I Just Popped Into Saks—These Summer Finds Are So Good It's Stressing Me Out
Welcome to Let's Get a Room, a series where editor Eliza Huber heads to the dressing room to try on pieces from your favorite retailers, buzzy items, and new collections. Think of this column as a detailed guide to the pieces that are actually worth buying and the ones that, unfortunately, looked better online—no returns necessary.
I spend a lot of my time shopping in New York City, but there are certain stores I have to keep myself from stepping foot inside in order to keep my bank account in the green. One such place is Saks Fifth Avenue, a staple of the NYC shopping scene where finances go to die—not necessarily because everything's pricey but because it's all utterly irresistible. Alas, sometimes, you have to break your own rules. At least, that's what I'm telling myself given that I did, indeed, walk into Saks this week and subsequently spent a total of three hours scouring the store's seemingly endless offering.
Naturally, with a selection as good as the one at Saks, I couldn't possibly just look at my favorite pieces from the bunch. I had to try them on too. So to make the damage more worthwhile, I decided to turn my shopping experience into the latest installment of my monthly column Let's Get a Room. That way, I can use work as an excuse for my reckless behavior, and everybody wins. Without further ado, scroll down to see and shop every item I tried on at Saks Fifth Avenue, from the Skims tee I need in every single color to the white trousers from Staud that will no doubt become my most worn summer fashion item.
Though I'm all about wearing white all year long, I definitely frequent it more often in the warmer months. Right now, I'm in the process of switching out all of my blue and black jeans and dark trousers in exchange for white alts for both. No pair has impressed me more yet than these pleated cotton pants from Staud. They're perfectly lightweight and baggy with super-elegant pleating up top. They have a slightly puddly fit that doesn't skim the ground too much and won't get stained and destroyed within five minutes of me wearing them. With them, I added my favorite sleeveless tee from Skims that I'm already planning on buying in every color available.
I sized down one size in the Skims top and wore my normal size in the Staud pants.
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If you follow me on Instagram, you probably already saw me talking about this outfit and how I feel it's the ultimate summer outfit. Comfortable and easy yet put-together and intentional, it checks off all of my warm-weather boxes. The Staud top is a step up from a typical poplin button-down, and the jeans, the Fusion Jeans from Agolde, take all of the intimidation out of low-rise jeans.
I wore my normal size in the Staud top and sized up one size in the Agolde jeans.
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I stand firm in my belief that anyone who doesn't like Skims products simply has not tried them yet. I've test-driven a lot of pieces from Kim Kardashian's shapewear line and have yet to slip one on that I didn't love—this maxi dress included. I own the viral maxi slip dress and love it, but this thicker-sleeved alt is, dare I say, even better and more wearable. The fabric really holds you in despite being quite thin and breathable, and a silhouette like this is so versatile.
I wore my normal size in the Skims dress.
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Finding denim shorts that don't feel super casual and dressed down can be tricky, but going with a hemmed pair in a dark wash like these from Agolde is a safe bet. I also love the idea of wearing shorts with a long-sleeve knit as an alternative to sleeveless shirts and pants. This one, in particular, is from Saks Fifth Avenue and is currently marked down by $100. I always layer a white tee underneath my sweaters to add some interesting dimension, a trick I stole from the Bottega Veneta runways.
I wore my normal size in the Saks Fifth Avenue sweater and a size up in the Agolde shorts.
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Another dressing room, another white outfit. Agolde's tank tops are a tried-and-true favorite here at Who What Wear, so of course, I had to try one on when I spotted one on the fifth floor at Saks. It's just as good as everyone's said, with a thick ribbed material that feels extremely expensive. I'm in love with everything from Toteme, so when I spotted these super-lightweight drawstring trousers on the fourth floor, I didn't think twice about trying them on. Like the tank, they were just as good as I was expecting.
I sized up one size in the Toteme pants and wore my normal size in the Agolde tank.
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I'll never say no to a baggy-on-baggy outfit, so when I spotted these two pieces from OG fashion influencer Chloé Harrouche's French label Loulou Studio on the racks at Saks, I ran to the dressing room to try them on. I've been loving sleeveless sweaters of late, especially for the warmer months because you get all the comfort and shapeless appeal of a big knit without so much fabric. It was a perfect match for these Bermuda-length denim shorts, which I'm considering buying for fashion week in September.
I wore my normal size in the Loulou Studio sweater and sized up one size in the shorts.
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Typically when I wear boxers as shorts in the summer—a forever-favorite styling hack for me—I just steal them from my boyfriend or buy them on sale at J.Crew, but when I spotted this super-crisp pair from Wardrobe.NYC, it was like every pair I've ever worn disappeared in my mind, and only these ones remained. I love the idea of styling them with a big blazer, which feels very Hailey Bieber to me, but they're just as cool styled with a simple tank.
I sized up one size in the Wardrobe.NYC shorts.
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This Rosetta Getty shirt called my name in more ways than one. For starters, red is the only color I've thought about in months after spotting it all over the spring and fall runways this year. Polos are also having a serious moment right now. I styled it with a fantastic pair of not-yet-available-at-Saks white jeans from Favorite Daughter that I love, but any pair of wide-leg or flared white jeans would go with it just as seamlessly. Actually, the ones that would probably look the chicest are Citizens of Humanity's viral Horseshoe jeans (shop them below).
I wore my normal size in the Rosetta Getty shirt.
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Shop more can't-miss items from Saks:
The sleeves on this top offer all of the drama any outfit needs.
I've been unable to think about anything else besides these sunglasses for weeks.
If you know me at all, you know I'm obsessed with this vest. It feels very Sofia Richie.
A simple black slip dress will solve any what-to-wear conundrums.
Next: I'm Obsessed With Trends, But I Love These 29 Timeless Nordstrom Staples More
Eliza Huber is a New York City–based fashion editor who specializes in trend reporting, brand discovery, and celebrity style. She joined Who What Wear in 2021 after almost four years on the fashion editorial team at Refinery29, the job she took after graduating with a marketing degree from the University of Iowa. She has since launched two monthly columns, Let's Get a Room and Ways to Wear; profiled the likes of Dakota Fanning, Diane Kruger, Katie Holmes, and Sabrina Carpenter for WWW's monthly cover features; and reported on everything from the relationship between Formula One and fashion to the top trends from fashion month, season after season. Eliza now lives on the Upper West Side and spends her free time researching F1 fashion imagery for her side Instagram accounts @thepinnacleoffashion and @f1paddockfits, running in Central Park, and scouring eBay for '90s Prada and '80s Yves Saint Laurent.
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