Summer Color
Last summer, we delved into the challenges of dressing for summer as a coven of women with a history of favoring darker colors years-round. Some of us admitted to making efforts to adapt to the season by learning to love all-white summer looks while others turned to emeralds and blues. All of us turned to lighter, airier fabrics and natural fibres.
Not much has changed this year (you can get a glimpse into our Fashion Editor's summer wardrobe here), but we have taken small steps to embrace pops of color along with the summer spirit. Having gotten married early this summer, I've personally adopted a more romantic look with my outfits. However, having been immersed in more Baudrillard than bridal magazines as I've spent the time surrounding the happy event trying to work through the last stages of my thesis, I've also needed to turn to fashion to keep me grounded in the material world.
Putting daily effort into my ensembles as I head out to work (even if it's just meant applying glittery eye shadow or throwing on my favorite necklace) has allowed me to find constant comfort as I've found myself spiralling into despair. Clutching my knotted pearls as I pour over a difficult passage of theory or even seeing my bright pink Kate Spade handbag sitting on the coffee shop table beside me as I (try to) write has allowed me to feel bursts of delight that have kept me going.
My daily looks have consequently had more color in them. More ruffles. More florals. More bows.
Rory meanwhile has stuck to her fierce summer principles. Black still permeates her wardrobe, but she too has introduced bright colors like mustards and reds. Small changes in her wardrobe have been a way for her to cope with the bigger changes in her life as she gets ready to start a PhD in a new country.
Being in between places both in life and in location has also meant that she has a tendency to have different outfits for different situations and places – a black and mustard look like the one in this post for instance is very much an academic style for her while the red and white is relaxed and Italian and perfect for a fun day out... especially because moving far to the North means she'll have fewer occasions to enjoy a summer wardrobe!
Everything featured in the above photos belong to the Editors. Olivia's floral dress is H&M. Her pink handbags are both Kate Spade. Her white bow top is old J.Crew (similar), and her floral skirt is a vintage skirt of her mother's (similar). Her black sandals are old J.Crew (similar but more dramatic). Rory's red and white ensemble is from Zara (similar trousers, similar top), her bag from Gianni Chiarini. Her mustard top is from Zara (similar) and her black trousers are old Massimo Dutti. Her black bag is from Coccinelle, and her black shoes are from Minelli. We may earn a small commission through some links in this post.