The people whose outfits I notice in July all have this in common
They don't try harder. They just know which lever to pull.
My hot take is that the people with the best style shine in the summertime.
When it’s hot out, many of us stop trying. Not because we don’t care, but because when it’s ninety degrees out, the last thing you want is to think about what you’re wearing. So most of us default to a simple dress and a sandal. One and done. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
But the people whose outfits I notice in July aren’t working harder than everyone else. They’re not over styling themselves either. They’ve just figured out how to stay stylish without adding a single layer or breaking a sweat. They’re usually more deliberate about texture, color, and accessories.
Think of them as levers for getting dressed in the heat. Start with one and see where that takes you.
Summer Styling Levers
TEXTURE
Most people treat texture as if it’s only a fall/winter thing. Texture actually matters more in the summer because when you strip away the layers, there’s nothing left to hide behind.
Start with this lever if you’re a neutral-loving minimalist. No need to abandon your stylistic preferences to make your summer outfits more interesting. Being a bit more intentional with your choices in fabric and materials is usually all it takes.
A tonal white outfit is simple and chic but it can easily fall flat, and it’s almost always a fabric issue. Matching fabrics on top and bottom tend to feel one-note due to a lack of contrast.
The poplin top and jacquard pants above are technically the same cotton fiber, but the poplin is crisp and structured whereas the jacquard is soft, textural, and a little bit romantic. The eye has somewhere to land even when color is absent. Texture provides depth when there’s nothing else going on.
Another benefit of wearing a textured bottom like jacquard or Broderie anglaise (eyelet) is that you don’t have worry about those damn wrinkles. Freedom!
Construction can make a big difference too. The ruching and pleating details make the dress inherently interesting because of the built-in texture from a single cotton fabric.
This is also where your accessories matter most. If you’re going tonal, your bag and shoe of choice are your levers for dialing up the interest overall. A woven basket and a suede sandal may seem counterintuitive but they actually work. The friction between the materials (basket for warm weather; suede for cooler weather) is what deliberately amplifies the interest in this outfit. It doesn’t feel chaotic because they all live in the same color family.
The same logic works just as well in black — with a little more edge.
Every single piece in this outfit is the same color but all completely different to the touch. The linen top is matte and substantial while the silk short is fluid with a little shine. The raffia clutch and beaded sandals have opposing textures at play as well.
Shape and silhouette are levers also worth exploring when going for a tonal look. The asymmetric linen top against the fluid silk shorts provide some structure as well as movement that a basic tee could never. The east-west shape of the clutch and circular beads on the shoe are both interesting on their own but don’t compete within the look.
Neutrals in the summer don’t have to be boring when you know how to deliberately use texture to create interesting contrast.
COLOR
When it comes to wearing color in the summer, people tend to fall into one of three camps: the pop-of-color person, the more-the-merrier maximalist, and the purist who refuses to abandon their neutrals even in the heat. The good news is there’s a way to make color work for all three.
We all know that Prada green has a point of view. And usually the instinct is to reach for black or white when wearing a saturated pop of color, because it feels safe and familiar. The result is a high contrast look.
But warmer neutrals do something different. The ecru top and brown accessories soften and blend the contrast instead of sharpening it. Now the bold green feels more wearable and reads approachable.
High contrast communicates boldness whereas a softer contrast communicates warmth. The colors you wear tell people something about how you’re feeling before you’ve even said a word.
Red and blue is one of my favorite color combos. Together, they can easily read patriotic. And you don’t want that.
As primary colors, both are equally bold and saturated, creating a strong contrast between warm and cool. The tension is built in.
Part of what makes this combo work is in the undertones. The sandals are a warm, bright blue. The dress is almost a perfect red, with the warm and cool undertones balanced just right. That balance is what keeps the combination from tipping into costume territory.
But two saturated colors together need something to settle them, and that’s where the accessories come in. The layered necklaces tie the reds and the blues. The brown woven bag and tortoise sunglasses ground the look.
Pull the accessories out and it falls apart. Keep them and it coheres. That’s CP color math for you, Tibi die-hards (you already know :))
For the purist who won’t abandon their neutrals even in the heat, this one’s for you.
Taupe-y brown-ish pieces together have more depth than a single neutral from head-to-toe. The combination feels considered rather than defaulted to.
The “ish” colors (the ones that aren’t quite neutral but aren’t quite bold either) is where the real interest lives. You can try them to venture out of your comfort zone without feeling like you’re wearing somebody else’s clothes.
ACCESSORIES
Most people think of accessories as the finishing touch. But sometimes I build an outfit starting with a single accessory and work backwards from there. It’s actually easier that way since you have one focal point and everything else just has to get out of the way.
The belt above isn’t finishing anything. It’s doing all the color work AND introducing a new texture (turquoise stones, silver hardware against a simple black base) simultaneously. This is the kind of high impact moment a single accessory can create when the base is unfussy enough to let it.
The focal point lands in the same place here, in the center of the body, but achieved by two completely different accessories. The principle is the same: a singular piece creating the impact while everything else steps back.
And this is the part where we go all in.
When every accessory is interesting at once, keep them in the same color family. Start with an unfussy base like a neutral linen dress without any extra embellishment. The sunglasses, bag, sandals, and necklace are all in the same color family but they don’t feel matchy-matchy because the textures are all different.
There’s a lot happening in this look, but it doesn’t feel chaotic because every piece is talking to each other in the same group chat.
If you’ve made it this far and you’re thinking, “okay, but I still don’t want to think about this” — that’s exactly what I’m here for.
Whether it’s a summer trip you’re trying to pack for or your everyday rotation that needs a refresh, I can help you figure out what you actually need so you can stop overthinking. Book a free discovery call and we’ll take it from there.
x Angela
I DIG! 😍 so many of these are very Madeline-coded
Loveeee! Need those Jude sandals and where’s the basket form in look 2?! Is it underwater weaving?