Inside the Print: Palermo Emerald
Reverie Collection · Spring 2026
Sicily is not like the rest of Italy. It is older, stranger, more layered — an island that has been conquered and reconquered so many times that its architecture is a palimpsest of civilisations. Arab-Norman cathedrals in Palermo. Greek temples in Agrigento that are better preserved than anything in Athens. Roman mosaics at Piazza Armerina. And on top of all of it, a Baroque eruption that seems to have happened all at once, as if the island decided that understatement was a virtue it could no longer afford.
Palermo specifically has a quality that is difficult to describe without sounding faintly theatrical. The Ballaró market, the oldest in the city, is still exactly what it was a thousand years ago: a mass of bodies and colour and noise, vendors calling their prices in a dialect that is half Italian and half something older. The food is extraordinary. The coffee is extraordinary. The chaos is extraordinary.
And the colour. Sicily in late spring is green in a way that seems almost improbable: the hills rolling back from the coast, the citrus groves in the interior, the palms that line the roads near the sea. It is a green that is simultaneously lush and ancient, the colour of a place that has been farmed for three thousand years and has found its own way of being beautiful.
Wear the Print
The Palermo print family — two colourways, four silhouettes. All made in limited numbers:
Palermo Emerald
Palermo Sapphire
It was the colour of Sicily — that specific, saturated, almost baroque emerald — that Vera had in mind when she began sketching the Palermo Emerald print. The geometric forms draw on the island's mosaic tradition: the intricate tile-work of the Arab-Norman churches, the decorative patterns of Sicilian carts, the language of ornament that runs through the whole history of the island.
"Palermo Emerald draws on Sicily's mosaic tradition — geometric, considered, quietly confident. A print that has depth the longer you look at it."
The Print, Up Close
Every Beyond by Vera print begins as an original illustration — hand-drawn by Vera Fritsch and her team of print designers, from scratch. No borrowed motifs, no sourced patterns. Palermo Emerald was built from first principles: the geometric shapes sketched by hand before any colour was applied, the emerald palette chosen for its depth rather than its brightness. The result is a print that holds a room without trying to. Considered, architectural, entirely original.
All Reverie collection pieces are made in limited numbers. Once a print sells out, it is not restocked. Palermo exists in small quantities by design — rarity is part of what the print is. That same philosophy of limited, considered dressing is explored further in The Making of Palm Springs Rouge →.
The Sicilian Standard
The Palermo print wears best at occasions where intention is noticed. An evening where showing up boldly is the point. Not casual, not precious — somewhere between the two. The kind of dress you lay out the night before, because it deserves the consideration. Geometric, confident, entirely unbothered by the room.
✦ How to Wear It — Day & NightDay: Palermo Emerald with tan block-heeled sandals and a structured leather bag — an outfit that walks into a meeting room or a gallery with equal confidence. Evening: heeled mules, gold jewellery, nothing else needed. The print is already the statement.
What Our Community Says
★★★★★
"Wore the Kennedy in the Palermo print to a gallery opening and felt very confident."
— Margot L., Washington, DC
★★★★★
"The Brie shirt dress in the Palermo print is the most striking piece I own. The geometric print is unusual — bolder than florals but somehow easier to wear than I expected."
— Susan K., New York, NY
Customer voices are representative of the Beyond by Vera community.
About Palermo Emerald
Who designed the Palermo Emerald print?
Palermo Emerald was hand-drawn by Vera Fritsch and her team of print designers. Every Beyond by Vera print is an original illustration — built from scratch, never sourced. The geometric pattern draws on Sicily's mosaic and tilework tradition.
What should I wear in Sicily in summer?
Sicily in summer calls for confidence. The heat, the colour, the baroque excess of the place — it rewards bold dressing more than restraint. A geometric print in a deep, saturated palette works well for an evening in Palermo's historic centre, a boat day off the Sicilian coast, or dinner at a clifftop restaurant in Taormina. Palermo Emerald was designed for exactly this: considered, architectural, and completely at ease in a striking setting.
Is the Palermo print limited edition?
Yes. All Beyond by Vera pieces are produced in small, limited runs. Once a Palermo print sells out, it is not restocked. The Kennedy and Perry in Palermo Emerald, and the Alice and Brie in Palermo Sapphire, are all available only while stock lasts.
What is a good statement dress for a summer evening event?
A geometric print in a deep, confident colour works well for occasions where you want to be remembered: gallery openings, summer dinners, outdoor weddings where bold dressing is welcome, rooftop events. Palermo Emerald has that quality — it holds a room without trying to. The Kennedy dress and Perry dress are both pieces you lay out the night before, because they deserve the consideration.
Also in the Journal
Roman Holiday → · The Riviera Weekend → · Best Dressed, Italy Edition →
Each Beyond by Vera print is hand-drawn by Vera Fritsch and her team of print designers, and made in limited numbers. Explore the full Reverie collection →