With longer days and warmer weather just around the corner, now’s the perfect time to refresh your wardrobe and start curating your summer staples. Whether you’re planning weekend getaways, rooftop dinners, or sun-soaked vacations, your closet should match the mood, and we’re here to offer you some inspiration.
Spring/Summer 2025 runways have already set the tone for how we’ll dress when the sun decides to stick around. Across Paris, Milan, and New York, designers embraced a balance of romance, nostalgia, and timelessness. Across the runways, sheer slip dresses, lace accents, and flowing florals created a mood that was romantic yet refined. Whether through Chloé’s airy layers, Gucci’s unapologetic sheers, or Ulla Johnson’s sculptural lace, there was a shared focus on silhouettes that felt light but intentional.
Florals followed suit, appearing painterly and abstract at Victoria Beckham, vintage-inspired at Chloé, and bold and graphic at Loewe. Even accessories leaned into this softened strength, with pillbox hats reimagined in sculptural, wrapped, or tailored forms that brought a polished finish to the season’s floaty silhouettes.
Expect to see sheer slip dresses, floral-laced silhouettes, and the polished return of the pillbox hat making their way off the runway and into real life. Ahead, a breakdown of Spring/Summer 2025’s standout summer trends and how to work them seamlessly into your wardrobe.
Slip Dresses Are So Back
Slip dresses emerged as one of Spring/Summer 2025’s standout silhouettes from Milan to Paris to New York, with designers like Gucci, Chloé, and Ulla Johnson embracing their effortless allure and inherent sensuality. This season’s take leaned into sheer fabrics, lace details, and fluid, body-skimming cuts that felt romantic and risqué. From soft pastels to moody blacks, the mood was light yet intentional. Now, the trend is slipping off the runway and into real life with endless ways to wear it.
Few pieces capture the effortlessness and versatility of summer quite like a slinky slip dress. Opt for one with lace detailing and a liquid-like drape that hugs the body just right. By day, layer it with a lightweight cardigan or keep it simple with bare shoulders, and finish the look with ballet flats or kitten heels. For evening plans, slip into strappy heels, add a pair of statement earrings, and let the dress speak for itself. (Look to Reformation for tried and true slip dresses.)
Floral Printed Dresses (Or Sun Dresses)
Chloé led the charge in fashion’s ongoing boho revival, setting the tone with its Fall/Winter 2024 show and cementing the trend for Spring/Summer 2025 with a dreamy parade of breezy, floral-printed dresses. The brand’s romantic yet earthy approach sparked a ripple effect on the runways, influencing the soft, wanderlust-filled collections at Valentino, Victoria Beckham, Zimmermann, and Loewe. Each put their spin on the look, embracing sweeping silhouettes, painterly floral prints, and fabrics that moved like air.
To tap into the trend, start with a statement floral dress, think airy fabrics, delicate prints, and silhouettes that move with you. Whether it’s a sweeping maxi or a flirty midi with a flounced hem, the key is all in the ease and the eye-catching blooms. Pair it with strappy sandals or kitten heels, and finish the look with boho-leaning accessories: oversized sunglasses, an oversized tote, or a slouchy belt worn low on the hips.
Pillbox Hats!
Pillbox hats made a refined return for Spring/Summer 2025, offering a fresh spin on the iconic First Lady silhouette. Seen in a wrapped turban style at Chloé, a retro-structured take at Valentino, and in classic, tailored form at Loro Piana, the hat brought a dose of polished nostalgia to the runways. From the variety of styling across shows, the pillbox proved it’s a piece that can slot seamlessly into your wardrobe. Even celebrities like Wicked star Cynthia Erivo have embraced the look off the catwalk. Whether styled with oversized sunglasses for a dramatic flair or paired with clean, tonal tailoring, this season’s pillbox hat adds instant sophistication to any summer outfit.
You can shop from the Erivo-worn millinery brand Esenshel to add to your personal hat collection for summer. Style it with an oversized blazer and wide-leg trousers for an editorial edge, or soften the look with a silk blouse and midi skirt for vintage-meets-modern appeal. For full retro charm, try a fitted dress, kitten heels, atop a sleek ponytail. Or channel Chloé’s runway energy with oversized sunglasses and dramatic, shoulder-grazing earrings. However you wear it, the pillbox delivers instant polish and presence. (Gigi Buruss is a brand to know in regard to hats of the moment.)
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