These Are the Items That Will Define Summer 2021

Temperatures may be through the roof, but we’re only a couple days into summer—meaning there’s still time to figure out what to wear in summer and to get your reemergence wardrobe in order. Whether you’ve already begun dressing to the nines or are slowly working up the nerve to slip back into a pair of hard pants, this season’s seen-everywhere pieces have a little something for everyone.

For those of us who remember ordering from the dELIA*s catalogue in the late nineties and early 2000s, the trends dominating summer 2021 look eerily familiar: bucket hats, friendship bracelets, kitten heels (kitten heels!)—the list goes on. It’s a mashup of the zaniest Y2K throwbacks—think Spice World meets Lizzie McGuire meets middle school sleepaway camp—mixed with polished pieces that feel more appropriate for post-adolescent activities like, say, working in an office.

Frankly, I’m here for it. After a year cooped up inside, it feels like there’s less pressure to reemerge looking perfect than there is to simply reemerge, ready to celebrate, wearing whatever you wish—whether that’s a rainbow knit bucket hat or ’70s-inspired crochet tank.