people delighting in gorgeous coastal European vacations. Meanwhile I’m stuck sweating in the States. If you want to feel like you’re living your Sophia Loren seaside dreams, have yourself a merry little Tomato Girl summer.
Undoubtedly, season two of The White Lotus, filmed in Sicily, added fuel to the burning desire of girls around the world yearning for a Tomato Girl summer. The trend can be summed up by the scene in which Tanya, played by Jennifer Coolidge, reveals her fantasy day in Italy. “Well, first, I want to look just like Monica Vitti. Then this man in a very slim fitting suit, he comes over and he lights my cigarette, and it tastes really good. Then he takes me for a drive on his Vespa. At sunset, we go down very close to the sea to one of those really romantic spots. Then we drink lots of apéritifs, and we eat big plates of pasta with giant clams. We’re just really chic and happy.”
Following the trend will have one looking as if they blend into The Talented Mr. Ripley or Call Me By Your Name. As someone whose summer goal is to embody Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday, I’ve been running with this TikTok microtrend. For a more modern take, Emily Ratajkowski is one to look at. She seamlessly vacillates between city girl chic and seaside Tomato Girl.
This trend gets its name from the plump juicy Italian tomatoes of summer. It’s not all about tomatoes though. Other fresh produce picked up at a local market and plopped in a net bag alongside a baguette fit the mold as well. Light linen dresses, flirty ruffles and espadrilles are the easy breezy uniform.
Tomato Girl is the perfect trend for summer as it calls for very light, natural-looking makeup. The look calls for flushed, bronzed cheeks that imitate being kissed by the sun and ruddy lips that look like they just sipped on a glass of chilled red, a perfect time to try the lip-blurring trend. Hair can be natural, perhaps with a touch of the ocean or a sea salt spray. A carefree bun or patterned head scarf is also apt for the trend.
