Hello lovely shoppers!
If you are like me, the arrival of the summer months means you are about to embark on, what I saw someone call on TikTok the other day: “fight for our lives season.” I am not a hot weather person; as soon as that thermostat goes above 70, my skin starts to crawl. I’m an air conditioning devotee; when I go to the beach I’m the person with my beach chair pulled all the way up to the water line so at least one part of my body is dipped in the ice cold New England sea at all times. I believe it was Truman Capote who once referred to the summer heat as making your blood feel like honey, and I’ve never felt so seen.
Winter dressing is easy for me. I’m a dress and opaque tights kinda gal; a trousers, sweater, and silk scarf lady. But summer? Nightmare. There are so many elements to summer dressing that feel burdensome, even wearing the wrong makeup can feel heavy and sweaty. So I figured what better time to share some of my favorite summer must-haves? And as always, for paid subscribers, if you see something on the list that you love but isn’t quite right for you, or isn’t in your budget or size range? Just ping me back and I’ll find a dupe for you. Because that’s what material girls do!
Norma Kamali… Everything: This recommendation comes courtesy of Brenda Cooper, the costume designer behind The Nanny. I talked to Brenda a few months ago for Town & Country and we’ve since become good friends. (I still pinch myself whenever she calls me like, just to chat??) Anyway, she is always raving about Norma’s pants and jumpsuits and wow is she RIGHT. I just bought the pencil pants and I wear them approximately 70% of the time I leave the house; I bought their tube dress and it makes me look and feel like a human hourglass. Her fabric is lightweight, breathable, and so flattering. It’s stretchy and it feels like really high end athleisure (and is definitely chronic pain friendly!) but looks like really refined simple ready to wear. She has items for all occasions; simple black trousers to pair with light summer blouses; pastel co-ords for brunch or drinks on the patio; slinky maxi dresses for hot summer date nights. (Her bathing suits are also INCREDIBLE and you can snag them on sale pretty regularly.) Her sizing runs a little on the large side; I run a medium comfortably in everything! It’s definitely pricey but I just plug whatever item I’m looking for and “sale” into google and I usually find it; you can buy her stuff everywhere from Neiman’s to Zappos.
Vince Slip Dress: I’ve raved about this slip dress a few times already so I won’t bore you with the details, but I have it in 5? 6? colors? I scour the internet every summer for it on sale and buy it literally wherever I find it. The fabric is silky and feminine and it skims the body beautifully without clinging. As a curvier gal, one of my main issues with slip dresses is I sometimes feel the fabric clings to my body in a way I don’t like but the weight and texture of this particular slip dress is perfection. I layer it under a white blouse for a real Nancy Meyer effect, or cardigan, or really any summer over-piece; the simplicity of it lends itself to so much versatility. I wear a M comfortably! It’s definitely pricey without a sale, but like I said, they are all over the internet at a discount - right now, this square neck version is available on the Vince site in their extended sizes range, here’s a burnt orange one for $99, and you can even scoop them up on eBay and Poshmark!
Avene Thermal Water: A summer bag must have, I literally don’t leave the house without this in the heat. Is it just water in an aerosol can? Probably. But on a hot and sticky day nothing feels better than a mist of this on my face and chest. La Roche-Posay also makes a version of it that I use and I am one hundred percent certain they are the exact same thing anyway!
Patterned Wide Leg Trouser: This is really a general suggestion but lately I’ve been super into easy breezy wide leg trousers, usually with a nice summer pattern because that way I can just throw something simple and lightweight on top and have a full outfit with just two pieces. Some of my current favs are these and these from Free People, these from Anthropologie, and these from Abercrombie!
Abercrombie Shirt Dress: I have this baby in three colors and I love dressing it up with some gold jewelry and a pair of brown leather sandals. It’s lightweight but still opaque, and it has a nice full cut that is so airy and cool.
Hanro Touch Feeling Spaghetti Strap Bralette: My holy grail summer bralette. Does it give my boobs any real lift? I mean, a little. But does it add any weight or warmth to my outfit? Not at all. And it does provide that little bit of extra coverage you might want under a lightweight or sheer summer top. I am a 32G bra size and I wear a L!
Old Navy Halter Dress: I was so skeptical when I ordered this because halters and full busts don’t usually mix but for that price I figured I had very little to lose. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least! The fabric is just heavy enough that it has some hold and good coverage too it, and there’s actually a shelf bra built into the dress which makes it somewhat fuller cup friendly, though you definitely have to be comfortable showing some cleavage. I wear a M!
Perfect white blouse: This one is self explanatory; you need an oversized white cotton blouse for summer. Wear it with jeans, wear it with trousers, wear it over a bathing suit. Literally no occasion it is not useful for. I live and die by this one from Abercrombie.
Ciao Lucia Dress: Ciao Lucia is my favorite place to buy summer dresses when I want to splurge. I recently bought the Clara and I already own the Gabriela. They are beautifully made - the structure of the top allows me to go braless and my boobs even fit comfortably in the M!
Hermes Twilly: I use these as a headband to tie my bangs off my face; they come in a bazillion colors and you definitely do not have to pay full price for them because TheRealReal and other consignment sites always have them in great condition for way cheaper than retail. And yes obviously there are other scarf options for this particular use but having tried many of them, I will say the Twilly is the perfect width and length for this purpose; not too thick, not too thin, and they are beautifully made.
Robes as outerwear: My summer aesthetic is roughly “woman in Tennessee Williams novel with an anxiety disorder and a warm sensuality.” And so I have been loving pairing these sheer, flowy over pieces with silk slip dresses or over slim black trousers and a silk black cami. My current favs are this one from Anthropologie and this one from Free People.
Sezane Knit Camis: I am a Sezane devotee all year round but I am especially obsessed with their cotton knitwear. It’s soft and flattering and just makes you feel so feminine. On cooler summer nights I still wear a lot of my lighter knitwear pieces from them, but I just bought their Ania and Franciso camis and I am in love. They are perfect to tuck into the aforementioned high waist trousers, or to pair with a simple pair of black pants or jeans. I wear a M in most of their tops!
Hill House Dresses: I bought my first nap dress just over a year ago and much to my bank account’s dismay they very much live up to the hype. They are truly built with the wearer in mind; they are opaque but not heavy, they are flattering without being clingy, and there is a pattern for everyone. They have a decent size range and as someone who’s boobs have gone up a cup size in the last 8 months, I can confirm they are roomy and stretchy enough to accommodate a changing body! I know they’re a fav for pregnancy for this reason. I wear a S or M in most of them and while I know the OG Ellie is the OG for a reason, I highly recommend the Athena and the Caroline. I scooped up a few new styles in their last drop and will fill y’all in on that when they arrive!
Some summer makeup must-haves: My whole makeup routine changes in the heat; I forego heavy eye makeup, I wear as little foundation and base makeup as possible, and I try to minimize the amount of powder products I use as well. I hate layering highlighter over my makeup at the end so to start I mix a little bit of the Chanel fluid highlighters (they have this in the Les Beiges line, or this from the Le Blanc line) into my Dior primer. My go to foundation, as we’ve discussed, is this Dior cushion compact which has an SPF 50, but the shade range isn’t great so I would recommend their face and body foundation with a Supergoop sunscreen underneath. For bronzer I think you can’t go wrong with the Chanel Les Beiges bronzing cream, and for blush I like the Westman Atelier sticks because they are sort of a cream to powder formula that is incredibly lightweight. I pat on a little Dior loose powder with a brush under my eyes and along my T-zone for oil control. For eyes, I love what makeup legend Michelle Wang calls a “one and done” so a single sweep across the lid kinda deal and these Westman Atelier pots are perfect. (One of my most firmly held beliefs is the best shimmer eyeshadows are actually highlighter.) For mascara I use Dimensions by Chanel, which is a lightweight lengthening formula. And finally for lips I use this Shiseido gloss because it has a creamy, almost emollient texture that’s lightweight, not sticky — and it has no smell!
Do you have fav summer pieces to help you beat the heat? I want to hear about them!
xoxo Material Girl 🛍