I Was Just in London, and These 6 Summer Trends Are Taking Over RN—Trust Me

My recent trip to London may have only lasted five days, but even in that short amount of time, I managed to fit in a lot of people watching, one of my favorite international travel activities. After all, who needs museums when you can sit at a pub and watch locals cheer on England in the Euros while wearing casual-cool outfits? As exciting as the match was, I was even more enthralled by the summer trends I spotted during it.

At the pub and elsewhere across London, I was inundated with awe-worthy fashion items, most of which I'd already had my eye on but hadn't yet been convinced to buy. Seeing them on London's chicest dressers changed that. Now, I'm ready to go all in on crochet dresses (a surprising sight given the chilly, wet weather), red trousers, and sporty jackets. Those are just the highlights. Below, find six trends that my recent London trip has me itching to shop for.

Capri Pants

I expected to spot capri pants all over London after noticing how many of the city's chicest inhabitants were posting in the controversial bottoms ahead of my trip. As much as people like to hate on the cropped bottoms, they're actually very versatile and easy to style, a hypothesis I can definitively prove after seeing at least 10 very different outfits featuring them around London during my trip. For an easy outfit, throw a pair on with a button-down shirt, a tank top, and strappy heeled sandals. A great purse wouldn't hurt your look either.

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Embroidered Dresses

Despite it being rainy and cool for the majority of my trip to London, I couldn't stop spotting white embroidered dresses while out and about in areas like Primrose Hill and Marylebone. What really drew my eyes to these looks was how these über-summery dresses were styled—oftentimes over trousers or jeans. Since it's currently in the high 80s to mid-90s in NYC, I never would've thought to go this route, but during a London summer, the same rules don't apply.

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Flip-Flops

I always assume that people in cities are anti–flip-flops like they are in New York, but apparently, I'm wrong because I spotted countless pairs of flat thong sandals during my short stint in London. They were paired with white skirts, jeans, athletic shorts, baggy trousers, and more.

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Dark Denim

The Canadian tuxedo looks a little bit different in the UK, in that it's certainly more refined than the faded, light-wash denim sets that I'm used to here in the States. There, the denim is much darker and more structured, giving the trend a much more refined, put-together look that I'm ready to copy now that I'm back home.

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Sporty Jackets

Now, this is one trend that makes sense for a chilly London summer. I first spotted sporty, practical jackets on the runway at The Row, Tory Burch, and Proenza Schouler, but Londoners were the first people I saw wearing them out and about. Celebs like Dua Lipa and Sienna Miller donned them during Glastonbury, while other Londoners wore them in the city, taking advantage of their waterproof shells when the rain started to fall.

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Red Pants

Last but certainly not least are red trousers and jeans, which are rising the ranks in fashion around the world, not just in London. They were, however, especially prevalent in the UK capital. The two styles that I spotted most were from Aligne and COS, but sadly, both are selling out too quickly for even a seasoned shopper like myself to get a pair. Luckily, so many brands are getting on board with this trend, from designers like Max Mara to affordable alts at Ref.

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