I've talked about fall and winter layers several times, and I've even talked about spring layers. But what about the summer, when it can be 80 or 90 degrees all day? For me, I hate being hot. I dread the summer, and sometimes, I dread picking out fashion choices for this season. Fall and winter come so easily to me. The colder it gets, the more layers you add. Pretty simple. But with summer, it's hard to create diversity in your wardrobe when wearing more than a tank top and shorts will only cause a sweaty mess. Yes, there's always dresses, but only very few people own a dress for every day of the summer, and I'm not one of those people. Some will use this hot weather as an excuse to just give up this season, even when lazy lake days begin to vanish and we have to actually do things with our lives. But for me, I'm too driven with fashion to give up. I use every day as a means to grow in fashion, and sometimes it will result in experimenting, which led me to this -- summer layers. It's basically a paradox, but I know it's possible. The best thing about some layers is that you don't have to keep them on all day. That's the choice that is forced to be made in the summer -- find layers that can easily be removed, but that can still add diversity to your wardrobe.
As you all should know by now, denim is my favorite staple. It's so versatile, can be worn year round, and makes any outfit just look 10 times cooler. The denim jacket is probably one of the best ways to layer in the summer, maybe next to the chambray shirt, which is a lighter alternative, but that's about all I wore this summer. I wanted to mix things up, so I went for an unlikely combination. I paired the preppiest piece of clothing I own, which is the striped T-shirt dress by Fred Perry, with a staple item
that completely contrasts with the stripes -- the jean jacket. This dress is probably one of my favorites, so I've worn it hundreds of times, usually in the same way. It got to a point to where I had two options: stop wearing the dress, or start wearing it differently. Because it's my favorite summer item, I had to go with the second choice. I started to think that there was absolutely no way I could wear it in a unique fashion because my go-to for "outfit diversity" is layers, and I thought layers couldn't work in the summer. But then I thought again -- maybe they could. I grabbed the vintage denim jacket and completely changed the "Parisian preppy" look to a cooler, more stylish version, because that's the magic that denim holds. Only once did I have to take off the jacket because of the heat, and that's when I sat outside for lunch. Denim seems like a heavy fabric, but in reality, many forms of the fabric are super light, like the jacket I wore in this outfit. Some say that the jean jacket is the warm-weather version of the leather alternative, and that's completely true. Stop trying to force layers with bulky sweaters and flannels in hot weather. Layering is simpler when denim is involved, but isn't it true that denim makes everything better? It's obvious by now that I'm a huge denim enthusiast, but it's just one of those fashion things I'm going through, like how I went through a "collars peeking out under sweaters" phase last winter. When winter comes, leather and heavy knits will be taking over. But for now, I'll stick with the magic fabric.
Dress by Fred Perry from Urban Outfitters. Jacket is vintage Juicy Couture. Shoes by Topshop.
Photos taken by me (as always!)
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