We’re no astronomers, but there are particular things that, for us, definitively mark the Summer Solstice and have absolutely nothing to do with the Tropic of Cancer.
We’re talking about the smell of Coppertone. Dazed and Confused on Showtime. Mara Hoffman bikinis and Levi’s cut-offs. That One Direction music video where they’re singing on the pier. (Scientifically speaking, of course.)
As June blurs into July, we can’t help but regress back into our summer-camp selves—bare feet on bike pedals, popsicle-stained lips and a barely-there dusting of freckles. Which could explain why our monthly obsessions have erred on the side of star-spangled simplicity—just elevated ever so slightly to grown-up status (our brains may be on summer vacay, but our bosses don’t have to know that).
Here’s what we’ve been pinning, swiping and double-tapping this month.
We’re huge advocates for sporting stars, stripes and double-denim year-round. But only once per annum is it socially acceptable to pile ‘em all on at the same time. We’ve been warming up for the Fourth of July with a few patriotic purchases—a cornflower blue bandeau-kini, a Marni patent purse in a cherry lacquer, and red, white and blue Illesteva sunnies to sport all summer long.
Just call us Miss Independent. Ready to Party in the USA. Baby, we’re a firework. We’ll stop now.
We’ll admit it. Our love of the mini-backpack is directly correlated with the number of times we’ve binge-watched Clueless (read: we have upwards of twenty and two of them look like they were spun out of cotton candy). Needless to say, when Proenza Schouler and Phillip Lim whipped up versions in painted prints and luxe leather, we fell for them hook, strap and zipper.
Backpack’s back, alright. (We can’t stop.)
While you won’t catch us in a fleece vest anytime soon, we’ve gingerly gotten on board with this whole normcore thing—they had us at unironic sneakers and shorteralls. But we have a few caveats. One: for the love of circa-Jason Priestly 90210, no one bring bootcut back. And two: we have to be able to dress it up a little.
Enter the bejeweled Birkenstock, flashy flat-form and embellished espadrille. Classy enough to sneak out from under your desk, and comfortable enough that you won’t be hobbling to work like some creature out of Lord of the Rings. (Ahem, these.)
Given that she's been worn by the likes of everyone from Lupita Nyong'o to Lily Aldridge, has a handful of influential industry pals (Cov-alums Claire Distenfeld, Leandra Medine, Lauren Santo Domingo) in her back pocket as well as a CFDA nom under her belt, Rosie Assoulin is hardly what you'd call the new kid on the block. But it's her studied, masterful command of silhouette and construction that makes us want to abandon the aforementioned bathing suits and cut-offs for something that, well, makes us feel like a lady, goddamnit.