Top 10 Summer Essentials

When I go shopping with clients, we always start off chatting about what essentials they’re missing for the season and then come up with a gameplan. I thought it might be helpful for you to hear what I consider the top essentials for the summer season, so you can fill in the gaps in your closet. I also thought I would share my favorites from every category. Here are what I consider the top 10 summer essentials.

//Shorts– I wrote about the best shorts EVER here. I’ve been so pleased to read so many of your emails and comments about much you all love them, too!

//Tees– By the time another summer rolls around, my t-shirt are worn out. They have holes in them and/or armpit stains. My favorite casual v-neck tees are here, and I like these for a dressier v-neck tee. My favorite sleeveless tee is here, and my favorite crew neck tee is here.

//Dress up/dress down tops- These are tops that can be worn casually with shorts or dressy with white jeans. I prefer them to be flow-y so they don’t show my sweat and are comfy. This is why I love Mexican tops! Here are the five dress up/dress down tops I purchased this summer.

//White jeans– White jeans are still in vogue, and although they can be a total pain to shop for, they are still a staple. I have this pair and have modified them a bit, so stay posted.

// Sundresses– When you are sweating profusely, sometimes a flow-y sundress is about all you can wear comfortably. I also really love it when my sundress can be worm as a cover-up, like I’ve been doing with these from this post.

//Cover-ups– Well, when you’re constantly trying to escape the heat for an entire season by dipping into different bodies of water, a cover up is pretty essential!

//A neutral summer sandal and a neutral summer bag- I have about three neutral summer bag/sandal combinations I keep going to. I’m wearing these neutral suede sandals with this bag and this bag, depending on whether I’m dressy or casual. For the 3rd summer in a row, I’m wearing these K. Jacques with this saddle bag. And for a gold sandal, I keep switching between these two sandals (here and here).

//A casual pair of summer jeans- Due to the the heat, a dressy pair of dark jeans doesn’t really make sense, but a casual pair of summer jeans does make sense. You can achieve the casual look by buying a lighter blue wash, a distressed pair, or a boyfriend jean.

//A swimsuit- Obviously this is an essential. Ha! You can find a swimsuit guide here and here.

//A strapless bra– I thought this summer was going to be my cutest summer yet because of my new strapless bra (the best strapless bra ever), and I was right!

//Sunscreen– I have already posted about this sunscreen, but I think it deserves another shout out. I have been using it a ton this summer, and I just keep liking it more and more. This is a sunscreen that doesn’t have harmful chemicals! Need I say more?!?! It’s also great because it doesn’t sting my son’s sensitive skin. I’ve been putting it on my face every morning. It doesn’t smell like typical sunscreen, it smells like normal lotion. Oh, and it’s not greasy! I just bought a huge pump bottle of it to keep out.