Last week’s summer solstice marked the first official day of summer, but also welcomed a heat wave across the U.S., with record-breaking temperatures in many locations.
When it comes to dressing for summer’s sweltering weather, practicality and ease are the winning combo, but that shouldn’t mean sacrificing sophistication or joy. Across the pre-fall season, designers proposed mixing the ideas together, best seen from Nicholas Ghesquière’s floral embroidered denim and khaki jorts with playful, colorful cropped feminine blouses and sneakers at Louis Vuitton — ideal for summer travels to fashionable metropolitan cities.
For beach escapes, throw together tropical prints; lightweight eyelet; beach-y crochet layers atop bikinis and clean, monochromatic white ensembles. And for those in-between weekdays, the summer’s best office attire mixes the ever-popular preppy (and tenniscore, inspired by hit movie “Challengers”) trend with looser, elevated wardrobe staples.
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Here, WWD breaks down 27 key looks from the latest pre-fall 2024 collections for everything from packing for idyllic beach destinations to bustling European city jaunts or work-friendly wardrobing to carry you from the 9-to-5 (or longer) grind to happy hour.
Island Life
There’s no better time than a beach vacation to embrace resort-minded wardrobing with tropical prints, tanline-friendly bikinis and ample amounts of crochet. For instance, LaDoubleJ’s pre-fall lineup, which was filled with lightweight and lively wardrobing inspired by J.J. Martin’s boat trip across the Greek islands.
For one-and-done, easy to pack options, think breezy kaftans, as seen from Tanya Taylor with banana yellow stripes for acai bowls in the sand or breezy, dressier dresses from Chloé and Alaïa for sunset evenings. In addition, monochrome white looks, such as Carolina Herrera’s ruffled cotton frock, continually prove chic all summer long.
European City Escapes
As seen from Rabanne, Louis Vuitton, Interior, Staud, Coperni, Christopher Esber and Blumarine (to name a few), mixing and matching utility and denim staples with lightweight, chic tailoring; novelty and vintage-inspired layers, and flirty, feminine crop tops and little bralettes is key to cool city-minded wardrobing.
The style plays off of the resurgence of the ’90s off-duty model look, rooted in denim jorts and cargo Bermuda shorts, which have been spotted on influencers, celebrities and shoppers alike from New York City to the street style stars of the recent Pitti Uomo men’s shows in Europe.
Weekday Work to Happy Hour
While weekends can be spent basking in the sun in swimsuits, sandals and short shorts, weekday work-appropriate dress is guided by a more elevated, covered-up approach. The best pre-fall looks embrace the feeling of carefree, easy to throw on summer vibes with ample polish, as seen from The Row’s collection of stellar jersey elongated tunics over wide-leg trousers, simple knit dresses piled atop oversized t-shirts, and lightweight summer jackets worn with subway and pavement-friendly flats.
Furthermore, the resurgence of the preppy and tenniscore styles — like Aknvas’ blue and white striped ruched and ruffled dresses or MSGM’s youthful, multi-plaid polo minidress — offer in-office workers a balance of trendy wardrobing with practicality — perfect for in-office days followed by after-work happy hours.