The residents of The White Lotus on the island of Koh Samui are all about loud luxury—but Chelsea, played by Aimee Lou Wood, is slightly out of step with the rest of the guests.
“She has this louche, sexy, Brigitte Bardot [vibe],” costume designer Alex Bovaird told Vogue. “She’s been travelling for several years. We imagined she got the crochet dress from a market, or she collected things from Goa. She’s supposed to have this very market-driven, eclectic wardrobe.” The Mancunian’s wardrobe consists of vintage pieces and sarongs bought on her travels, JW Anderson bags, Jacquemus sunglasses, and a parrot-printed Loewe wrap skirt.
In episode five, Chelsea sits upright on the yacht terrace seats, plagued with worry for her partner Rick (Walter Goggins) who has absconded to Bangkok. It’s an episode that encompasses a wild Full Moon party, creeping dread, affairs, and that interaction—but still, the fashions stand strong. Chelsea wears a string, sculpted coconut bra, paired with a fringed skirt—the bra sparked a Reddit hunt, with White Lotus 3 watchers keen to track the bikini down.
Bovaird picked up the fun, flirty bikini top from Barcelona-based vintage dealer Los Féliz, owned by Nadia Benedicte Pape. It features two carved resin, coconut-like shells whittled with elegant white etchings for each cup, tied together with a delicate string to create the traditional bikini shape.
While renting or sourcing for TV shows, movies, and music videos is part of the business, Pape’s main focus is her physical and online store, which has cultivated a cult following.
Los Féliz has been running over a decade, starting from Pape’s own personal collection of vintage before evolving online and into the now three-year old store. The selection Pape curates is mostly based on pieces from the 90s, with a particular focus on her favorite Moschino, Jean Paul Gautier, Plein Sud, early Dolce Gabbana, early Gaetano Navarra, and Kenzo, as well as ’90s statement swimwear by Italian and French designers. “Mixed every now and then with some true vintage pieces, some ’30s, ’70s and some early 2000s here and there,” she tells Vogue. “I always try to keep it fun and summery for sure!”
Pape bought the bikini some years ago in France, but it was never available to purchase in the store. “I just kept it in my archives for a while, waiting for something special,” she explains.
Several pieces from Los Féliz were already featured in the previous season of The White Lotus, mostly worn by Harper—played by Aubrey Plaza. For season two, Harper wore a black, plunging Loewe swimsuit with gold hardware, a floaty pink silk Lolita Lempicka dress, and pair of tile-patterned Plein Sud cropped pants. Mia, played by Beatrice Grannò, wore a Dior pink swimsuit and starfish emblem earrings, and Daphne (Meghann Fahy) wore a white Moschino swimsuit from Pape.
“With that previous experience, I already knew Alex’s preferences and the style of the show,” says Pape. This allowed me to develop an intuition for what would work for a character, although I had, of course, no idea about the casting or personalities of the new season. However, I knew that such a statement swimwear piece would be perfect for the show.” The bikini top was previously rented by an international pop star—who’ll remain unnamed—who chose not to wear it.
So far, two other pieces from Pape’s store have also featured in the third season, including gold mask Moschino earrings that Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan) wears, and a printed kimono Gaultier blouse, worn by Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon).
With just a few episodes left to go, there’s more time to spot some of Pape’s special vintage pieces, and luxuriate in more of the cast’s evocative costumes.
