How to look summery without buying an entire new wardrobe

How to look summery without buying an entire new wardrobe
By Miriam Burke  | May 23, 2017

Look summery with pieces you already own and wear all year round

My wardrobe is 90% jumpers, 5% jeans and 5% other stuff. Perfect for those chilly days we get all year round, not so good for when the sun creeps out unexpectedly. I'm not the only Irish person with more cold weather clothes than warm, so how to people manage to look summery at a moment's notice?

Some people have good eyes for trend pieces that work whatever the weather. Others wear black all year round and make themselves look summery by taking off their jacket and putting on a pair of sunglasses. For those of us who wear black tights when it's 19 degrees outside, there is a way to summer-ise your wardrobe without having to buy anything (or without having to throw away your tights, so you won't be tempted to wear them).

The answer is oh-so-simple, too. All you need is your trusty pair of jeans and a shirt. Sandals if you have them (and if you don't, buy sliders this year instead). You have jeans; you have a shirt. Done. Blue jeans and a white shirt is a classic combination (use your work shirt, it's the same thing), but reverse that, and you've got the go-to outfit of this summer.

It's not too simple to be true; it works. You don't have to take all your clothes off when the sun starts to shine. Shirts are often more lightweight than t-shirts, and they protect more of your skin from the sun's harmful rays.

Swap your jeans with jean shorts for weekend shenanigans, throw on a pair of colourful high-heeled wedges for nighttime activities.

Advertisement