The 19 Things We’re Buying This Summer And NONE Of Them Are Trendy
by The Candidly Team
There’s an ease that comes with dressing for summer. Like everything we wear, no matter how “styled,” would look excellent poolside or while holding a popsicle.
It’s a sort of feeling that makes us enjoy getting dressed a little more. We use terms like “throwing on this” or “slipping into that,” rather than fussing and layering and looking in the mirror 14 times, because what the hell did we even just put together?
Instead, summer outfits are all about picking perfect-fitting pieces and wearing each of them 14 different ways. The swingy wrap skirt. The seasonal sandal. The single best swimsuit. Mixing. Matching. And feeling breezily chic along the way.
Well, we’re very happy to say that we found those pieces. 19 of them. And while none of them have that slicked back, hip-bone-baring, neon look we associate with “hot girl summer,” they’re all equally exciting in their own way.
And here they are:
1. This Magically Sculpting Midi Dress
What: The Cecily Fit & Flare Sweetheart Dress by Maeve
Why: Every so often (almost never), we find a dress that’s cut to perfection with material that’s structured and supportive, yet almost stretchy, so it gives us our most ideal silhouette no matter what shape we are. This dress is universally smoothing and skimming but also deeply comfortable - the little black dress you dream of owning. It also comes in a sweet raspberry print that’s perfect for spring and summer, which you can see two of our very own team modeling below.
The dress runs big, so size down. In the above photo, our in-house model on the left is wearing an XS, while the one on the right is in M.
Price: $170
2. This Gloriously Spacious Button-Down
What: Marcella Raphaela Boyfriend Shirt
Why: We all long for a classic white button-down that we can tuck or tie or leave open over a lace cami and suddenly look like a fashionable, French version of ourselves. But so many of these shirts wind up feeling tight and stiff, especially on us busty girls or anyone in possession of arms that aren’t actual sticks. This one is heaven to wear and soooo flattering with its semi-drop-shoulder dolman sleeves. It looks great with wide-leg jeans (#10 on this very list). But our current favorite way to wear it is tied at the waist with the below skirt. The ideal summer uniform.
Price: $118
3. This Perfect Summer Skirt
What: J. Crew Side-Slit Soft Gauze Maxi Skirt
Why: Forget that it’s light and gauzy or that the waist is blessedly elastic, this skirt is the perfect cut for summer. The pop of pink puts us in a good mood, though yes, it comes in other colors. And the slit, coupled with with the tied shirt, hits the exact note of subtle “sexiness” we actually enjoy.
Price: $36 - $56
4. These Glam Shades That Look Good On Everyone
What: Quay After Hours
Why: Nothing elevates whatever we happen to be wearing and turns us into a poolside Goddess as easily as a perfect pair of sunglasses. These are that pair of sunglasses. Better than the designer ones that cost 3x as much.
Price: $85
5. this Ultra-Flattering Bodysuit
What: Sézane Isabella Bodysuit
Why: What we like about this bodysuit (other than every single thing about how it looks) is that it fits in the most flattering way possible. The low v-neck and soft ribbing look so good on curves, and while the back is low, making a bra challenging, there’s enough support, not to mention ruffles to make us feel comfortable.
Price: $125
6. This Only Mini Skirt We’re Willing to Wear
What: Cozy Earth Bamboo Ultra-Soft Skirt
Why: We can’t say enough about the heavenly softness of Cozy Earth’s bamboo material, which we’ve gushed about HERE and HERE. Yet, adding this feel to a relaxed-fit mini skirt made it the summer staple we didn’t know we needed. Thankfully, Cozy Earth was kind enough to give us 35% off using our exclusive code CANDIDLY. So you too can live in this kind of cloud-like comfort.
Price: $145
7. These Chic Leather Slides
What: Beek Gallito Leather Slide Sandal
Why: We’re pretty sure we’ve hit our 10,000 hours required to become an expert in finding the most comfortable but still chic summer sandals. And look, we found them! We won’t deny that they’re an investment, but because we plan to wear them for at least 87% of our summer days for the rest of time, we consider it a worthy one.
Price: $260
8. This Dream Maxi Dress
What: Marcella Clara Dress
Why: To put it plainly, this is the single most flattering maxi dress we’ve tried on (and you can see us try it on HERE). The top is like your softest fitted tank, and the bottom is billowy and romantic. We love it in black, but it also comes in white (which you shouldn’t be afraid of, because it’s one of the chicer shades you can wear, especially in warmer months). We’ll go out on a limb and say that this dress (in black or white) + the above sandals = the most easily elegant summer party look. In our humble opinion.
Price: $108
9. This Classic French Tee
What: Sézane Gatsby Marinière
Why: We don’t know how we lived this much of our lives without owning this staple piece in every French woman’s closet. It’s simplicity itself. Cotton. Striped. Classic. But when we wear it, we immediately feel put-together. And French, of course. Especially with the below jeans.
Price: $105
10. These Most Flattering Wide Leg Jeans
What: Paige Anessa Crop Wide-Leg Jeans
Why: If you know us at all, you know we don’t typically spend this much on a pair of jeans. All of our favorites are under $100. But these jeans are special. So special we wrote an entire tribute to them (or what some might call a courtroom-worthy defense for why we spent so much on them). But they are truly the best wide-leg jeans we’ve ever smoothly stretched over our legs and bottoms and buttoned gap-free at our waist. They’re perfection on curves, guys. Perfection.
Price: $229
11. The Most Comfortable Flip Flops In The Universe
What: Sanuk Cosmic Yoga Joy
Why: These flips have the softest, molded footbed, so our feet stay blessedly pain-free no matter how many hours we spend putting them to work.
Price: $45
12. This Summer Dress We’re Not Taking Off Til October
What: Boden Linen Kaftan Maxi Dress
Why: Few things are as complementary/comfortable as a lightweight kaftan. The fact that this one is an airy, waist-nipping maxi we can wear every summer day is just icing on the cake.
Price: $128
13. These Wedge-spadrille Sandals
What: J. Crew Canvas Espadrille Wedges
Why: Throw these on with any maxi or midi dress, and in all of 8 seconds, you’ll be wearing the chicest, day-or-night summer uniform.
Price: 59.50
14. This Best Tank. Period.
What: Easy Standard Rib Fitted Scoop Tank
Why: If you’re wondering why some tanks are so much more flattering than others, the answer is 3 essential things: scoop neck, not-too-thick straps, and fine ribbing. This 3-out-of-3 tank is the classic, elongating piece that you’ll reach for 20x more than any other in your closet. And you can pair it perfectly with literally with all six bottoms on this very list. Really. Go look.
Price: $36
15. These Airy, Wide-Leg Pants
What: Gap Airy Wide-Leg Pants
Why: The perfect loungey, over-swimsuit pants that we turn to the second temperatures rise to where we can no longer comfortably wear our beloved wintery wide-leg styles.
Price: $23 - $60
16. This Ideal Swimsuit For Curves
What: J. Crew Ruched Bandeau One-Piece
Why: And here my friends is that wildly cute, well-fitting, LONG TORSO IF YOU NEED IT, size-inclusive swimsuit that ruches at the sides, nips our waist but in a comfortable way, flatters any and every hip, and fits the way we always dreamed a swimsuit might.
Price: $48 - $118
17. This Essential Wrap Skirt
What: Aday It's A Swirl Wrap Skirt
Why: A skirt feels like it should be a savior in our wardrobe, a thing we just slip on to look slightly more dressed up. But so many of them fit atrociously. They bulge or cling in annoying ways. But not this skirt. The soft woven material and the wrap style ensure a perfect fit. It’s not too tight but still gives off the clean-lined look of a fitted midi. We can style it to be casj or formal, wearing it poolside or out to dinner or wherever you go in your house to fantasize about being poolside or out to dinner.
Price: $175
18. This Blissfully Floaty Top
What: Free People One Padma Top
Why: The soft, airy tee we’ll be wearing with every fitted bottom we own. Free People is not just for the kids and boho crowd. They’re making clothes that are bliss to wear at every age, especially on curves.
Price: $78
19. This Joy-Sparking Fanny
What: Clare. V Grande Fanny
Why: Before you roll your eyes, hear us out. A Fanny can be incredibly practical, cinching our waist in loose button-downs or adding that little bit of belly coverage when we wear something tight. But a Fanny can also be chic. Like this one from Clare V., which can be worn around our waist or across our chest or back. It’s spacious, so it holds all our essentials. It makes everything we wear just a little more interesting. So while it’s untrendy enough at this moment to make this list, we’re not sure it will stay that way.
Price: $325
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
We have to eat.
We only work with companies we feel passionately about, and the Marcella pieces listed in this post were part of a sponsored partnership. Our opinions are 100% our own, and in fact we only work with brands AFTER we've discovered something of theirs we love. Supporting this content means we all get to keep doing what we're doing here at The Candidly. And keep our jobs. So thanks for that.
