Summer is finally in full swing and it’s officially warm enough to bring out your favorite summer outfits and accessories. For some of us, the weather has been less than summery, but I’m not bitter at all about that. Hot weather or not, stores have rolled out their new summer styles and many shelves are stocked with pieces inspired by my favorite place: the sea. Even though I’m a little bit sick of being surrounded by anchors, I can’t help but love some of the outfits out right now that feature them—especially since a lot of this year’s summer must-haves are going on major sale now to make way for fall clothing before August!
1. Krass & Co. Shorts
I like dressing fashionably as much as the next person, but wicked humidity combined with high temperatures means I often find myself sacrificing looking cute to be comfortable. I was thrilled when I found shorts that let me have the best of both worlds. Krass & Co. has a ton of cute athletic shorts in many different colors and patterns that are stylish and comfortable. I hate wearing shorts, but I could wear these for days. The sailboat style pictured above is one of their printed options, and they also have embroidered pairs with cute things like lobsters or anchors. Do I have you convinced yet? If any of their styles strike your fancy, use my campus rep discount code IowaKrass14 at check out to save 20-percent off your order (because what would a shopping guide be if I didn’t find ways to save you money, too?).
2. Comfy Tees & Tanks
My favorite part of summer is having an excuse to wear the copious amount of tank tops in my closet to someplace other than the gym. Old Navy is my go-to choice for basic tees and tanks. They have several different styles, all of them are very soft, and they hold up for a few years making them worth the minimal investment. They also have a lot of cute graphic tees. I’ve seen several sailboats, sailor’s knots, and America-themed pieces featured on their racks in the last few weeks. Modcloth also has a surprising amount of cute graphic tees and tanks for pretty reasonable prices.
3. Button-Ups and Tops
I’m a huge fan of all the cute three-quarter length sweaters lately. Target has several striped options for less than $20. Navy and light blue strips are where it’s at for me. You can never have enough stripes (but if you can I totally do by now, not that that stops me). For cute button-ups, Target also has several great patterns, including one with little whales that reminded me of the much more expensive Vineyard Vines styles. I’ve also found pretty stellar deals at JC Penny in their new JCP and Joe Fresh lines, both of which have awesome stripe and gingham button ups right now.
4. Swimsuits
Swimsuit shopping is always a nightmare, but there are a lot of cute styles right now if you’re up to the challenge. I always love Target and Old Navy since they always have a nice range of one and two-piece suits in many different styles and colors. There are lots of stripes, polka dots, anchors, and bright summer colors at both places for affordable prices. dELiA*s had surprisingly cute options online, but I’m not sold that they would fit a real person (although half the time I try on swimsuits I think that none of them are made to fit a real person). If you’re brave enough to buy online, Modcloth and Overstock.com sometimes have good finds, but that’s a little more fraught with danger than some other options.
5. Accessories
I’m very excited about all of the nautical themed accessories that come out in the summer. Striped bows, tote bags, or scarves? Oh yes. JC Penny has really cute accessories right now, including some very adorable starfish earrings and a nice watch with an anchor on its face. I’m also obsessed with Alex & Ani bracelets currently, and have been since I graciously received two as a Christmas gift from my aunt. They have a ton of cute styles including the very nautical sailboat or oyster, birth stone options, sports teams, and a ton of others. I got the fantastic “arms of strength” bangle for my birthday from my parents. It’s a starfish with a tiny pink gem in the center, and 10% of the proceeds go towards breast cancer research. Many of their styles donate 10% of the profits to various organizations. All of their bangles are also adjustable, which means that the “one size fits all” truly does fit all, so that’s a huge plus.
