If you’ve resigned yourself to the fact that your summer wardrobe is set to be a season of restrictive waistbands and eeny-meeny dresses, then you’ll be pleased to know that, this year, a decidedly more comfortable trend is sweeping fashion into a frenzy – and it looks a lot like your bathrobe.

Indeed, this summer, as we gear up for the much-prophesied Hot Girl Summer, terry towelling is rearing its head as the comfort-first, throw-on-and-go trend to know.

Championed by Kim Kardashian’s shapewear line Skims in March – for a collection that swiftly sold out – and burgeoning London designer Maisie Wilen, among others, terry towelling has been reimagined into a slew of form-fitting mini dresses, boxy resort shirts and oversized shorts. It straddles the fence between post-shower and picture-perfect perfection; the ultimate entrée back to embracing trends without compromising on comfort. Because really, if the last year’s sartorial calamity has taught us anything, is it not that comfort deserves to reign supreme?

It’s not just established brands that are turning the towel into a trend. Terry, a brand founded in 2019 which, you guessed it, crafts its wares exclusively from towelling, was founded by friends Lucy Halfpenny and Brigette Clark and has already found a home on the virtual shelves of Browns Fashion, Net a Porter and Matches Fashion. And our collective appetite for towelling is apparent: according to Lyst, searches for the fast-drying material have spiked by 39% in recent weeks.

It’s the waterproof, fashion-forward material to embrace sooner rather than later. Feeling tempted by the towelling? These are a few of our favourite pieces.

Images: courtesy of brands.