Sometimes seasons shift unnoticed, a sudden drop in temperature offering the only indication that another transition has come to pass. But summer stands apart. With Memorial Day and Labor Day acting as calendar bookends, the season boasts an official beginning and end, a kick-off and a coda. The three months bracketed within these dates come with a pace, attitude and set of rituals all their own.
And their own dress codes, too. As another summer draws to a close, Labor Day offers a final sip of summer. Consider the long weekend an excuse to stretch summer pieces and begin to mix in new fall favorites. Whether you’re heading to the beach, the country or the city for Labor Day weekend, we have a capsule wardrobe for every eventuality.
BEACH
By September, the bottom of every beach bag rustles with sand, and all your best-loved beachwear will have seen better days. Rather than trotting out tired separates, consider packing more polished, office-ready pieces, for a crisper take on classic beach style.
Start with our crease less cotton forever shirt as a cover-up with timeless Lauren Hutton appeal. Just add a pair of shorts or wide-leg jeans for a trip into town for lobster rolls. A minimal baseball cap or bright bucket hat will both pack beautifully and provide vital shade (you know the rules: sun safety first).
If a beach barbecue is on the agenda, try a shirt dress in nautical stripes – roll the sleeves and add gold jewelry and sandals for an elevated look. And remember, there’s a nip in the air around beach bonfires at this time of year. Keep a relaxed cardigan handy to throw on over your ensemble whenever you need to ward off end-of-summer chills.
COUNTRY
A long weekend upstate or in the country (at your place, or perhaps at your most tasteful friend’s?) offers the promise of sun-dappled walks, afternoons on the lawn and stargazing nights. With apple-picking season on the horizon, there’s plenty of time outdoors to look forward to before winter draws in, but these are the last long days of sun to savor.
Make them count in a country capsule wardrobe of fall-tinged separates. Start with a hero shirt, like our balloon-sleeve silk-cotton shirt featuring a gently pastoral print. Add our turn-up jeans or Italian flannel wide-leg pants for comfort that’s clever, never constricting. (Our chambray shirt works with both – it’s hayride-appropriate, but chic.) A suede clog pulls it all together in low-key style.
For evening, find the softer side of drama in our floral-print ruffle maxi dress. Slip a relaxed cashmere vest over it for sundowners, and toast to the season.
CITY
While Manhattanites decamp to the Hamptons and Connecticut, make the emptied-out city your playground. Savvy city-breakers know that Labor Day Weekend can be one of the best times to try so-hot-they’re-practically-unbookable restaurants (ahem, King Restaurant), and you’ll find more breathing room in museums and art galleries (don’t miss the roof commission at the Metropolitan Museum of Art).
Ambitious plans call for smart packing. Our tailored ponte crop kick-flare pant is a building block for city-sleek looks. Wear it with walkable sneakers by day and crystal-buckle slingbacks for evening (it’s our favorite dressy flat of the season). An impossibly soft striped shirt, stripe crew-neck top and dramatic balloon-sleeve swing top in the same ponte fabric as the pant will carry you through two days and a night out. Add cargo pants for the journey, and what do you know? Plenty of room left in your bag for a few souvenirs.