A sartorial solution to summer style dilemmas
Combining functional design with light, breathable fabrics, ATM Anthony Thomas Melillo has created the ideal warm-weather capsule closet
Designer Anthony Thomas Melillo doesn’t just know what women want to wear, he knows what we want to wear at one of the trickiest times of the year. We may all welcome the sun with open arms, but negotiating how to dress in hot, humid climes throws up a whole new set of sartorial challenges. Enter ATM Anthony Thomas Melillo, an understated luxury brand whose clever and heat-appropriate lightweight basics drape elegantly on the body so the wearer feels as cool as they look.
“Understanding how women want to feel in the heat, or what fabrics they want touching their skin during this season, is something that is important to me,” explains the Miami-dwelling designer. “It’s also important not to feel confined to a garment in the summer – loose fits and the right amount of sheerness add to our summer look.” For this reason, Melillo is fastidious about fabrics, and as well as developing his own cottons from scratch, he works with artisans in Peru to produce ultra-pure Peruvian cotton, soft cashmere and luxurious silks.
“If it doesn’t feel soft and have a great, sexy-chic, easy drape, it doesn’t make the edit,” he says of the brand philosophy. “This is what makes the garment move, and when our woman moves, I want her to be as comfortable and relaxed with her appearance as possible.” For Melillo, the ultimate style achievement is “to be able to buy clothing and not ever have to worry about what to do with it or how to wear it.”
“If it doesn’t feel soft and have a great, sexy-chic, easy drape, it doesn’t make the edit
”Anthony Thomas Melillo
Since launching in 2012 with the perfect cotton T-shirt, Melillo set about refining other items in the core wardrobe, eventually evolving into a full lifestyle brand of timeless and ultra-luxe sportswear. And now, collaborating with NET-A-PORTER on the perfect summer-capsule collection, he’s filling our wardrobes with elegant day-to-night chic casualwear that frees us up to enjoy our downtime more. Taking us effortlessly from afternoon yoga to happy hour are the silk pajama pants that look polished but relaxed with flat sandals and a cotton cami top by day, and easily transform for after hours by swapping in a body suit and a simple stiletto.
Jetting to New York every Monday morning for work, Melillo fully embraces his idyllic Miami lifestyle at the weekend: “I spend as much quality time with my husband Lance and my two-year-old son Max as possible.” Their sun-drenched days are spent at the picturesque South Pointe Park, brunching in Soho Beach House, dining at Kyu, and relaxing in Melillo’s coastal home, which reflects his inimitable design aesthetic: equal parts chic and comfortable.