Returning as the face of H&M following her 2023 collaboration, Catriona Gray embodies the collection’s chic summer vibe. “Fashion plays a really wonderful role in allowing women to feel empowered, because it allows an avenue for self-expression,” she tells Manila Bulletin Lifestyle. “It showcases either how we’re feeling and how we see ourselves, to celebrate what being a woman is, which is accessing different facets of ourselves, whatever the roles we feel or aspire to be. Fashion can really be an avenue where we can amplify and express that.”

The collection’s color story is sophisticated with calming shades of sand, ecru, and raw cotton, accentuated with cocoa brown, burnt sienna, and palm green. “As you can see, it is a really beautiful earth-tone collection with a lot of transitional pieces perfect for enjoying summer at the beach in the Philippines, and wherever your travels will take you,” Catriona notes.

When asked what her favorites are, she picked out a brown one-piece swimsuit—pointing out how it cinches the waist. “The nice thing about the Tropical Essentials collection is that you have a lot of cover-up options that also transition—you can wear it out to dinner,” Catriona shares.

“For the beach, this caftan is my favorite. It has a lot of earth-tones, so it’s flattering for both morenas and mestizas. If you want to dress it up, you can always put on a skirt,” she suggests. “The tonality used in the colors of this collection makes it super easy to mix and match, which is why I love it.”