AZULU Dresses: Best Pieces for a Getaway

AZULU did not begin as a mood board, and I love that about it. The house started in Cali in the early 1980s as Salomon Azulu, making classic linen resort pieces. Alex Srour belongs to the family's second generation, and he teamed up with Maya Memovic, a Croatian-born, New York-raised designer who studied film direction and cinematography before working at Stella McCartney, Catherine Malandrino and Ralph Lauren. The two later moved to Colombia to reshape the family business.

 

Today Memovic is creative director and Srour is CEO, as AZULU explains on its own about page. I like the pairing: one lead came to fashion through image-making, the other through a family textile business. The label looks to sculpture, architecture, nature and travel, then balances fluid draping with geometric shapes, with everything developed and made in-house and in small family-run workshops across Colombia.

 

One early collection, Savanna, brought safari references into a Caribbean palette, which tells you how this place-first thinking works. It keeps the resort clothes tied to craft and history instead of a generic holiday uniform.

Dresses are where AZULU's resort-minded point of view gets its full canvas. Dante Dress in wave blue, Lenny Dress in ballet pink and Drea Dress in navy are three different color moods, while Malta Dress in ivory and Joaquina Dress in ivory seashells keep to a softer palette. I would let the dress do the talking: spare sandal, and one sculptural earring only if the neckline leaves room.

 

Marco Dress in royal blue and Jackson Dress in carmine red bring a brighter note, and Oli Dress in bone is an easy one for a daytime invitation. Montana Dress, Zoe Dress and Ivy Dress fill out the rest of the rail. Picture her arriving at an outdoor dinner in Pia Dress, with the last of the afternoon still in the room. Before choosing a dress for a big event, read the fabric notes on its page, since a name alone cannot tell me how it feels.

The tops give the same design language a smaller way in. Aveiro Top and Sango Top in seafoam green and Lena Top in apricot orange keep color at the center, while Amazon Top in rosewood is the darker counterpoint. I would pair a brighter shade with the quietest bottom I own and let the color set the direction. I went deeper on a related idea in AREA Tops & Dresses: The Best Pieces Right Now. I went deeper on a related idea in Atlein Dresses: The Best Pieces Right Now.

 

Picture her packing Sango Top for a long weekend, wearing it at lunch with simple jewelry, then keeping the same base for dinner with a sharper shoe. That kind of repeat wear is why I like looking beyond dresses. If you like more room through the shoulder, compare a top's fit notes with one you already own.

These are separates that work together without forcing a matching look. Joelle Skirt in seafoam green, Sango Skirt in latte and Sandy Skirt in ballet pink offer three color directions, while Amelie Pant in ivory and Sariah Pant in beige bring trousers into the mix. I like the split because the color story gets to walk away from the one-piece dress.

 

For a trip, I would build around one pale piece and repeat its color in a shoe or bag. For an evening out, try a skirt with a simple top and keep the jewelry quiet. What I would skip is assuming a skirt and a pant in the same shade will fit alike, so decide on the silhouette first.

The thread I keep returning to is not one color or dress code. It is the way these clothes carry their Colombian origin without flattening it into a souvenir. Materials, family workshops and references from art, travel and nature all feed in, and the family history gives the point of view a real timeline.

 

I would start with one piece that has a clear color or texture, then keep the rest of the outfit calm. The dresses make the loudest first impression, but a top or skirt may slip more easily into what is already in your suitcase. That is the difference between buying for a trip and wearing the trip home.