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The recent weather has been fickle, and Mother Nature has been toying with our hopes for warmer temps and shorter sleeves. Still, it’s enough to start mentally parting with our wool sweaters and hosiery and flirt with the opportunities that await us this season. Spring is a time for reinvention and cleaning out the mental and physical clutter to make room for the new. And in our quest for style revitalization, we find ourselves drawn to mixing the playful style of spring with the leisurely aesthetic of summer.
Patterned dresses
If you’re looking for something reminiscent of early Y2K style (Disney Channel–character-core), you could pair Silk Laundry’s ’90s Lake Stripe slip dress with light-wash jeans. Or, if you’re in search of something sophisticated for walking across the cobblestones in the south of France, the UO Phoebe Mesh Asymmetrical Midi Dress is a great piece for the occasion.
Midi-skirts
Warmer days are ahead, and putting on thick jeans becomes a harder task every day. The midi-skirt offers the lightweight comfort of less constriction to your legs and a softer silhouette. Not to be confused with the miniskirt, the midi-skirt covers past your knee and offers you the versatility to be worn in and out of the office. As they become more mainstream, we’ve seen skirts like the Miaou Blue Gaudi Midi Skirt paired with sneakers and Danielle Guizio’s NY Paloma Skirt worn with heels for a night out.
Knit cover-ups
When transitioning from a day at the beach to late-night dinner, a cover-up is needed. While it’s hard to imagine wearing an extra layer of fabric — especially a knit— during a heat wave, beach knits are more breathable and lightweight than the standard knit and easy to wear atop a bikini.
Mule heels
It’s easy to picture Carrie Bradshaw — in a pair of Manolos and a minidress — walking down the street to disturbingly knock on the window of a fine-dining restaurant in New York City. That’s who we should channel this summer. Charles & Keith Clio Slant Heel Mules are a good option because, unlike Carrie, having a massive shoe collection with no savings isn’t ideal. Lately, kitten heels have been worn under wide-leg jeans so that they peek out of the hem ever so slightly. The Steve Madden Brianne Denim Fabric heels could complete a denim-on-denim look from head to toe.
Minidresses
A minidress suits most occasions. Despite what you’ve been told, shorter dresses can be comfortable and easy to move around in. Just make sure you have the right underwear. So whether you pair your minidress with sneakers to run errands or heels for a dinner date, you’re bound to stay cool and look cute.
Micro-miniskirts
On the other side of the skirt-length spectrum, we have the micro-miniskirt — the option that is so short that it’s just there basically for aesthetic purposes. It will not have pockets or safety shorts underneath, nor will it be safe for work, but it will look good, especially if you use it as more of a layering option rather than a stand-alone item. Last spring, Miu Miu’s micro-miniskirt arrived and so did the Diesel B-Berny belt skirt, begging us to ask: Is viral fashion meant to be worn? Depending on how you answer that question, here are some cheaper and more inclusive options.
Jorts
Extra-long jorts were once a sad product of the ’90s, but now it seems like Bella Hadid can’t leave her apartment without getting photographed in them. For those who can’t commit to short shorts that ride up throughout the night and create chafing, wide and long jorts are a comfortable compromise.
Linen pants
Nothing says summer chic like walking across the beach wearing white linen pants. Inarguably, they’re the perfect beach cover-up and pair well with a billowy button-down.
Lightweight short-sleeved collar tops
For the girls looking to escape the city but can’t travel to Europe, I offer you: country-club chic. Whether you’re on the court of the country club or took a jitney to the Hamptons for the weekend, a lightweight short-sleeved collar top pairs well with just about anything. Alexia Admor’s Collared Knit Short Sleeve Top adds texture and color to this uniformed look as an alternative to the standard white polo shirt.
A Flower As an Accessory
Or a seashell. If you’ve been eyeing the flower chokers on your “For You” page, the Urban Outfitters Velvet Rosette Choker Necklace should be the standout choice.
