The Updated Summer Basics Fashion People Will Wear in 2026

By
published
in Buying Guides
Rachelle Rowlings wearing summer basics.
(Image credit: @rachelle.rowlings)
Jump to category:

Basics are timeless, but each year brings its own variation on popular styles. For summer 2026, that includes boatneck tank tops, colorful tops (as seen in Who What Wear's most recent The Great Try-On Spring 2026), black slip dresses, white cotton dresses, capris, cropped flares, and knee-length skirts.

When it comes to wardrobe staples, J.Crew and Gap are obvious go-to retailers year after year. Other brands editors are gravitating toward include CDLP, Cou Cou Intimates, Deiji Studios, Flore Flore, Leset, and Tank Air. Across these basics, another notable element this season—especially with dresses—is an emphasis on natural materials like silk and cotton.

The rise of boatneck tank tops feels like a natural evolution of the long and quarter-sleeve boatneck styles we’ve been seeing—worn by Hailey Bieber and Sabrina Carpenter—but for warmer weather.

As for bottoms, capris are bigger than ever. While they’ve been making a comeback over the past few seasons, even skeptics seem to be on board now. There’s also the slightly longer option of cropped flares, which always bring to mind the blueprint: High Sport’s Kick Cropped Stretch-Cotton Flared Pants. I also have to mention knee-length skirts, which continue to be popular. Keep scrolling to shop all of the above.

Boatneck Tank Tops

Colorful Tops

Black Slip Dresses

White Cotton Dresses

Capris

Cropped Flares

Knee-Length Skirts

Audry Hiaoui
Associate Shopping Editor

Audry Hiaoui is a writer based in New York. For Who What Wear, she specializes in emerging designers, independent labels, and brand discovery, as well as interviews both on and off camera. Her writing has appeared in AnOther, Wonderland, Office, Interview, Love, and i-D, among others, with multiple cover stories and features in print, and she has worked as an editorial producer for Vogue during fashion months. She holds a master's degree in journalism and documentary filmmaking from City, University of London, and has an extensive background in film, having worked for Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, and Vice UK as well as on various projects including documentaries and music videos and most recently as a writer's assistant on an upcoming HBO/A24 series.