The Handcrafted Holiday Edit

The Handcrafted Holiday Edit

What We'd Wear to A Beach Escape

The small things

Under $350 the edit is jewellery, straw and a couple of soft clothing pieces. The Verve Culture Shopping Basket at $48 is the cheapest item and the most literal interpretation of the theme. Jenni Kayne's Crochet Raffia Sun Hat at $195 is the other straw piece and the one that will get worn every summer. On jewellery, Jennifer Behr's Alana Earrings at $178, the Chan Luu Necklace at $325 and Eliou's Briny Necklace at $350 are three quite different hand-worked approaches at close prices. The clothing is minimal: Eterne's Thea 90s Bikini Bottom at $95, the Eaves Lexie Top at $149 and Bananhot's Renne Dress at $221. This bracket is where the theme is clearest, because almost everything in it shows the hand that made it.

The middle bracket

Between $360 and $545 the jewellery gets more substantial and the clothing gets better. Julietta's Tortugas Necklace at $375 and Roxanne Assoulin's Multi Charm Chain Necklace at $545 are the two statement pieces, and the Assoulin is the most maximal thing in the edit. Matteau's Silk Sarong at $360 opens the bracket and is the most useful single item in it, since it works as a skirt, a scarf and a cover-up. Jenni Kayne's Iris Dress at $395 is the plainest piece here. Two sandals sit in the group, the Jude Vermelho for FWRD at $470 and the Emme Parsons Meta Kidskin at $525, and both are the flat, handmade-feeling shapes the theme calls for. Givenchy's Bold Sunglasses at $400 and Enza Costa's Fluid Twill Pant at $425 round it out.

The finished pieces

Above $595 the edit shifts to designer goods with craft detailing rather than craft objects. The Burberry Towel at $595 is the oddity of the whole shop and genuinely a towel. Retrofete's Beatty Jumpsuit at $598 is the only jumpsuit here. Khaite's Lotus Cuff Bracelet at $680 is the most sculptural piece of jewellery in the edit. Zimmermann's Indra Fringe Skirt at $775 and Toteme's Monogram Silk PJ Top at $790 are the two clothing entries. On shoes, the Gianvito Rossi Thong Sandal at $995 and the Saint Laurent Sabrina Mule Sandal at $1,600 are both far more polished than anything in the brackets below. Chloe's Tropicus Lemon Shoulder Bag at $1,700 is the most expensive piece and the only handbag in the edit.

Our honest take

This is the edit where the cheap end is genuinely more interesting than the expensive end, which is unusual. A $48 woven basket and a $195 crochet raffia hat are both properly hand-made objects and both cost less than a designer keyring. The middle bracket is the sweet spot, and the Matteau silk sarong at $360 does more jobs than anything else here. Where we would be careful is the top, because a Chloe shoulder bag at $1,700 and a Saint Laurent mule at $1,600 are lovely but they are ordinary designer goods rather than craft, and buying them under this heading is buying the label. The Burberry towel at $595 speaks for itself. If you take one thing away, the handmade things in this shop are the cheap ones.