My Realistic Summer 2024 Lookbook
If you run into me, there's a good chance I'll be wearing one of these outfits.
Today I’m publishing a lookbook of 15 repeat-worthy outfits that I plan to have on mental retainer this summer. Most of them are either variations on — or exact replicas of — outfits I’ve worn multiple times in the past. As someone who shares photos of what I’m wearing on the internet as part of my job, I’ve become increasingly conscious of how easy it is to fall into the trap of conflating newness with inspiration, so this exercise was as much for me as it is for the readers of this newsletter: an invitation to embrace “tried and true” over the relentless pursuit of reinventing the wheel. In some cases, that means prioritizing how something feels over how it looks. In others, I think I’ve managed to strike more of a balance. Each outfit is annotated with context around the scope of its wearability and styling variation potential — in other words, the thoughts that would likely be going through my head while getting dressed in them.
I did my final edit on this very hastily because the baby woke up early from his nap, so it would be a minor miracle if there isn’t a broken link somewhere. Please let me know if that is the case and I will fix! 🤗
This is a great outfit for super hot days where I want to stay as cool as possible and not stress too much about how much I’m probably going to sweat (dark tank top, cotton skirt with high slit, etc.). The skirt is a little bit long — I should probably get it hemmed — so I wouldn’t wear it if there was a chance of inclement weather, but otherwise it’s very functional. Despite the lack of arch support the sandals are very comfortable and I could walk for miles in them, which means this would also be a good outfit for running around the city. The skirt is the hero piece here — I could easily iterate with it while still achieving the same overall effect by swapping out the tank for another closely-fitted cotton top. Any tank or a T-shirt would work well.
Here’s one of my favorite summer outfit templates (long shorts, fitted tank, belt, loafers), and one I have worn just as often in my day-to-day life as I have on trips where I’m limited to the contents of a carry-on. I could realistically wear it 5+ days in a row just by swapping out the top for a different plain tank or T-shirt (provided I don’t drop any food on the white shorts). Swapping in different jewelry is also an easy way of refreshing the template without overthinking it.
This is a quintessential “summer transit” outfit for me, i.e. something I would wear if I had to be in a car for a couple of hours, or taking the train to visit my family. I like wearing a kaftan-type dress if I’m going to be sitting in tight quarters for an extended period of time. Loose enough that I don’t have anything constricting my waist or legs, and long enough that my skin isn’t making direct contact with whatever I’m sitting on. The baseball cap and suede bag keep it from feeling too beach-y.
A go-to outfit for days that start hot and end chilly — rare if you’re in New York City, but not as rare if you happen to be somewhere near the water where there’s a breeze, or if you’re inside with too much AC. I like the contrast of an all-white outfit with a sweater in a punchy color tied around my waist or shoulders for whenever I happen to need it. And dark shoes! Modern Citizen changed the waistband of their Paula pants back to the OG wide elastic, which is the superior version IMO. I wear this white pair frequently.
This is an outfit I would wear on occasions when I want to feel comfortable and prepared to sweat but I don’t want to wear straight-up gym clothes. I’ve been on the hunt for more city-friendly but not too corporate-y dresses in dark colors and bought this one recently (paid subs might recognize it from last month’s Sticky Note). It checks a lot of my boxes — dark color, cotton, fitted but not tight, etc. — but it totally shrunk the first time I washed it! That’s why it looks so short here. I still really like it but I wish I’d been more careful with my dryer settings.
Another classic running-around-town summer template for me: gym shorts + sneakers + comfortable blouse.
A high-waist maxi skirt paired with one of these ribbed cropped tanks is my default setting for dinner dates or casual summer parties — or pretty much any off duty occasion in which I want to kick it up a notch and/or feel somewhat cute but also convey more nuance than a one-and-done dress-centric outfit usually can.
Another iteration of the first outfit featuring the same Rosie skirt, but tweaked for New-York-feels-like-an-armpit days when the idea of wearing anything that fits too close to my body sounds repellent. I like this pairing for a casual work lunch type thing where I want to keep cool while also staying a bit more covered.
An eclectic concoction of shoes and accessories (jelly flats, tennis necklace, boat tote) works nicely when the base of your outfit is stupidly simple à la jeans and a plain white tank. These jeans from AYR are blended with linen so they’re incredibly lightweight — the ideal summer denim! Unfortunately they’re sold out right now, but I have it on good authority (from my friend who works there) that they’ll be restocked later this summer. I’ll keep you posted.
Another version of my souped-up-gym-shorts outfit template, but with a fitted T-shirt instead of a blouse to pair more seamlessly with the retro-ish, boxy fit of the shorts.
Here is what I’ll be wearing if and when I ever need to look a little bit fancy for a summer evening occasion that is not a wedding. I’ve been loving the proportional pairing of a tunic-length top with a short skirt. The hemlines are almost evenly matched in this case, so it creates a structured, quasi-mini dress effect.
A more casual styling of the same denim skirt. The outer shirt is an optional styling component but I like how it adds an interesting layering element to the outfit without feeling like it’s trying too hard.
I first wore this exact outfit almost three years ago when I was on vacation in Italy and it really stuck with me. It’s hard to find an outfit that communicates something about your personal style and that you could truly do anything in (explore a city, sprint to catch a departing ferry boat, eat spaghetti with tomato sauce, perspire heavily). This one holds up beautifully against the wear-and-tear of being out in the world. The oversized eyelet scrunchie is the key component, I think. It conjures a slightly weird, slightly old-fashioned element that offsets the very contemporary basic-ness of a cropped top and high-waist shorts.
When I do gravitate toward a one-and-done dress-centric outfit, this dress is a staple for me — neutral enough to allow for versatile styling options so that every time I wear it I can still make it look a little bit different.
Another version of the aforementioned cropped ribbed tank + high-waist maxi skirt template. As you can tell, I wear this Idda Studios hair scarf frequently when it’s hot out. The fact that it makes my outfits a bit more interesting is purely a bonus contribution on top of its true utility, which is allowing my neck and face to breathe.
xo Harling
You’ve made a great case for maxi skirts that I feel like I haven’t worn in a number of years! Lovely summer wardrobe round up 🤍
What a generous post! Love everything and feel inspired…. It can sometimes be difficult to motivate myself to get dressed when my day is spent with a toddler