The intense heat of the summer season can make styling any clothing feel virtually impossible.
However, by using a select few of the trends predicted for the spring and summer 2024 seasons, looking and staying cool can be much easier.
Glamour.com discusses these trends, reporting: “…this year’s defining spring and summer trends, like the return of boho style and a resurgence of cowboy-inspired pieces, follow the same arc—but with a little more playfulness this time around.”
Overall trends include either incredibly vibrant neon colors, or more pastel and less saturated colors.
(From Adobe Stock and Plumager, Inc)
Attire for this season has been compared to that of “party attire,” referring to pieces like microskirts and cut and cropped tops, some with fringe and some with glitter. Thinner, draped fabrics are also becoming more common.
These pieces across the board rely very heavily on the actual clothing, rather than on anything else like accessories. The statement piece is the entire outfit, which is usually very minimalistic. Colors and textures (or lack of) seem to be the primary focus here.
Colors and textures aren’t the only trends to look out for. Glamour.com also discusses the different aesthetics that inspired these summer trends:
“Preppy fashion is also enjoying a major moment, giving you the go-ahead to dress like a more stylish high-school athlete. On the accessories front, belts are getting wider and more sculptural, while sneakers are slimmer than ever; don’t toss those Adidas Sambas from last summer just yet.”
GQ Magazine also reported on these trends. It was reported that trends for men (and/or more masculine presenting people) included:
- Animal prints, such as leopard or cheetah prints
- Tweed fabric (a rougher, woolly fabric) (usually in the form of a blazer or suit jacket)
- Knee-length shorts
- Full suits, blazers, and dress shirts (Not too sure if this should be a go-to during the summer)
- Glitter (Glamour also noted that sequins and glitter were predicted to become more popular during this season)
- Jumpsuits
- Vests and tank tops (Which is a more practical option for the summer)
- Crochet attire (Layering is, supposedly, becoming a trend as well. If it isn’t mesh shirts being layered, crochet attire will be.)
It has been said that trends now used to be trends in past years. Whether this is for nostalgia or lack of ideas can be debated. With these trends, however, they do seem to be blatantly, heavily inspired by past years and previous trends.
Abbrielle Tweddle, a senior here at CSHS, discusses these opinions, saying: “It (these styles) were really popular in the ’80s or ’90s, and stuff like that. There’s like this saying that goes, ‘history always repeats itself’, so you can’t really get rid of trends.”
Arianna Gonzalez, a junior at CSHS, also notes that history may just be repeating itself this season. She does also discusses how these trends are started by influencers, and are more for decoration than actual functionality. This in turn breeds trends that are less functional and practical, and are more for the gaze of others.
“The trends happen because influencers are like, ‘Oh my god, it’s so amazing and you guys should all wear it,’ so now it’s suddenly a trend where everybody wants to wear it. Then, people are like, ‘Oh, it doesn’t fit my body type,’ because you have skinny fricken’ [sic] influencers saying, ‘yeah, that’ll fit all body types,’ when they’re paid to do those promotions.”
These summer trends, as ridiculous to some as they may seem, are actually more normal in some aspects when compared to the style of the early 2000s that was brought back many times over the years (for example, skirts over denim jeans, and just too many layers in general).
If styled in a more practical way, however, these trends can help you stay cool and look cool. This may mean steering clear of tweed anything over the summer, until the fall, at least.
However, vests, knee-length shorts, and more breathable fabrics are not a bad idea.
If you do plan on following these trends (especially layering), remember to stay hydrated, because, as in the words of Gonzalez, “…heatstroke is a thing!
