Planning a summer wardrobe
I’ve never had a summer wardrobe. In my teenage years I felt very uncomfortable about the keratosis pilaris (chicken skin) on my legs so I never wore skirts, dresses or shorts. Such a shame really because I’m sure no one would have noticed. Instead I stuck to jeans. Yes, just jeans, even in 35 degrees celsius weather. I don’t even know how I survived but here we are, over a decade later and I still don’t know what to wear during summer. So I figured I should take my own advice and start a summer inspiration board on Pinterest to find out what my perfect summer outfit could be. That probably sounds a lot easier than it was as I collected over 1300 images which included hardly any outfits for 25 degrees celsius and over. I did manage to select two images that I would like to be the starting point for this years (and first ever) summer wardrobe.
Both outfits are relatively fuss free without showing too much skin and ridden of any unnessecary frills. They’re casual with just the right amount of chicness. I could probably get away with both outfits at work if it wasn’t alway so chilly in the office. Also, the colour palette (see below) isn’t that much different from my normal colours of preference so if I were to buy a few summery pieces, I could easily make them work with my existing wardrobe. Material-wise I’m going to stick with light, airy fabrics such as linen, cotton and silk.
So now that I’ve established the style and colour palette I would like to go for, what’s next? Truth be told, I’m not necessarily looking to invest a lot of money in these summer pieces because over here we’re lucky to reach a temperature that allows for bare legs for a few days. I’m willing to make an exception for tops as those can be worn all year round. Although it feels like once this is posted, everything will be set in stone, here is a moderate list of things I would like to purchase in the upcoming months:
- A black, preferably silk, camisole (although I still have to figure out what to wear underneath)
- A white linen blouse
- A pair of loose high-waisted trousers (should try them to see if they work for my body)
And now onto my favourite part; the collages! Let me start by saying that the collages are merely a visual aid for myself. €380 for a pair of white trousers is pretty outrageous. However, I would like to find something similar with a more reasonable price tag. The straw hat and crocheted bag are nice and functional accessories and both are organic fairtrade products. The camisole would also look lovely on cooler days with a pair of jeans, a cardigan and my black loafers. The trousers are a bit more challenging but I can see them working with a tucked in striped top or simple tee as well.
Please note, some of the links below are affiliate links.
From left to right, top to bottom: Pachacuti straw hat (€92), Uniqlo linen blouse (€25), Margiela Beach Walk (€110), Totême shorts (€265), K. Jacques sandals (€212)
From left to right, top to bottom: Mar Y Sol Portland tote (€133), Isabel Marant Dallin trousers (€380), Equipment silk camisole (€125), H&M leather belt (€10), K. Jacques sandals (€212)
Love, love, love this! I get so inspired. I also lack a summer wardrobe, I have a (if I may say so) lovely carefully selected wardrobe for fall/winter, but I really can’t find my style for summer. Summer is pretty short here in north of Sweden but I still would like to look stylish with clothes that I can keep and use next summer and next… This project needs to be started! It is a bit of a challenge since I have a 4 month old baby boy so I need to be able to breastfeed in my clothes. But I can start by adding a linen shirt to my wardrobe and for next summer I promise that I will have a defined style and a summer wardrobe 🙂 Thanks for a great blog!
Thanks Hanna, that means a lot! And congratulations on your baby 🙂 Sounds like double the challenge at the moment. I’ve never given it much thought but it seems only logical to wear comfortable and easy tops to breastfeed. A blouse would be an excellent option.
Goeie post, ik had beter ook een wishlist of iets gemaakt voor ik een keer met geld ging gooien op de Meir! 💸 💸 Ik zou ook wel een witte pantalon willen mocht ik niet zo’n kluns zijn met eten. (Wij noemen dat een smosser!)
Haha een smosser! Zo leer ik nog eens wat. Toch wel benieuwd waar jij met geld smijt op de Meir.
I can definitely relate to this! For years, my summer wardrobe consisted of dark denim and anything that doesn’t resemble a sweater, though this post gave me a hefty dose of inspiration to start planning or, at the very least, to decide on a colour palette. So far, I’ve been slowly building a capsule collection of slightly oversized linen and cotton shirts, but the dark denim issue still lingers.
Vanda | The Late Latte
Once you find what works for you it can be pretty hard to adjust to temperature changes, especially when you like to wear denim and sweaters. I’m sure even a linen top with a pair of jeans and sandals would be comfortable during hot days if you don’t want to get out of your comfort zone too much 🙂
I have KP too, but when I read somewhere that 1 out 2 people have it and requires daily maintenance of lotion/potions or it comes right back , I just got over it! Mango tends to do pretty nice white/off white trousers.
A dermatologist once told me the exact same thing. I started with the lotions but it was too much of a hassle. I do feel as though it’s less visible when you get a bit of a tan. Yes, Mango! I already spotted a few options.
I totally feel you – I hate dressing for hot weather (and I live in Australia…). I find it particularly difficult to dress work-appropriate in the summer, especially if I’ll be commuting/walking there in the heat. I think I’m just more of a jeans and sweaters kind of person! I discovered that loose high-waisted trousers like those ones work quite well, I like them in rayon/viscose and they’re quite breezy. I like to wear my shorter tops untucked over them, I think it looks okay and adds another source of air circulation haha.
I always try to avoid the heat when I have to go to work because I hate arriving like a sweaty mess. I’ll do a ten minute walk to the train station, a forty-five minute ride to work and than take the tram which stops directly in front of the museum. Gotta love that airconditioning. One thing that I find very useful is to have a cardigan or blazer at work. I’ll just leave it there and wear it whenever needed.
Heerlijke collages, ik zou willen dat het me zou lukken zulke items te vinden (zo’n flowy broek <3 maar altijd te kort bij mij). De zoektocht naar sandaaltjes is ook begonnen, vind ik ook al zo lastig! Ik vind die K. Jacques heel mooi, maar ben er nog niet over uit of ik dat bedrag aan sandalen kan/wil uitgeven. Aan de andere kant: elk jaar een flutpaar van Zara werkt ook niet.
x
Ah ja, jij bent natuurlijk best lang. Lastig hoor! Mijn broeken juist altijd te lang. Zo’n culotte is bij mij gewoon een lange broek haha. Je kunt echt wel soortgelijke sandalen vinden voor een betere prijs hoor. Ik heb een paar jaar geleden een paar bij COS gekocht en daar een beschermzooltje onder laten zetten. Zien er nog steeds prima uit.
The summer wardrobe is an area I definitely struggle with as well. When I was a teenager I was self-conscious of my wobbly thighs (that current me wishes she could have again!) so I never wore shorts or shorter skirts. I love the first inspiration photo. It looks so chic and yet incredibly comfortable. I look forward to seeing what you end up selecting.
Don’t you just hate it when you look back on your teenage years and you have absolutely no idea why you felt so awkward or self-conscious because you looked amazing. And now as you grow older, you realise you will never get that body back… I’m going to stop now before were both sobbing behind our computers haha. Luckily some things also get better with age 🙂
Love your picks!
xx
Mademoiselle Coconath
http://mllecoconath.com
Everything looks really nice, especially the camisole. I am trying to follow your advice and make a pinterest board, I think it will be a really big help. In regards to colour I am looking for different shades of grey, I think it’s a great colour especially for summer.
Pinterest is always a good idea when you’re having trouble finding your (summer)style. Once you select a few images it’s pretty easy to spot similarities and go from there. Do you have a public Pinterest page? Would love to follow you.
Yes, it’s right here: https://dk.pinterest.com/kh_83/
I already follow you, it´s such a great way to get more inspiration and in some weird way it helps me shop less, because it lets me windowshop.
Wauw, prachtige outfits en een goed idee om kleur- en materiaalcollages te maken, dat ga ik ook eens doen. Ook goed om inderdaad een paar topgoals te stellen, dat inspireert deze chaoot echt. Die high-waisted shorts van Toteme is prachtig! Al weet ik niet of ik dat durf.
Die shorts kun jij echt wel hebben hoor! Afgezien van het feit dat die collages heel handig zijn, vind ik het ook gewoon heel leuk om te doen, haha.
Summer is fast approaching here in my country so I’m really investing in linen clothing lately.
Btw, I love your pics but I also want to commend your blog aesthetic.
Linen is definitely an excellent choice. I hate wrinkly clothes but I’m happy to look past that when it gets really hot. And thank you! 🙂
Margiela Beach Walk is a great perfume! I own the rollerball size, and with how rarely I wear perfume, I’ll have it for ages. (The bottles are kind of cool though, but I’d never use that much perfume and it wouldn’t be worth it for me, especially as it is a little pricey.)
I totally have absolutely no ideas about summer purchases. I just find fall and winter clothes so much more interesting!
It really is! Looking back I should have done the same thing. It’s not a perfume that I wear on a daily basis so it’s going to take a while to get through it. I’m going to keep an eye on your blog for your summer purchases 🙂
It’s not linen, but Madewell have a lovely white cotton short sleeve shirt which I’ve had my eye on for a while. It looks like such an easy breezy piece that would pair well with shorts/trousers as well as skirts. Definitely worth a look!
Best of luck building your summer wardrobe – pinterest is definitely good for helping to find inspiration! x
Even though I’ve been waiting for warmer weather, when it finally comes I feel just like you: that I have nothing to wear!
xo
Inspirations Have I None