When you think of summer essentials, you might think immediately of bikinis, beach cover ups, denim cut offs and flip flops. And you would be right – I definitely want a good version of each of those in my warm-weather wardrobe. However, for summer at home, they don’t quite work with my day to day life. Realistically and holidays aside, I spend my summer doing what I always do – going to work, trying to be a functioning adult, and attempting to maintain some kind of social life. So today I thought I’d talk about my summer wardrobe essentials for when you’re not jetting off to exotic locations and maybe instead you’ve got a day in the office or drinks in a beer garden planned.
I’m not necessarily talking about the items in the photos specifically, although obviously I think they’re great options, but it’s more about the job that each piece does and the gaps in my wardrobe they fill. Each one scores highly – apparently I’ve turned into a Strictly Come Dancing judge – for versatility, ease, and comfort/practicality…and if that isn’t the most boring way of describing clothes you’ve ever heard then I don’t know what is. Onto the items!
The everyday dress
Getting dressed in the morning can be hard (first world problems I know but I actually mean that, if I don’t plan what to wear the night before it’s a daily struggle) and in British summertime when you’re likely to be baking one moment but shivering away in the shade the next, knowing what to put on can be a bit of a nightmare. That’s where the everyday dress has to come in – something you know you can sling on with minimal thought about how to style it. For me, this should be something not too tight or heavy, because neither of those things go well with sweat or you know, being comfortable. On the flip side, this is Britain and the weather doesn’t always do the same as it does when you jet off on holiday, so unless it’s really hot something super flimsy won’t necessarily be the order of the day either. Plus the wind whipping up your skirt to reveal your Primark pants on your local high street isn’t quite as cute as when it does the same in Greece when you’re wearing a fantastic new bikini and living your best life.
This denim shirt dress from Next is the perfect ‘medium’ weight fabric, doesn’t cling, sits above the knee and has short loose fit sleeves. Being honest, I’m pretty bad at buying basics or go-with-anything pieces, but I feel like I’ve snapped up an absolute winner here – I could wear this for pretty much anything and always feel comfortable doing so.
The perfect sized bag
I have a lot of big bags and a lot of tiny bags, and bringing this Zara pom pom baby (I treat it like it’s my first born child, no joke) into my wardrobe has been quite revolutionary. My ideal ‘not too big and not too small’ summer bag needs to be large enough to accommodate a bottle of water and all your usual essentials (and an umbrella according to our recent weather, lol good one Britain), but not so big that you could carry around half the contents of your bedroom, your entire bathroom cupboard and your own mini library. That’s my personal preference anyway – I cart a lot of rubbish around with me sometimes, but I absolutely hate feeling weighed down with a million and one bags, so a bag which is the right size for me to sneak a couple of snacks in and contain water, suncream, purse, phone and all those usual essentials but not give me an excuse to bring five other dress options is the ideal.
The easy sandal
The essential summer sandal for me is one with a comfortable fit and a wear-with-anything style. Obviously this could be a flat sandal but I also love them with a block heel, as long as it’s a fairly low one, for daily wear – it just makes me feel more sassy, as long as it’s comfortable enough to spend all day in. You may be sick of seeing these, but this year the oh-so-2017 mule has been my essential summer footwear piece (is a mule even a sandal? I would say so if it’s peep toe but who knows).
I’ve had these ones a few months now and they are fast becoming my most-worn shoe in years…possibly even ever. I know I can wear these for work, for drinks in the evening, for a day shopping, for a lunch date – pretty much for everything, except you know, going on a full on hike or stomping through mud. They’re black, which I know isn’t exactly summery, but have been easy to combine with my summer wardrobe anyway and go with nearly everything I own. Mine are from M&S and they are SO comfortable it’s insane. The best £19.50 I’ve ever spent.
What are your summer wardrobe essentials?
Dress – Next | Bag – Zara | Mules – Marks & Spencer
Photos: Rob Poor
Sophar So Good 
The dress is really cute! 🙂
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Thanks Lise! 🙂
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Love love LOVE the Next dress. I am absolutely with you on the easy summer dress, choosing what to wear makes me 10 mins late almost every morning (when will I learn to plan the night before?!) All I want is an easy, cute, light, comfortable dress to pop on before rushing out the door toast in hand. Also, that bag. That’s all I have to say ❤ Immy x
http://www.immymay.com
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I am exactly the same – I used to always plan and lay out my clothes the night before but for the last few months I’ve just failed at that completely and end up with a morning panic, so this dress has been super handy. Ohhh the bag, so glad its finally in my life! xxx
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I totally agree with you on all of these. Those are just summer essentials that it’s like “what would I do without it”.
http://sugarcoatedbears.blogspot.com/
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Yes that’s exactly how I feel about them all! 🙂 xx
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Been meaning to get a denim dress for ages now, love this one! My Summer essentials have got to be Breton stripes, floaty midi skirts and tea dresses. Though tea dresses are also a Winter essential for me so I guess I just find them essential in general! X
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I would totally agree with all three of those too! I’m a bit of a midi skirt hoarder, I LOVE breton stripes (although I dont think I’ve found the perfectttt breton top yet!) and I’m always up for a tea dress 🙂 xxx
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Love the whole outfit. That bag is the cutest!ive been dying to find the prefect pair of mules for this summer so I can also wear everywhere but I haven’t been so lucky yet.
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Thank you 🙂 I was so happy to find these and am getting so much wear out of them!
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Items I plan to steal from your wardrobe (in no particular order) 1. Denim shirt dress 2. Pom pom bag! LOVE THIS OUTFIT!!!!!! The bag really isn’t too expensive, and it’s one of the cutest I’ve seen .. love the drawstring fastening so you can keep stuff secure … I’m pretty sure I’m going to buy it .. watch this space!
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Thanks thanks thanks (and please dont steal them because I love them and I cant live without them now 😆). I hope you manage to get your hands on the bag! xxx
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You look amazing in these photos, the dress looks so lovely on you. Also that bag deserves to be treated like your first born child, it’s the cutest! I feel like we are so on the same wavelength when it comes to styling priorities – yes to comfort, versatility and ease!
Amy xx
http://www.callmeamy.co.uk
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Thanks so much Amy! And yessss – I am trying to keep those three things in mind when I buy anything at the moment because it makes getting dressed in the morning so much easier 😂 xxx
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The dress is so pretty !
https://afrenchgirlsthoughts.blogspot.fr
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Its so comfortable too! 🙂
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I am in love with your next dress, it is perfect for summer but I agree, skirts blowing up on the british highstreet isn’t the best haha.
osy | Sparkles of Light Blog
My Instagram | Instagram
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Thank you! And I’m very glad someone picked up on that part, that has happened to me many times in the past and I was hoping someone would relate haha 🙈 Thanks for reading lovely xxx
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I love the style and shape of this dress, it looks lovely, and so perfect for day-to-day life during the summer months!
Lauren x
http://www.fashion-expedition.co.uk/
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It really is, so easy to just sling on for anything! Thanks for reading Lauren xx
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I love your bag! That style seems to be really “in” right now, doesn’t it? I pretty much always carry a tote/shopper style bag. I seem to carry around loads with me on a daily basis. Maybe too much…. hmm…. xx
rhymeandribbons.com
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Definitely, there seem to be basket/straw bags all over the place this summer! I’m also pretty bad with carrying loads of stuff around with me although I have found that even if I don’t need much but am taking a big bag, I’ll try to fill it anyway…so I’m quite glad to have downsized a bit to stop me doing that, and still have room for a reasonable amount! xx
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That bag is so pretty!
xo
ohhjuliana.com
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Its my new favourite!
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So sweet dress! And the mix of denim shirtdress and straw bag is my absolute favorite combo!
Desislava
http://truedreamcatcher.blogspot.bg
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It’s one of my favourite combos too! 🙂 xxx
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You look so gorgeous in this outfit, I particularly love how you’ve accessorised it!
SHAKIRA / SHAKIRA SACKS
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Thank you so much 🙂
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Your outfit is amazing, I love it! xxx
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Thanks Ella 😊 xxx
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this jeans dress is amazing!!
http://www.thevogueword.com
http://www.thevogueword.com
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It’s cute isn’t it! So comfy too. Thanks for reading lovely 🙂
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Love everything about this look. Those shoes look so cute and comfortable! 🙂
http://www.lifeofardor.com
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They really are! Best shoes I have bought in years for sure. Thank you for reading 🙂 x
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