Somewhere between the last wedding invite and the first weekend getaway of the summer, fashion quietly decided we’re all spending summer on the Amalfi Coast, even if the closest most of us are getting is a rooftop in Bandra. Aperitivo, if you haven’t come across the term, is the Italian ritual of a pre-dinner drink and a small plate, usually outdoors, usually unhurried, and it’s lent its whole mood to how people are dressing this summer: sun-warmed colour, a little shine, nothing that looks like it tried too hard.
It’s not just an aesthetic, though. This is genuinely the season India’s occasion-wear calendar gets busiest, rooftop dinners, daytime brunches, the run of destination wedding functions, a friend’s engagement do, sometimes all in the same week. And industry estimates put India’s luxury fashion rental market on track to grow from roughly $2.1 billion in 2025 to $6.7 billion by 2031, a big part of that growth coming from exactly this kind of multi-event, one-outfit-per-occasion wardrobe need.
The easiest entry point is a breezy silhouette in exactly the colours the sea turns at 6 PM, a linen co-ord in coral for a daytime brunch, or a slip dress in sun-warmed yellow for something after dark. Linen co-ords are especially forgiving through the waist, so they work well if fitted silhouettes feel uncomfortable in heat, while a slip dress leans better for an evening rooftop crowd where you’re likely standing most of the night.
A designer linen co-ord in India typically retails between ₹12,000 and ₹25,000; renting brings that down to roughly ₹1,500 to ₹3,500. A slip dress in the ₹18,000 to ₹35,000 retail range usually rents for about ₹2,000 to ₹5,000.
Footwear does most of the visual work in this trend, flat sandals or mid-heel thong styles finished with beading or crystal detailing, the kind that catches light in motion rather than just sitting there being shiny. This is where a piece from Aquazzura or Amina Muaddi’s warmer-toned collections earns its place, at a rooftop dinner especially, where you’re on your feet enough that a full stiletto stops being fun by hour two.
Designer sandals in this category retail anywhere from ₹60,000 to over ₹1,20,000. On SWRL, that typically comes down to somewhere between ₹3,500 and ₹5,000 for a standard rental window, depending on the piece and the lender’s terms.
Not everyone wants to wear a whole aesthetic head to toe, and honestly, you don’t have to. A woven raffia bag, a pair of gold hoop earrings, or even just switching your everyday tote for something in the season’s palette gets you into Aperitivo Season without a single outfit change. It’s the easiest way to bring the trend home if you’re not the “commit to the whole look” type.
Accessories in this range are usually the most affordable rental, often ₹800 to ₹2,500 depending on the piece.
And if you’re realising your own closet already has a coral dress or an aqua bag sitting mostly unworn, that’s worth acting on too, list it on SWRL and earn from it while someone else borrows your look for their own aperitivo hour. If you need a piece across a multi-day wedding function, most lenders’ minimum rental periods are flexible enough to accommodate that, worth a quick message to check before you book.
Happy SWRLing.
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