Essentials of Getting Dressed #03: Revamping Your Summer Closet

Tips for summer dressing, styling ideas and Balmain’s season takeover event.

Jamilla Strand attends Balmain’s takeover of the pool club at One&Only Aesthesis in Greece. Image via Balmain.

It’s a special kind of shame, realizing you’ve gravitated toward clothing like athleisure or pajamas for the better part of your life during the summertime. Around this time of year I find myself falling into a kind of duality: I am either dressed to the nines in a flouncy, special occasion-type outfit or I’m in the same raggedy tank top and stretchy workout shorts I wore every day during lockdown.

This sort of duality usually comes from falling out of touch with my body, being uninspired by my summer clothing options or a blend of the two.

Here, a lit street lamp I passed while running errands early in the a.m. this week.

If you’ve been keeping up with All-Year Season you know I’ve been rebuilding my hot-weather wardrobe with versatile pieces I can see myself grabbing for years. For jeans that are ideal for summer errands (when it’s warm out and freezing in the store) I recommend the perfect vintage jeans from Madewell. Here’s an easy jeans and T-shirt look:

Early morning grocery shopping at its finest. Uniqlo AIRism T-shirt in natural, Madewell jeans with front pockets, Maison Miru tote bag, Ferragamo bag and Tod’s sneakers.

As someone who walks way too quickly and often finds themselves sweating, the Uniqlo AIRism top is a nice option. The materials are cooling and don’t show sweat like most mini-tees do.

But we’re talking about the jeans, right? Another way to style them, here:

A photo snapped from another quick run around the corner.

The strap on the Rothy’s flats makes them work with or without socks, which is perfect for nippy summer mornings.

~

When rebuilding anything in our lives, the key is to start small. I’ve recently gone back to basics, and, with the heat, it’s nice to throw on a white top/blue denim combination and know I will feel confident and put together:

Uniqlo half-bra camisole, Madewell jeans, Rothy’s flats and Vogue Runway tote bag.

Here’s another version of summer-friendly white top/blue denim:

Uniqlo mini T-shirt and skirt with Rothy’s flats, Vogue Runway tote bag, Able Ivy ring and Ray-Ban sunglasses.

What about dressing up, you ask?

~

Luxury Parisian brand Balmain hosted an event in Greece to launch their summer takeover at One&Only Aesthesis’s pool club. Here’s an example of fantastic shorts that can be dressed up or down throughout the summer:

A guest attends Balmain’s summer takeover event in a fabulous summery look. Image via Balmain.

A pair of sleek, black shoes like the ones above can be flattering with longer shorts. Here’s a casual version:

Say cheese. In my go-to summer Madewell shorts. At bottom, worn with a Scanlan Theodore crepe knit tank top, Uniqlo denim coverall (available in off-white), Rothy’s flats, Maison Miru tote bag and Ray-Ban sunglasses.

~

Speaking of sunglasses, a standard small pair is great for casual summer looks, while larger frames work well for a more dressed up appearance. See the latter, here:

At top, Gugu Mbatha-Raw poses by the pool at Balmain’s takeover event (image via Balmain). At bottom, I wear (or should I say…eyewear? Haha!) Burberry sunglasses and Able hoop earrings.

~

And finally, a moment for dresses. I am attending an outdoor event next week and it’s supposed to be something like 94°F that day. Guess what I don’t have? A dress.

Jamilla Strand at top. At bottom, a guest does some cherry picking. Images via Balmain.

The dresses above are a little inspiration cocktail as we enter these next few months of sweltering heat. Cultivating a well-rounded summer wardrobe is no small feat and fortunately, we have time to make it happen with ease.

~

With that, thank you so much for being here. Next week I’ll be back with a special issue that I have been keeping a secret for a while!! I am super excited to finally share it, so I hope you will join me. Until then…

Yours Truly,

Kyoko

I am not compensated for the features listed in All-Year Season. My sincerest thank you to Balmain and Uniqlo for supporting the creation of this post.