If your summer trip is taking you somewhere warm this year (which it usually is), then today is your lucky day. After some serious research, a lot of in-office polling, and a lengthy process of elimination, I’ve come up with the ultimate summer travel capsule—from a fashion standpoint at least. While this won’t keep you from forgetting your toiletries (though this will), it will ensure you have all the trendy and essential items you’ll need before hitting the airport. See and shop the items that made the cut, plus read about why I chose each below.
Light Jacket
Jonathan Simkhai
Macrame Cropped Jacket
For those chillier nights, find a light jacket that won’t cramp your style.Available in sizes XS to L.
Slim Sunglasses
Le Specs
Outta Love Sunglasses
You won’t want to take your most expensive pair because we all know how easy it is to misplace sunglasses on vacation.
Smocked Tank
Posse
Summer Top in White
The little trendy top is perfect for endless travel outfits.Available in sizes XS to L.
Blouse
Reformation
Detrich Blouse
Always need a cool and trendy top to pair with your jeans.Available in sizes XS to XL.
White T-Shirt(s)
Brandy Melville
Ashlyn Top
The best backup item to have on a trip.Available in one size.
One-piece
Hunza G
Seersucker Swimsuit
Those perfect beach Instagrams aren’t going to make themselves happen.Available in one size.
Bikini
Maiyo
India Bikini
A girl needs swimwear options.Available in sizes S to L.
Bathingsuit Cover-Up
H&M
Sarong
My personal favorite type of cover-up is a pareo because it takes up barely any space in your suitcase, can be styled as either a dress or skirt, and can double as a scarf.Available in one size.
Dress
Elliette
Simone Midi Dress
To me, a good vacation dress is comfortable, flowy, and comes in an eye-catching print.Available in sizes XS to L.
Tote
Prada
Transparent Logo Tote
Wear your tote on the plane and choose one that doubles as a beach bag! I’ll be going with a PVC style this year for sure.
Net Bag
Zara
Bag With Wooden Handles
What I love about net bags is that they take up barely any room in your suitcase but still look cool with your outfits.
Belt bags are the new, trendy crossbody bags. Convenient but also so cool.
Jeans
Attico
Cropped Flare Jeans
Jeans are always a crucial part of any vacation wardrobe for me, but in the summer, I tend to opt for my lightest pairs.Available in sizes 2 to 10.
Skirt
Who What Wear
Tropical Print Tie Front Midi Skirt
Any skirt will do, but my personal preference is something printed!Available in sizes 2 to 26.
Cropped Pants
J.Crew
Foundry Cropped Linen Flared Pants
I love to have a pair of cute pants that aren’t jeans with me on a trip because you can pair them with anything and they will make your outfit feel special.Available in sizes 0 to 14.
Denim Shorts
Violeta by Mango
Medium Denim Shorts
Whether you wear them over a bathing suit or for a night out, your jorts will never fail you.Available in sizes 10 to 22.
Since starting as a fashion intern in 2013, Nicole Akhtarzad Eshaghpour has held several roles at Who What Wear. She is currently editor at large, and in her present work for the site, she focuses on a mélange of shopping content, including her new-arrivals and Trust Me—Buy This columns as well as her weekly Trust Me—Buy This newsletter. Her interest in shopping spans everything from decoding the best luxury investments to discovering on-the-rise brands to trend forecasting, affordable fashion, and more. She holds a business administration degree from USC's Marshall School of Business and has been based in New York since 2017, when she moved from her hometown of Beverly Hills.