Summer feels like it’s winding down—those shelves get stocked with school supplies so early!—but let’s be honest, we’re in for another 6-8 weeks of blazing weather.
For me, there are two style warm-weather pieces I’ve embraced that made an impact in my casual style game; one several years ago, one much more recently.
Casual piece 1: button-and-zipper-fly swim shorts
First are button-and-zipper-fly swim shorts. These are a revelation if you’ve never tried them. Yes, they are convenient if you have to use the restroom. But the real reason is that if you get them in a normal color (like navy), they can pass as normal shorts that you can take you from party-to-pool without worry.
I’ve bought them in the past from J.Crew and Abercrombie (the ones pictured are from J.Crew), though the former no longer makes them. Abercrombie’s are called their Resort Short and are actually on sale right now for $30.
I bought another pair this season from Spier & Mackay, who made them with side tabs—a menswear detail I’m a big fan of—which helps address the main issue with these kind of trunks, which is how to size the waist. Side tabs let you cinch them down. The Spier ones are great, though the mesh material used on the inside is so stretchy that the pockets droop way down low if you put a phone in them. (I plan to sew a single line of stitching on the pockets to help them stabilize vertically).
Another mainstay that always has them is Kent Wang. His have side tabs, come in two colors, and are priced at $75 year-round, though whether they’ll be in stock is always the question with KW.
Casual piece 2: casual knit sweaters
The second warm-weather piece is the lightweight knit sweater. I’ve gotten two really nice ones in the past 6 months that have really become go-to staples for me.
One is the Inis Meain linen tunic sweater in ombré. It’s currently on flash sale for under $200 at Mr Porter in sizes S and XL (I bought it in XL, which felt big to me on first try-on, but which I then learned to embrace for its ultimate slouch factor). Since it’s knit from a heavy gauge linen, it has an outstanding drape. The tunic style it’s made in embraces those qualities. Wide, dropped shoulders; a wide round neck; hems at the bottom and at the sleeves that are not gathered, but just sewn straight. I roll the sleeves and wear with navy shorts, or white jeans. It wears cool enough for me to even be comfortable in hot daytime weather, but it’s heavy enough it is comfortable on a chilly evening.
The other knit is an Italian cotton knit from newer brand Meriggi. They sponsored me several months ago, and the sweater has become a mainstay of my clothing ever since. Its design is more in line with typical North American expectations—gathered hems, on-shoulder seams, a smaller crew neck. But the sizing and proportions still set this one apart. Recently I wore it at a party, and a woman we’re friends with specifically complimented me on how it fit and draped. I took size Large.
A note about caring for cotton and linen sweaters
Both sweaters I will wear either with an undershirt or on their own. Both sweaters I wash inside-out in the washing machine on a gentle cycle with a low spin cycle, and lay flat on a towel to dry.
Shop this fit
Meriggi blue Italian cotton sweater
Navy Spier & Mackay swim trunks
