Guides

Every summer, the same question comes back: what do I actually need in my closet when it's 90°F and I've got a beach trip, two cookouts, and a dinner reservation on the calendar? The short answer for 2026: a lightweight linen button-down that works tucked or untucked, swim trunks you wouldn't be embarrassed to wear to a beachside lunch, and at least one short-sleeve shirt that bridges the gap between "I tried" and "I'm comfortable." These three categories cover about 80% of warm-weather situations — and this year's editor picks confirm it. Here's the full checklist, broken down by what actually matters: fabric, versatility, and whether you'll reach for it more than twice before September.

Pack one Hawaiian shirt. Get three completely different looks out of it over a long weekend — no repeat-outfit guilt, no overstuffed suitcase. The trick celebrity stylists use is treating a printed shirt like a layer, not a statement piece. Wear it open over a tank for day one, button it up with clean shorts for day two, tuck it in with a belt for a nicer dinner on day three. Same shirt, different energy every time. It's the highest-ROI item you can pack for a warm-weather trip. Here's how to pull it off, with styling cues from someone who dresses people for a living.