Summer always seems to want something specific when it comes to style. A lot of the time, it’s easy to put my finger on, but this year it just wasn’t. I slowly started to realize, through the articles I saved and the photos I “liked,” I was essentially creating mood boards. Not a tried and true real one, but a mental one built out of articles, Pinterest tabs, and screenshots I’ve never shared with anyone. This isn’t a trend report, although you could consider it one. Trends feel like homework sometimes. This is closer to a vibe check, actually, a few vibes. The vibes I keep circling back to, no matter what, I’m supposed to be into this season.

Beach Babe

Chloé à la Plage is a whole sun-drenched summer campaign that describes itself as shaped by sunlit days along luminous shores, and look, they’re not wrong. It’s an elevated way of saying this summer, fashion is in full beach mode, and I’m not complaining. The Chanel Cruise show had sandals that were essentially held to the foot by the thinnest possible strands of leather. Then there are seashell earrings, straw bags the size of a small suitcase, ombré swimwear, and jelly shoes that shouldn’t work as actual footwear but somehow do. The whole thing is textural, sun-faded, and looks like it spent a full afternoon on a boat.

I love this one because it’s the least precious. There are no rules. You’re just channeling the ocean, whether you’re near one or not. Being in Arizona it’s more sun and pool, but you can rely heavily on imagination. Go with broderie anglaise tops, raffia hats, or a maxi skirt that moves like water. The vibe is: you just came from somewhere good, and you’re not ready for it to be over yet.

Little House on the Prairie

Prairie dressing had a moment in 2025 that leaned a little too hard on boho and the whole festival-adjacent energy. This summer, it’s quieter and softer. More like something you’d actually want to live in versus something you’d post once and return. Think watercolor florals, cotton dresses with full skirts that move when you walk, and those handkerchief headscarves we wore endlessly in 7th grade. Jacquemus has been the master of this for years, but Calvin Klein and Dior all went there this season with pastel prints so pretty they almost hurt. There’s a nostalgic quality to this one that I can’t fully explain. It feels like a slower version of summer - the kind where you’re in no hurry, eating lunch outside, or reading a book that’s been on your nightstand since March. I don’t always live that summer, but I like dressing for it. Sometimes the outfit is the aspiration.

Retro Athleisure

I’ll admit I’ve always been into the technical jacket thing. I understand why the Saint Laurent one is on a waitlist. There is something about the nylon, the bomber silhouette, the whole vibe of it. It references the gym without needing to be gym clothes, which is an irresistible contradiction. The spirit of this one is retro athleisure to the very best degree. I’m talking short-shorts and stripes on the bottom with a jacket or raglan tee on top. Retro sneakers that feel like they belong to someone with a super specific playlist. It’s sporty, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s the Saturday morning look that somehow works for a coffee shop, a farmer’s market, or whatever happens after. It’s perfect for summer when you’re just not in the mood to think too hard, which feels like all the time.

Tight Tailoring

Something shifted on the runways this season that I wasn’t really expecting: the return of structure. Not some stiff boardroom kind but more like a blazer over a silk cami with wide-leg linen trousers. A look that says I have places to be without saying anything else out loud. Bottega and Calvin Klein both did boxy, deliberate shapes in unexpected summer fabrics, giving license to maxi skirts with sharp jackets and tailored shorts in bright colors. Nothing is soft or too floaty, and none of it requires adopting a specific personality to wear it. It’s like power dressing for people who really hate the phrase “power dressing.” I think what I like about it is the confidence. It just goes there. You know what you’re wearing, and you chose it on purpose. For summer, everything normally pushes toward the casual and the easy, but this almost feels subversive. I’m into it.

The Bottom Line

A summer vibe doesn’t really need to be explained. It just needs the right pieces to pull it off. These four aesthetics are my favorite right now. Not because someone told me they were “in” but it feels like getting dressed in them, the day feels a little more exciting.

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