7 Summer Trends We're Skipping and 7 We're Buying Immediately
You can just feel the excitement in the air for summer. With talk of the vacations we’re manifesting, the new-season trends bubbling up, and general enthusiasm for the reemergence ’fits and revenge heels we’ll be wearing in the reopening world, summer fashion is all our editors can talk about right now.
Curious to find out what they’ll actually be wearing once the warm weather hits, I asked our team to share the new summer fashion trends they’re eyeing for 2022, as well as the pieces that won’t be in their rotations. Predictable basics and hard-to-wear pieces aren’t making the cut this summer for our editors, but let me just tell you that the future of fashion looks bright. Our team is ready to embrace all of the bold prints and fun trends poised to take over this summer, and I’m already feeling really jazzed about all of the sartorial newness that’s just around the corner.
Skipping: Barely There Swimsuits
Wearing: Three-Piece Swimsuits
While there are plenty of cool barely there swimsuits popping up with details like major cutouts and thong bottoms, I feel best in styles that involve a bit more coverage. Perhaps that's why I'm really into the three-piece swimsuits that are set to be one of the biggest trends this summer. With coordinating items like a button-down top to match your swimsuit, you can easily transform your bikini into a full look.
Skipping: Peekaboo Tops and Dresses
Wearing: Miniskirts
"These peekaboo tops and dresses that Dua Lipa wears so well feel a little impractical for my lifestyle. But as someone who's on the short side, I do love that miniskirts are so popular this season and intend to add a few to my wardrobe stat."
Skipping: Basics
Wearing: Beautiful Dresses
"With the world reopening, the last thing I want to be caught in is basics in any form—I want the excess. Give me all the beautiful dresses with colorful prints, cutouts, and colors. I want to be doing the most and wearing the most beautiful pieces all summer."
Skipping: Checkerboard
Wearing: Retro Florals
"As much as I love all the checkerboard prints going on right now, it strikes me as one of those trends that will be played out in just a few months' time. So instead, I'm reaching for retro floral prints (and retro prints of all kinds, really) because they already have a vintage look to them, so they have more of a timeless appeal."
Skipping: Knit Shorts Sets
Wearing: Crochet
"While I love lightweight knit sets, I feel like I've worn them to death at this point. For summer, I'll be leaning into retro and free-spirited crochet pieces instead—a trend I'm seeing everywhere right now that's perfect for the warm-weather season."
Skipping: Floss Tops
Wearing: Layered Tops
"I've tried to give floss tops a go, but since I have a bigger bust, they're not as supportive as I'd like. Seems easy to solve, right? Just wear a bra. But often these tops are on the thinner side, so wearing a bra isn't ideal for a seamless look. I'm putting them on the back burner for now and instead making a beeline for the layered-top trend. I just bought one from Helmut Lang, and it's genius because you can fasten it to wear it so many different ways."
Skipping: Super-Tiny Sunglasses
Wearing: Over"I'm not as into the super-tiny sunglasses anymore. Instead, I'm favoring those bold, oversize sunglasses for a statement-making vibe."size Sunglasses
Next, this Vogue France editor's three-piece outfit just went viral on TikTok—shop the key items.
Kristen Nichols is the Associate Director, Special Projects at Who What Wear with over a decade of experience in fashion, editorial, and publishing. She oversees luxury content and wedding features, and covers fashion within the luxury market, runway reporting, shopping features, trends, and interviews with leading industry experts. She also contributes to podcast recordings, social media, and branded content initiatives. Kristen has worked with brands including Prada, Chanel, MyTheresa, and Luisa Via Roma, and rising designers such as Refine and Tove, and her style has been featured in publications including Vogue.com, Vogue France, WWD, and the CFDA. Before Who What Wear, Kristen began her career at Rodarte, where she worked on assistant styling, photo shoots, and runway shows, and at Allure, where she moved into print and digital editorial. She graduated from the University of Southern California, where she studied art history and business, and currently lives in New York.