Ahh, summer fashion, you fickle minx you. In the past, you and I have not been friends. You know what you do, you tease: while you pique my longing for maxi-length cuts, bright, bold colors and florals galore, you simultaneously force me to expose my arms and — gasp — wear shorts. Conflicted and forlorn, you leave me. Why, summer fashion. Why would you do this to me?
Okay, before I lose all of you loyal readers to what can only be described as a semi-sexual soliloquy to clothes, I’ll stop while I’m ahead. As you may gather from the above, I’ve never been a huge fan of summer fashion. I’ve probably rambled about this — oh, I don’t know — no less than 5 MILLION TIMES. Sorry. But Holy Panic at the Disco, the thought of exposing my arms and legs fills me with a nameless fear.
That is — until we moved to California. The land of Sunshine and Perma-Summer. I mean, San Francisco is like a misery cloud-filled London in Winter during the summer (thanks). But outside of SF? Warm, sunny days galore. Because it’s like this year-round, suddenly, summer fashion is my daily grind, rather than my only-when-necessary.
And — if I’m truly honest with myself — this year, for the first time ever, I don’t hate summer fashion. I KNOW, RIGHT? Is it really me? Am I actually an alien disguised as Eire the Cynic? You’d hope if I were an alien, I’d have my life sorted a lot more than I do. DON’T WORRY, GUYS, IT’S ME.
But I’m sure you’re asking: what caused this radical change? Well, I’ll let you in on a little secret: buy summer fashion staples that you enjoy wearing. Revolutionary, I know.
These are the fashion picks that, if you got me into a room, I’d wax lyrical about until you hated me. My favorite summer fashion picks this year, thus far. Because Summer’s still here, and I’m ready for more loves.
My Favourite Summer Fashion
Buys This Year
1 / UNIQLO BUILT-IN BRA TOP. I have two words for you guys on this one: no bra. In case you didn’t fully let that glory wash over you: no braaaaa. The magic that is getting to go sans bra all day like a Hot Babe but still have a sense of decorum? Priceless. I wear this top when working from home, out shopping, hiking — you name it. I’m in it.
2 / ALIENINA ROPE BAG. Yes, I know, everyone and their mom have this beautiful rope bag. But, if you remember from my Sustainable Summer Bag post, this guy is a beautifully ethical choice, and honestly? It makes every outfit look summery and put-together. Evidenced here, in fact. Sometimes, trending items are popular for a very deserved reason.
3/ LULU LEMON ON THE FLY PANTS. I caved, guys. I caved. Lululemon is pretty amazing, and I am now in love. Part of this is because I discovered I live a 10-minute walk from a store, so I just had to stop in and take a peek. I also blame my colleague, Julia, who has these pair of pants and looks like a goddamn Goddess. But as you may have seen me ramble about on my instagram, the On-The-Fly pants really are the best thing since sliced bread. They’re cool enough for hot days, warm enough for home days, and are my go-to travel and roadtrip pants. I will buy one in every colour, from now until the end of time.
4 / UNIQLO LINEN PANTS. Don’t worry, this isn’t an ‘ode to Uniqlo’ post. But once I learned that they aren’t as terrible sustainably-wise as I thought, I finally stepped foot inside one, after years of neglect. And whoa, was I blown away by the price and selection. These linen pants at $30 were a fraction of the price of the Reformation ones I wanted (sorry, Reformation), but they retain that faraway-travel-to-distant-lands look.
5 / FAITHFULL THE BRAND SKIRT. A few years ago, I had the realization that I just didn’t like skirts. I liked them on other people, sure, but on me? Nope. Until I tried on this skirt, and now I don’t know what I was thinking. A size Medium is the absolute perfect fit, and I wouldn’t change a thing about this beauty. It looks stylish, elegant, trendy, casual and fancy all at the same time. Literal wizardry.
6 / MADEWELL WAIKIKI JUMPSUIT. Words I’d never thought I’d said: “My most worn item this summer is a jumpsuit.” But, Madewell’s beauty of a jumpsuit has changed my world. Not only does it fit like a dream (minus the too-long straps, which to make the perfect fit, I will get fixed at some point) — but it works in every damn situation. Fancy dinner date in Vegas? Yep. Helping move my brother and sister-in-law in the heat? Yeppers. Wine tasting? HIKING? Yes, to both of those, although one accidentally. But it held true, stalwart in its ability to fit every situation, possessed by some form of Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants magic.
Shop the Post
*This post contains affiliate links. This means I will make a very small commission on anything you purchase directly from this site. Thank you for supporting the amazing brands I feature here, and thank you for supporting this blog!