The Summer Holiday Edit

A small lineup for heat, sun, travel, and repeat wear.

Holiday summer dressing has its own logic.

Not city summer. Not office clothes with sandals. The mood is looser, slower, more off-the-clock. You still want to look good, but the extra polish starts to feel out of place.

I’m thinking about this now because I’m heading to Greece for a month, but the edit works for any destination where the sun sets the pace. It’s for heat, walking, flat shoes, and a suitcase that has to make sense for a dinner that happens four hours after the beach.

You don’t need a new summer personality. You need a small lineup that can carry the heat, the sun, and the mood.

So this is where my head is: easy pull-on pants, fluid pants, maybe a crochet pair, one or two easy dresses, tees and tanks, one light layer, and the real mood shifters, sunglasses. Swim is coming separately.

This season I’d rather pack fewer clothes and more sunglasses. A simple outfit can change completely with the right pair, and that is exactly the kind of suitcase math I like.

The edit is minimal, but not boring. Easy, but not flat. Built for heat, repeat wear, and a little bit of statement where it actually counts.

My filter for this edit:

Breathable fabric.
Strong shape.
Easy to repeat.
Works in at least three outfits.
Comfortable in heat.
Not too precious.
Still makes sense after the trip.

Now, the pieces I’m looking at, why they made the list, and how I’d actually wear them.

1. Easy Pull-On Pants

This is the summer alternative to denim when I still want shape, but not effort.

A drawstring waist, a relaxed leg, and enough structure so they don’t collapse completely. Some are cotton canvas, some are poplin, some are a softer cotton blend, but the point is the same: easy trousers that feel relaxed without looking like loungewear.

I’d wear them with a tank, a white tee, swim underneath an open shirt, or a windbreaker when the evening gets cooler. Flat sandals for day, a simple mule if I want to sharpen them.

Canvas gives structure. Poplin gives crispness. A drawstring waist keeps it easy.

I bought the Soeur pair in white and the fit is excellent, relaxed but still polished enough to style outside of “beach clothes.” I also like the olive version if you want something less delicate, but still neutral enough to style on repeat.

The LESET pants are in that clean-basics lane I always look for in summer: simple, minimal, and easy to build around. The red gives more energy, the beige is softer, and the black is the safest if you want this shape to feel less “holiday.” I’d style them with a tank, tee, swim underneath, or a silk top for dinner. A flip-flop keeps it low-key, and a gold necklace gives the whole thing a little finish without making it feel dressed up.

2. Fluid Pants

Fluid pants do a different job.

Where pull-on pants bring structure and ease, fluid pants bring movement and polish. Satin, silk, viscose, anything with a softer drape. They still feel relaxed, but they make the outfit feel a little more finished.

This is what I’d wear when I want comfort without looking too casual: with a tank and flat sandal during the day, or with a cleaner top and jewelry for dinner. I also like them as a matching satin set when I want the easiest version of “dressed,” without actually trying very hard.

To make them feel less polished, I’d go the other way: a short-sleeve sweatshirt, a plaid shirt, or something more casual on top. That contrast keeps the satin from feeling too precious.

Pull-on pants give structure and ease. Fluid pants give movement and polish. Both earn a place, but they do different jobs.

I wear fluid pants all year, so this is not a one-trip piece for me. Satin or silk trousers work in winter with knits and coats, in spring with blazers, and in summer with tanks, flat sandals, and jewelry. LESET has great options in beige, cream, black. Mango and J.Crew have strong, more accessible versions, and Khaite is where I’d look if you want the investment piece.

3. Bermudas

Bermudas are the middle ground when shorts feel too casual, but trousers feel like too much fabric.

I’m only interested in them when they have structure: a longer line, a clean waistband, and enough width through the leg so they don’t feel tight or sporty. The mood is relaxed, but still pulled together.

I’d wear them with a tank, a bikini top under an open shirt, or a simple tee with strong sunglasses. Flat sandals for day, maybe a kitten heel or minimal mule if I want to make them sharper.

The trick is to avoid anything too short, too flimsy, or too “holiday novelty.” A good Bermuda should feel like a summer trouser, just cut off at the right point.

This is the more relaxed Bermuda direction: longer line, easy waist, enough volume to feel cool rather than tight. I’d keep the styling simple, white tee, tank, flat sandal, and then let the sunglasses do the work. The point is structure without making it feel too serious.

Denim Bermudas are a slightly sharper version of the idea. They still give you the ease of shorts, but the denim makes them feel more grounded. From left to right: Reformation, RÓHE in cream or white. More affordable options at ZARA.

4. Tees & Tanks

I have good tees. Baby tees, boxy tees, the ones I reach for and can recommend.

The tank, however, is still unresolved.

It sounds simple, but it never is. Too thin, too tight, cropped in the wrong place, straps that don’t work with a bra, neckline slightly wrong, fabric that loses shape after two washes. A tank has one job, and somehow most of them fail it.

I’m trying this tank from The Frankie Shop, and I’ve also heard very good things about Flore Flore. I’ll report back once I’ve actually worn them, because the tank category needs testing, not blind faith.

For summer, tees and tanks matter because they work with nearly everything in the edit. Bermudas, skirts, trousers, swim, whatever you’re building around. They’re not the statement, but they decide whether the rest of the outfit actually works.

The base doesn’t have to be exciting. It has to be right.

For a relaxed shape, I’d start with the COS tee or the LESET Laura Margo tee. One is more boxy and clean, the other softer and easier. For the slim baby tee direction, Flore Flore or once again LESET Nando is where I’d look, especially if you want something closer to the body under Bermudas, loose trousers, or fluid pants. The test is always the same: fabric weight, neckline, sleeve shape, and whether it still looks good after a few wears. Simple, but not random.

5. Easy Dresses

I’m looking for dresses that do more than one dinner. Something I can wear flat, throw over swim, or dress up with jewelry without it suddenly feeling precious.

For this edit, there are three directions I like. A striped knit dress when I want color and pattern without adding much else. A simple mini dress that can change completely with belts, shoes, sunglasses, or jewelry. And a slip dress, because it’s still one of the easiest things to pack when you want something that can go more evening.

The best summer dress doesn’t need much styling, but it still needs a point of view.

This is my color/pattern add for the edit. Most of my wardrobe is built around black, white, and neutrals, so a mini or maxi striped knit dress feels like an easy way to bring in something brighter without overthinking it. The ones here are by Faithfull, an Australian brand that does summer pieces really well.

The mini dress in black or cream is the easy base. I’d wear it flat during the day, then change the mood with a belt, jewelry, a sharper sandal, or a small evening bag. Nothing too precious, just enough shape to style around.

The Staud slip dress is beautiful on, while the LESET slip feels more minimal and easy to style down. This is the packable evening piece: flat sandals, wedge thong, jewelry, or a casual layer over the top. Simple, but the drape has to be right.

6. One Light Layer

Windbreakers are everywhere this season, but I like that they’re not just a trend. They’re also genuinely useful.

They give you a light layer for wind, travel, cooler evenings, or over-airconditioned restaurants, without making the outfit feel heavy. And because fashion is so much freer now, you can wear them with almost anything: Bermudas, fluid pants, dresses, swim, even something more polished.

This is exactly why I like them here: they’re useful first, but they also change the mood. Over Bermudas, fluid pants, dresses, or swim, they add that sporty interruption that makes summer pieces feel less predictable.

A good one should be light, packable, and strong enough to shift the outfit.

I ordered all three to test. The black is already a staple for me in this in-between weather, and I’m pretty sure it will come to the islands too. It’s light, practical, and easy to throw over almost anything. The blue and the checked version are the ones I’m waiting on. I wanted something that could break up the monochrome pieces I usually wear, without adding a heavy layer or making the outfit feel too polished.

7. Sunglasses

This is where I’m putting the statement.

I’d rather pack fewer clothes and more sunglasses, because they change the whole mood without taking up space. A white tank and easy trousers can feel completely different with a sharp black frame, a softer tortoise frame, something sporty, or something oversized and ridiculous in the best way.

Sunglasses are doing the styling work I don’t want my suitcase to do. I’m taking a few of these with me to Greece, and you’ll see how much they change the outfits. Not decoration. A real mood shift.

I’m usually an oversized sunglasses person, and this season I’m testing a few different moods. First, the strong Saint Laurent butterfly silhouette. Then the Alaïa transparent frame, which feels easy with colour and lighter summer looks. The Celine Disc is the pair I tried in London months ago and bought on the spot. The Karen Wazen frame is the easy classic I’ve already been wearing for a while. And the Saint Laurent racer shape is the one I’m saving up for, trendy, yes, but the shape is too good.

The rest of the summer suitcase

I’m stopping the edit here on purpose.

Shoes need their own conversation, because summer shoes are never just “cute sandals.” They have to deal with heat, walking, beach roads, dinner, and the very specific problem of still looking good when everything else is simple.

Swim also deserves its own post. Bikinis, one-pieces, pieces that work under clothing, pieces that actually stay put, that is a whole edit on its own.

So for now, this is the starting lineup: the trousers, dresses, tees, light layers, and sunglasses I think can do the most work. A small summer holiday edit, not a new wardrobe. Pieces that can repeat, shift mood, and still feel like me when I’m not in a city.

I’m heading to the Greek islands in a week, so this edit is about to become real outfits. I’ll show what I actually wear, what repeats, what works, and what stays in the suitcase.

That’s the goal: less suitcase, more point of view.

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Keep going:

Spring Stylebook
More outfit formulas and shoppable edits.

Shop the Summer Edit
All links from this post in one place.

Instagram
I’ll be testing these pieces in Greece.

Personal Styling
Work with me 1:1.