#112: How to be devastatingly hot and cool, June 2026
SUMMER IS HERE!!!!!!!!
The caps lock byline and exclamation points really are that important. This is peak devastatingly hot and cool (DHC) weather and the beginning of summer signals something the rest of summer can’t quite capture: that intoxicating mix of excitement and possibility.
The Knicks’ historic win seems to have primed the city for a kind of magical energy, with people making statements like, “You’re a loser if you’re not in New York right now.” I don’t fully disagree. As someone who notoriously never experiences FOMO, I have it. And I’m currently in Puglia, deep in my summer magic, still feeling like I’m missing out on the joy.
I’m coming off the high of an incredible week in Turkey, where I spent several days at the Maxx Royal Resort, now only in its third season—a relative infancy in hotel years. It is the kind of place that makes you rethink what a luxury resort can be. It was from here I texted friends, “Why go to the South of France when you can go to Bodrum?” and finally wore the resortwear pieces I’d been slowly accumulating over the past few weeks, hopeful for an occasion worthy of them. (You can browse my packing list here. )
But June's guide isn't peak summer—it's the gentle transition into it. European summer destinations aren’t overcrowded (the best time to travel, really) and people don’t have that checked-out attitude yet. We’re wearing sheer skirts with crisp button-downs, basket bags styled for the city, dresses that won’t be ruined by a jacket, and 100% cotton everything. Fragrances turn brighter and more floral, while beauty products become simpler, lighter, and so easily multipurpose.
The devastatingly hot and cool girl in June is working around her summer schedule, making sure she delights in the season without trying to optimize every minute of it. Summer is something to savor, after all. She leaves room for spontaneity, long dinners, and the possibility of doing absolutely nothing at all.
Here are my recommendations for the month.
FASHION
The embellished/beaded belt is one of the simplest ways to transform an outfit that is just an outfit into one that is intentional and considered.
I have been wearing this Chan Luu shell-beaded belt to break up an all-black outfit. It’s a statement piece, for sure, but still reads as minimal.
This corded belt from Zara has no business looking this good and being this affordable.
This Western-inspired runway piece from Isabel Marant is 50% off. I also love this rope constructed one from Kallmeyer.
June is the best time to wear dresses and skirts that won’t be covered (and ruined) by a coat. I find myself reaching for styles that might feel dressed-up at any other point in the year, but summer operates by different rules. A white poplin dress at lunch, a silk slip on a Tuesday, a dramatic sequin dress for no occasion at all other than it being June and we’ve been waiting for this all year.
Courtney Grow’s capsule collection for Reformation is filled with the summery pieces that refuse to be basic, like this yellow sequin dress that feels just as right at a long lunch as it does on vacation in Ibiza. Other stand outs from the collection include this backless linen dress and a crochet skirt to let your underwear or bikini peek through.
Aflalo’s summer sale is surprisingly deep for a relatively young brand that continues to release strong collections at a steady pace. This silk dress in a color they call “fig” (I’m a sucker for a good color name) is the perfect silk slip to be worn with flip flops or ballet flats. Some other pieces from the sale of note: these sheer silk pants in the perfect shade of pale blue, why not match with this sweater to layer?, and a backless ruched silk cami (very 90s).
The real standout of Tory Burch’s semi-annual sale is the skirt selection. One of fashion’s great gifts is that summer pieces go on sale just as the season begins. The Prada-coded mirror skirt is over 50% off, and this perfect sequin skirt—available in three equally tempting colors—is also marked down.
Terry cloth clothing, aka towel clothing, is both playful and substantial and one of those unexpected fabrics that can instantly give an outfit DHC girl status without trying too hard.
La Veste has mastered the fabric. Their recent Nolita pop-up was a massive success, and they've since nearly sold out on Moda Operandi. The shorts, in particular, are exactly what I want from a summer mini short: fun, flattering, and just polished enough to wear beyond the beach.
Suzie Kondi's terry cloth sets are another favorite. The cult-favorite Zephyra pants are perfect for travel days or thrown over a bikini after a swim. The yellow and brown color way is on major sale right now. I’m obsessed with this pool blue tank (the color first, the racerback second) with the matching harem-inspired pants. They strike that elusive balance between relaxed and intentional—the fabric feels casual, but the silhouettes are considered enough that you never look disheveled.
Perfectwhitetee makes another perfect pool blue drawstring Terry pants.
Raffia bags in all iterations: slouchy over the shoulder, structured in hand, mixed with beads, slung across the body. There is no accessory more synonymous with summer. They instantly lighten an outfit and make everything feel a bit more relaxed.
Cotton shirts in all fabrications: voile, poplin, ribbed… The DHC girl knows that synthetics don’t have a place in her summer wardrobe.
Cou Cou Intimates’ new collection paints a dream summer. There are breezy cotton separates, delicate lingerie-inspired dresses, and silhouettes that capture the specific kind of summer romance that feels effortless and precious! Open windows, fresh fruit on the counter, linen sheets, you get it.
Comme Si has perfected cotton poplin loungewear so well that it feels just as appropriate out in the world as it does at home. It embodies the DHC approach to summer dressing: easy and unfussy, but still undeniably chic. The poplin shirts and pants we know and love so well now come in bold-colored stripes to pair with your white tank tops and silk bias-cut pants.
New Almina Concept cotton shirts now come in various color ways, including this plaid check that reads corporate cool. Maria McManus’ tried and true shirt in a black sateen is very, very good and on sale.
BEAUTY
The DHC girl always has a rotation of fragrances she’s switching up as the seasons change. The shift into warm-weather fragrance is palpable: brighter florals, citrus, orange blossom, neroli, fig, and anything else that smells as though it belongs on sun-warmed skin. A summer fragrance should feel effortless, slightly nostalgic, and just noticeable enough.
Le Labo’s Fleur d’Oranger is a perfect orange blossom fragrance
Guerlain’s Vetiver Fauve is one of the only vetiver fragrances that feels austere enough to be considered DHC girl status. It has some sensual, smoky elements to keep it interesting but the fig accord balances it out into something that is ultimately juicy and perfect for June.
The world of Bottega Veneta just got expanded with their Alta fragrance line, a line of ten (10!!) new fragrances under the helm of Louise Trotter. The Montebello fragrance has all the hallmarks of a summer scent, inspired by a verdant garden, burning with neroli flowers, orange trees, and pine
Bronzer not as a contour but as an allover flush where technique comes secondary to achieving an overall glow.
The question of powder vs cream is entirely up to preference, but if I’m thinking about pure ease of application, the Westman Atelier bronzing duo is perfect for a skincare-infused flush.
Because Victoria Beckham’s viral bronzer tint has been out of stock virtually everywhere, CHANEL’s water-based tints are a near-perfect dupe and maybe a necessary addition to your summer lineup.
Kosas has this golden SPF to be worn under makeup and my sister has convinced me it’s the best sunscreen she’s ever used, a superlative worthy of a mention in this issue.
The body should have an overall glow and look of suppleness in the summer. If you’re in a place with increased humidity, that helps a lot.
Kate McLeod’s body stones have become something of an enigma to people who are not well-versed in body care. But once you try one, you understand why it has achieved cult status. There’s a stone for every occasion. And for the summer, the after sun stone, enriched with aloe and sea buckthorn, is perfect for nourishing stressed out, post-sun skin.
The CHANEL Baume Essentiel is my hardest-working product in my summer beauty arsenal lol. It can be used anywhere on the face and lives in nearly every purse I own, ready to deliver a quick touch of glow whenever needed.
The goal, as always, is not to buy more. It’s to buy better—and to spend the rest of the summer looking devastatingly hot and cool.
There will be many newsletters this summer. Not only because this season brings out the best in me—truly, I am happier, more relaxed, more inspired, and more myself this time of year, which inevitably leads to more writing—but because summer seems to bring out the best in this community, too.
There is something about these months that makes us all a little more receptive to beauty, pleasure, spontaneity, and the rituals that make everyday life feel meaningful.
With love,
Laura x