004. How, What, and Where to Shop (and not to Shop) for Your Summer Wardrobe.
A guide to avoiding the pitfalls of summer shopping and ensuring the new additions to your wardrobe are ones you will love for many summers to come.
We have all started daydreaming about what we want to be wearing on our summer getaways. Browsing the beachwear section is getting us through those last grey May days. But beware, as summer is the biggest trap when it comes to trend-induced purchases. About this time of year, the first influencers are getting ready to fly out to Menorca or Mykonos to kick off the European summer and trigger the envy we have for those rose corsage chiffon dresses. The seasonal sales are lurking just around the corner to tip us over the edge. I cannot explain the strength it took out of me this week to not click ‘check out’ on those embellished mesh ballet pumps all the cool girls are wearing on Instagram. And even though I am putting this in here to hold myself accountable, I might still crack.
In this newsletter, I will guide you through the biggest pitfalls of summer shopping and how to avoid them so as not to repeat the mistakes of summers past (coming from a girl with many of those rotisserie chicken bikinis with all the ties, gathering dust at the back of her closet). I give you a rundown of the summer pieces that I have seen come back summer after summer for over a decade and are therefore likely to make a timeless investment, with suggestions for brands to shop them from. I also share my strategy for building a summer wardrobe that you will be excited to unpack every year when the warm days roll in. Let’s get into it.
1. The Story Starts when it Was Hot and it Was Summer.
I want to begin with sharing three pieces of advice that have really improved the way I shop.