What is a ‘tomato girl’ summer and how can I have one?

Gen Z are responsible for many trends, good and bad, but the latest has millennials – this one included – rather baffled.

Popularising aesthetics or ‘cores’ – think Barbiecore, goblincore and cottagecore – on TikTok, we’re now at the point where ‘Tomato Girl’ is a thing.

You read that right – but it’s not what you might expect. Even though no one would bat an eye at Gen Z getting obsessed with the fruity delight, the term actually refers to the idea of a perfect Italian summer.

With the hashtag #tomatogirls boasting millions of views on TikTok alone, it has very little to do with everyone’s favourite pizza topping but everything to do with the southern European nation.

Featuring red hues, fans of the aesthetic are into Italian summer weather, fruit and floral prints, feminine dresses, sun-kissed skin and headscarves a la Monica Vitti.

Think the ever-popular coastal grandmother trend if it hopped on a plane to the Amalfi Coast.

The aesthetic, which emerged in May, is the antithesis to the ‘quiet luxury’ look, popularised by Sofia Richie-Grainge in the springtime.

There’s no place for neutral tones and stealth wealth here – although Dolce & Gabbana constantly put perfect pieces for the ‘tomato girl’, costing hundreds of euros.

Instead, the trend has something for everyone, with true cross-generational appeal.

Older fans might choose to embrace retro, full-skirted dresses, silk scarves and breezy shirts knotted at the waist, while Gen Z often plump for co-ords made up of bra tops and hotpants, all in bright patterns.

How to get the ‘tomato girl’ look

Style references can be found going back decades – from glamorous tourists on Capri in the 1950s to Sophia Loren, photographed with an off-the-shoulder blouse next to an array of vegetables for her 1971 cookbook ‘In the Kitchen With Love’.

While the term ‘tomato girl’ is new, the aesthetic itself isn’t.

Supermodel Christy Turlington featured in a Vogue feature back in 1992, subtitled ‘Postcard from Portofino’ and Italian brands like the aforementioned Dolce & Gabbana and Antica Sartoria, which has countless shops along the Amalfi Coast, have been peddling the look for years.

Recently, too, the aesthetic was given a huge platform with series two of HBO’s smash hit ‘The White Lotus’.

Set and filmed on the island of Sicily, long lunches in the sun, vineyard visits and Vespas were a constant feature.

At the time, the show’s costume designer, Alex Bovaird, told Vogue that she “wanted to infuse a bit of Italy” into the characters’ wardrobe clothes.

Tanya, played by the inimitable Jennifer Coolidge, in particular purposefully dressed as the late film star Monica Vitti and was upset when her look was compared instead to Peppa Pig.

While Tanya slightly missed the mark of achieving the perfect Italian in every way – no spoilers here – co-star Meghann Fahy as Daphne hit the ‘tomato girl’ aesthetic on the head. Throughout the show, she wore pieces from Italian brands like Pucci and Prada and striking prints of every variation, even on swimwear.

Tanya and Daphne were clearly both very rich – they had to be with the hotel they stayed at, the San Domenico Palace in Taormina, costing upwards of €1,200 a night.

But while quiet luxury is unaffordable for most, ‘tomato girl’ chic is far more accessible.

Evidently, not all of us can hop on a plane to southern Italy to watch the sunset with an Aperol Spritz in hand, but donning a sundress and going for a coffee at a pavement café is certainly achievable.

Overall, the ‘tomato girl’ aesthetic is more of a vibe than a trend, an attitude as opposed to a strict set of clothing rules.

With temperatures in Italy reaching the mid-forties this summer, wannabe ‘tomato girls’ haven’t been able to fully embrace the lifestyle. In fact, the aesthetic – which doesn’t appear to be going away any time soon – may soon become nostalgic, yearning for the days of tolerable heat in southern Europe.

If you’ve been stuck in chilly, rainy northern Europe, you’re in luck. On the flipside of ‘tomato girl’ is ‘potato girl’. 

Named after the top half of the continent, known for growing potatoes rather than tomatoes which thrive in hotter climates, it’s worth embracing if your summer has been more filled with office blocks than aperitivo.