A Guide to Summer's Big 4: Sunglasses, Shorts, Sandals, and Swimwear
We've still got a way to go until the technical first day of summer, but with the best season always feeling so short, I like to extend it as much as possible. Sorry, spring, but I'm low-key skipping you this year. With that in mind, I started my summer shopping early in 2025, which is how I ended up spending one of New York City's recent rainy days (another reason to skip spring) curating the ultimate guide to summer's big four: sunglasses, shorts, sandals, and swimwear. There's no need to go anywhere else—I've got you completely covered in every summer fashion category that matters, doling out designer bikinis and designer-looking $50 sandals.
Ahead, you'll be met with a healthy mix of classic styles that will, yes, check off all your 2025 boxes but also remain chic for summers to come, as well as of-the-moment pieces that you simply cannot complete the upcoming season without. For example, toe-loop sandals are a must, as is a two-tone bikini with contrast piping. Silk-and-lace lingerie shorts are coming for your crochet pair from last year, and wire-rim sunglasses by the likes of Celine and Khaite are quickly becoming summer 2025's favorite child. It's all for the taking ahead. Happy shopping and happy my first day of summer.
Swimwear
From the baby-blue color and eyelet details to the underwire fit and tie-free bottoms, everything about this set is a winner in my book.
Shop the matching Eyelet '90s No-Tie String Bikini Bottom ($80).
Two-tone bikinis and maillots are quickly becoming 2025's top swimwear trend.
Celebrities such as Laura Harrier are big fans of the leopard-print bikini.
Shop the matching String Bikini Bottom ($35).
This brown-and-red bandeau bikini is too good to not sell out.
Shop the matching Contrast Bikini Bottoms ($60).
Is it just me, or does this halter bikini feel so '90s in a Tom Ford for Gucci way?
Shop the matching Bikini Bottoms ($40).
Sandals
I test-drove these for The Great Try-On and fell in love—fast.
Shorts
Courtney Grow wore these with a leather bomber jacket, and I've wanted them ever since. It was a perfect study in contrasts.
Sunglasses
I swear so many WWW editors have these Heaven Mayhem sunnies.
Eliza Huber is an NYC-based senior fashion editor who specializes in trend reporting, brand discovery, and the intersection of sports and fashion. She joined Who What Wear in 2021 from Refinery29, the job she took after graduating with a business degree from the University of Iowa. She's launched two columns, Let's Get a Room and Ways to Wear; profiled Dakota Fanning, Diane Kruger, Katie Holmes, Gracie Abrams, and Sabrina Carpenter; and reported on everything from the relationship between Formula One and fashion to the top runway trends each season. Eliza lives on the Upper West Side and spends her free time researching F1 fashion imagery for her side Instagram accounts @thepinnacleoffashion and @f1paddockfits, watching WNBA games, and scouring The RealReal for discounted Prada.
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