#115: How to be devastatingly hot and cool, July 2026
High summer, peak summer! You will want to open this!
It’s around now that every other Instagram reel and TikTok video is set to the audio of Lana Del Rey cooing, "Hot summer nights, mid-July, when you and I were forever wiiiiild." Mid-July is the emotional peak of summer and it’s the most perfect time to be devastatingly hot and cool. We’re embodying and we’re living.
This month, I’ve reworked my definition of what it means to be devastatingly hot and cool. It’s become my most-engaged-with series!, so I want to reiterate that being devastatingly hot and cool (DHC) is less about physical appearance than it is a way of thinking and moving through the world. It has nothing to do with your job, race, gender, or socioeconomic status. It’s about being curious. Remaining a lifelong learner. Cultivating your own taste. Feeling deeply secure in what you love and who you are. And as a result, that kind of self-possession is what makes someone magnetic, devastatingly hot, and cool.
Being devastatingly hot and cool looks like:
Curating your life for the love of beauty, fashion, art, food, travel, and knowledge—not because they’re status symbols, but because they genuinely delight you
Becoming the person your friends go to when they want outfit help, product recommendations, a restaurant recommendation, a book, or simply to know what’s worth paying attention to
Living with a foot in various corners of the world (literally or figuratively), staying curious about people and places, and collecting observations instead of consuming places
Moving through life with quiet confidence. You don’t need to have everything figured out, but you trust yourself enough to know you’ll figure it out
Now back to July's issue of How to Be Devastatingly Hot and Cool. It finds us in peak summer magic, when the workweek is more or less four days long and the haze of the heat lulls us into a slow and sweet rhythm. The produce at the farmer's market is abundant, and the stone fruit is as sweet as honey. Dinners call for a chilled red, and you might even have a glass of white wine at lunch. You keep a book in your bag at all times because you never know when you'll stumble into an unexpected hour of idleness. Perfume settles into your skin as it mingles with the humidity. You let your body do the talking, and I'll let you decide what that means for you.
Whether you're staying in your city, taking local trips, or doing the whole Euro summer thing, here’s my guide on how to be devastatingly hot and cool for the second half of summer.
FASHION
Color, color, color! The DHC girl never shies away from wearing color in the summer. If head-to-toe color isn't your thing, let your shoes, bag, or other accessories do the work.
Summer travels are a great time to pick up bags from a local market, boutique, or flea market. All the better if they’re made artistically with local textiles and fabrics. They make for the best throw-on accessories to complement your easy summer outfits.
Chan Luu’s embellished market totes get better by the season, Cordera’s understated and surprisingly seasonless beaded bags have been restocked and ready for preorder, the Jimmy Choo Cinch bag has been reimagined in raffia and candy beads! I also think Dries has really good clutches for adding a pop of whimsical color and sparkle to your wardrobe. They look otherworldly in the best way possible.
These Tory Burch sandals are one part anklet, one part shoe. These embellished corded sandals on Revolve are great, and if you have smaller feet, the Éliou collab ones are even better, this purple is everywhere and you need it on your feet.
I know I just said color, color, color, but now I’m saying white!!! In all its high-summer forms: sheer, opaque, breezy, short, embroidered, open-knit, and everything in between. Whites fit into your wardrobe seamlessly and something white can always be thrown in your bag for endless layering opportunities on the go.
For left to right, top to bottom: Suzie Kondi crochet dress, Matteau fisherman pants, Bondi Born caftan, L’Agence bias cut dress, Chan Luu asymmetrical caftan, Reformation embellished dress, Donni poplin blouse, MANGO skirt, Matteau broderie dress Euro summer pieces are on everyone’s mind and I have to give the people what they want. August is a shit show in Europe for better or for worse. A very DHC move is to go up north (i.e. Sweden, Denmark, Northern Italy, the like…) where there are less crowds and the temperatures are cooler. But I say this as Mallorca and Marseille are being thrown around in my group chats, so who am I to talk? We must be prepared for whatever spontaneous trip comes our way.
Unfortunately, summer has me wearing more workout clothes than ever before. And while I don't think walking around in athleisure is particularly DHC (please don't make me elaborate lol), I do think choosing chic athleisure over just any blah leggings-and-hoodie situation is. If you're going to wear it, make it intentional.
Vuori has the best low-rise shorts I’ve tried and yes, your butt cheeks are safe. Paired with this tank and you actually have an outfit that is… dare I say cool?
Horse Sport’s all-cotton clothing sparked the anti-leggings movement. The Short Short is currently sold out in black but here it is in red. Aritzia to the rescue for some more cotton shorts.
Set Active’s summer collection is every bit as comfortable as it is sexy and fun. This bodysuit! The layered bras! The cotton shorts if leggings aren’t your thing.
The DHC girl loves a deal, and again, one of the best things about summer shopping is that current season (as in, the season we are in) items are on sale as pre-fall and fall start making their way in.
The Nordstrom Anniversary sale is strongest in its SPACE section—the section for the considered, emerging, and independent designers like BODE, Siedres, Paloma Wool, and the like. This embellished Diotima skirt embodies everything the designer does best, Tanner Fletcher does a really good lace trim skirt, and Acne florals are the best florals.
Minimalist swimwear reigns supreme in the summer for DHC girls and its wearability still proves you can make the most out of a tiny piece of overpriced nylon. Wear as a top, bra, or swimsuit.
Lido perfects minimalist swimwear. Their tried and true silhouettes like the triangle bikini Venti or the Trentasei one-piece open back come in every color you can imagine.
Tropic of C also makes a very good bikini that has just one tie in the back. Anemos, too. Left on Friday makes one with no knots or strings!
I’m eyeing this black embroidered bikini for one step above minimalist, and this one with the understated bead detailing
BEAUTY
Layers of summer sweat, pollution, and sunscreen call for exfoliation. I can’t stop raving about a chemical exfoliator that will do more for your skin than any other step in your routine
P50 reigns supreme for a reason, but it’s also stinky and strong, which, tbh, are not bad things in my book.
For those who want an easy toner pad exfoliator, Eighth Day’s pre-dosed exfoliating pads are so easy, and unfussy skincare is very DHC. I traveled all throughout Europe with these last month, and throughout the entire trip I kept looking at myself in the mirror wondering how my skin looked so good despite all the sun exposure and sweating and eating new foods.
EADEM’s Cashmere Peel for something a bit gentler. It’s like an essence, so it’s a layer in your routine that will also hydrate and prep.
Summer fragrances have a different job than fall/winter ones. The DHC girl gravitates toward scents that melt into the skin instead of sitting on top of it—airy, intimate, and quietly beautiful.
Lore’s Sublimity combines two notes that remind me most of summer: coconut and salt. Combined with ylang ylang, the result is something lush yet subtle
Discovering hyper niche fragrance houses are very DHC. On my recent trip to London, I had to stop by Liberty’s famed perfume hall which is really a haven for fragrance enthusiasts. I discovered Bibbi’s Swimming Pool—a green fragrance with basil, spearmint, eucalyptus, and amber—and walked out with a sample that had everyone asking me “WTF are you wearing?!” It’s safe to say I need a full-sized bottle.
For the DHC individuals who need a little more weight to their summer scents, might I suggest the mesmerizing Canaan by Maison d’Etto? Woody notes are paired with quintessential summer florals like neroli and tuberose, creating a scent that's deeply sensual without feeling heavy. It smells like pleasure.
The summer blonzer—bronzer+blush—has entered our cultural lexicon thanks to Fara Homidi’s blonzer launch. The ultimate DHC beauty brand. The packaging in and of itself is an accessory that you want to pull out of your bag in public. There are three blonzer shades that are universally flattering and play the role of two products to give your cheeks a flush of healthy color.
Saie slip tint, MERIT blush, Hourglass highlighter in Divine, Hermes plein air bronzer (sticker shock, I know, but so damn good and looks amazing on your bathroom counter), Lancome lip gloss in Idole Nude In the DHC playbook, it’s juicy lips over matte lips in the summer.
Tower 28’s lip oil is one of those products that even the pigmented shades still feel like a deeply nourishing product—moisturizer first, lip gloss second.
For something a bit juicier and weightier, Lancome’s Lip Idole gloss is just… soooo good. Squalane is the first ingredient and it really shows. I love how it makes my lips look and I feel like it’s doing some extra skincare work, too. I’m wearing it in the photo above!
I can’t leave the house without highlighter on. It’s just as essential as mascara to me, or maybe even more important in the summertime. Sometimes, I want to wear only sunscreen and highlighter.
Hourglass’s new highlighters are so compact (but they pack a punch and you only need the smallest amount) that they’ll fit into even the tiniest of purses. I love the liquid formula that I mix in with my moisturizer and complexion products.
Kosas’s DreamBeam sunscreen isn’t technically a highlighter, but it’s got a subtle shimmer and makes your skin look luminous. I’ve mentioned it on here before but I need to again for July’s issue.
Happy best time of the year!!!!!!!!
x Laura
A very good roundup 🫡