The boho-style Ibizan dresses that spell summer

If you haven’t had the pleasure of visiting La Galeria Elefante, a maze-like converted farmhouse bursting with international finds near the pretty village of Santa Gertrudis in Ibiza, then our collaboration with the woman behind it will transport you right there.

The dresses that Victoria Durrer-Grasse creates for her boutique are uplifting, wear-anywhere pieces synonymous with Ibiza’s bohemian glamour. And she’s applied this sensibility to a capsule of styles for AND/OR.

Two years in the making, the partnership with Victoria came about serendipitously. Jo Bennett, John Lewis & Partners’ head of buying, discovered La Galeria along with the design team on an inspiration trip to the White Isle. Then, by chance later that summer, she was introduced to Victoria at the Port Eliot Festival in Cornwall. ‘I immediately adored Victoria’s style and her approach and we knew instantly that we wanted to collaborate together,’ says Jo.

Victoria is a Brit who has long called Ibiza home, but admits to being ‘practically brought up’ in Peter Jones & Partners. ‘When I was a child we’d always be in there picking something up on the way home from school,’ she recalls.

Bringing suitcases packed full of references to London for design meetings, Victoria and the womenswear team set about developing prints, cuts and colourways suited to a more urban environment. ‘It was inspiring and so flowing and easy,’ says Victoria of the collaboration.

For Jo, she was taken with Victoria’s global outlook: ‘It has been fascinating to see how Victoria’s extensive experience of life in Ibiza and her travels globally, working with artisans all over the world, inspires the creation of wonderful pieces.’

The result speaks for itself: a collection of optimistic, feel-good dresses that can be worn both at home and away. Style blogger Katherine Ormerod (below, left) packed the Star Dress for a trip to Mexico, calling it 'love at first sight'. Erica Davies (below, right) has been sporting the Feather Dress with tan sandals on sunny weekends, leaving accessories to a minimum to let the dress make all the impact.

The capsule is made up of five different dresses. Here, Victoria talks us through her highlights.

‘This style is one of our most popular in Ibiza,’ says Victoria. ‘I call it “Jane Austen gone to market” because it’s so floaty and feminine. But of course, you can make it look quite low-key with flip-flops or a pair of Vans.’

‘I love this style because it’s quite sexy without being too over-the-top,’ Victoria says. ‘I wear it a lot and love how swishy it is.’

‘I live in this,’ admits Victoria. ‘I wear it with both flats and heels. You could go out for dinner in it or wear it to the beach. It’s easy and quite relaxed, which essentially sums up my style.’

The AND/OR collaboration with La Galeria Elefante is available to shop exclusively at John Lewis & Partners.