Month: July 2026

I wouldn’t say that I fit into the maximalist or the minimalist category, instead, I sit somewhere between the two. Depending on the day of the week, you’ll find me wearing a basic tank with denim shorts, or a printed shirt clashed with a bright bag and beaded necklaces to match. I don’t tend to hop onto trends as they pop up (mainly because my bank balance and wardrobe space won’t allow it) but I do appreciate how everyone is having more fun with their looks this season. Quiet luxury, who?

Instead of minimalist looks, we’re all creating talking-point outfits that inspire “where did you get that?” stop-in-the-street interactions that just wouldn’t happen with simple jeans. And, I’m all for these buzzy maximalist mini trends that are getting people excited about their outfits again. So much so, I want to show you the pieces that have contradicted the phrase “micro trend”, as they’re making the biggest impact this summer. Whether it’s mermaid sequin tops, bold pareo skirts (Zara’s style has already sold out) or accessories that demand attention, these are the 6 mini trends even non-maximalists will want to try out this summer.

1. Bold Pareo Skirt

Style Notes: The pareo skirt (more elevated than a beach sarong, less ‘dated’ than being called a wrap) is making a comeback and I can’t stop seeing this Zara style on Instagram. Sadly, it’s sold out online *sob* but there are so many other bold iterations coming through from the likes of Ganni and Bimba y Lola to H&M and Jaeger.

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2. Bug Eye Sunglasses

Style Notes: Ironically called a micro trend, huge supersize bug eye style shades are taking over from the skinny shapes we’ve been embracing in recent years. And we have the likes of Celine, Balenciaga and Tory Burch to thank for protecting our peepers, after all including pairs in their spring/summer 2026 shows.

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3. Tool-Belt Bags

Style Notes: If it looks like you’re about to tackle the DIY job you’ve been putting off for months, you’ve nailed (pun intended) the look. Bag belts have made a return, and they look suspiciously like tool belts, but more chic of course). I’m all for being hands-free when it’s sweaty weather, so sign me up.

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4. Mermaid Sequin Top

Style Notes: The typical ‘nice top’ has had an upgrade, and it’s all about embracing summer sequins. Because, yes, you can wear sequins outside of party season. The way to do it? Embrace the pastel shades spotted at the likes of Prada and Stella McCartney this season for a mermaid vibe that won’t look out of place on a tropical beach.

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5. Fairy Dress

Style Notes: The “fairy dress” is basically my way of describing hanky hem dresses, and they are set to be big news this season. They are such a pretty way to wear the whimsical trend we saw coming through from the likes of Dior and Valentino—just think floaty, magical and easy to waft around in on balmy weather days.

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6. Zebra Bags

Style Notes: I keep seeing zebra print skirts around recently, but an even easier way to wear the look-at-me print is with a bag. Seeing as black and white will always be considered classic, the monochrome versions strike the perfect balance between maximalist without being too much. Luckily, just abiut every chic brand has created versions this summer.

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Gone are the days when planning your wedding wardrobe was just about the dress for the big day. Lately, chic brides build out an entire capsule for their bridal era. The main dress, the after-party dress, the honeymoon pieces… and, of course, the swimwear is the final touch. The bachelorette and honeymoon are going to require building out a beachy look that is more than denim shorts and a white bikini. I’m not a bride, but if I were, I might plan my swimwear a bit more meticulously than the average person. Here’s why.

For me, styling swim from the outward layer to the interior is the way to go about it. Especially on a bachelorette, you may be headed out for a boat day or cabana and will spend more time in your cover-up than just the swimsuit. Choosing the right cover-up is key, no matter if your swimwear choice leans minimalist or statement. Whether you’re in your bridal era or just fancy white swimsuits, the options are plentiful below.

How to Style It

Let your bridal era be the excuse to wear anything but your usual go-to pieces. A new cover-up, cool hat, statement jewelry, and anything else you can think of should make a play here.

Don’t think you’re only allowed to wear white swimsuits on your special day. A print that is truly you or feels special will never fail. And who doesn’t like something blue?

Without a bridal era in sight, I wore this white swimsuit in Miami. The cutouts were the highlight, and I wouldn’t mind pulling something like this out again when I’m planning my big day.

Sometimes you have to let the accessories do the talking. A larger-than-life hat is worth the suitcase space it takes up—highly recommend.

Let the cover-ups be as glamorous as you’d like. I’d save my big moment for a dress like this with just the right amount of sparkle.

The Best Bridal Swim

The Best Bridal Cover-Ups

Retail Therapy: The Show is here. I turn into “Dr. Bobby” and bring my monthly column to life, helping various characters navigate their style and shopping woes. If you haven’t watched the premiere episode focused on business casual dressing, hello, watch! The second episode just dropped about wedding guest dresses.

Watch below as I help one of our editors, Emma, with a very specific wedding dress code. My biggest forever rule is to skew on the dressier side (even if the dress code seems casual). It’s better to be a little overdressed than underdressed. I prefer to avoid super-bright colors and go for dark neutrals or pretty pastels. For a print, a nice floral always works.

In this episode, the dress code was “Mountain Chic, Refined Rustic Glam”—a tough one to nail. After trying on several looks (all lovely on their own), I finally found the winner. It perfectly fits the theme with its rustic green hue, while the modern silhouette and elevated pleated details deliver that exact “refined-glam” vibe.

Below, I rounded up a range of wedding guest dresses that I think could suit different dress codes (all easy, elevated, and elegant). The edit from Nordstrom highlights many of the styles from the Retail Therapy episode, along with other favorites.

The Best 2026 Wedding Guest Dresses

With each intrepid new fashion trend comes a whole host of new concerns and questions about how to wear it. Such is the case with the rise of red jeans. Traffic-stopping and blood-pumping, this bold shade has become the most dominant denim trend this summer after first appearing in Dario Vitale’s first and only collection for Versace last September.

Parting ways with your trusted blue denim is a tough ask, but it’s a compelling one given the plethora of tastemakers and leading designers all endorsing the movement, from Jennifer Lawrence strolling around New York in a corduroy pair to The Row including a version during its recent collection presentation during Paris Fashion Week.

Neutral shades can be considered like a sartorial safety net, meaning that they can almost assimilate with any accessory or ensemble they’re paired with. Red jeans offer slightly more of a challenge, courtesy of their inherently commanding tone. But where there’s a will, there’s a way, which is why we’ve taken it upon ourselves to unpack the leading shoe colours to wear with red jeans this summer.

On the runway, we’ve seen several eccentric combinations, but the most notable (and recent) would have to be the deep mustards and royal purples on display at Celine’s recent spring/summer 2027 men’s show staged in late June. However, if you were to look to the streets, you’d notice that it’s far more palatable colours that are reigning supreme this season.

Indeed, the shoe colour trends that are most often worn with red jeans aren’t too striking or vivid, but more muted and most likely to already be a shade you own. So, if you’re looking to invest in the trend and are currently going through the mental arithmetic of trying to style them in your head, consider this guide to be a shortcut to some incredibly chic outfits and uncover the best shoe colours to wear with red jeans this summer.

The 5 Best Shoe Colours to Wear With Red Jeans for Summer 2026

1. Clear

Style Notes: An unlikely choice, but aren’t the best styling choices the ones that defy expectations? Clear shoes are like the footwear equivalent of the sheer dressing trend—slightly sensual but ultimately innocuous. It’s a colour trend we’ve seen everywhere from Saint Laurent’s polarising transparent style to the PVC versions seen on Alexa Chung at the 2026 Serpentine Summer Party. Embrace the jelly sandal trend that’s currently sweeping the zeitgeist with a tactile pair of flip-flops or heeled mules that really fade into the background, allowing your pair of red jeans to really pull focus.

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2. Chocolate Brown

Style Notes: To the untrained eye, red might seem like a colour that stands alone, failing to harmonise with any other tone it’s styled with. However, with its countless undertones, choosing the right pair of red jeans can lead to an array of shoe colour possibilities, including the deliciously rich chocolate brown. Sumptuous and deluxe, chocolate brown is a shade most commonly worn amid winter months, making the decision to wear it in summer subversive and exceptionally chic. Even better, the moody hue complements other deep shades, like aubergine and burgundy.

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3. White

Style Notes: Many would argue whether white can ever really be considered a colour, but for all intents and purposes, we’re firmly convinced of its appropriateness when being paired with red jeans. The crisp and starchy shade makes red jeans feel slightly more approachable and palatable; however, it also possesses the ability to instantly make you look dated if you choose the wrong pair of shoes. Avoid anything too tied to the 2010s, like white court shoes, to ensure you don’t look like you’ve just stepped out of a Topshop campaign from the last decade.

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4. Black

Style Notes: On the other hand, black is a universally relevant shade, meaning that there’s not a colour imaginable that can’t work with it. It might seem obvious to include it in this edit, but one of the biggest styling challenges that must be overcome is avoiding wearing something because it seems too straightforward or plain. But given the fact that the most iconic style savants throughout history have all proven the perennial appeal of the colour black, from Gabrielle Chanel and her LBDs to Princess Diana and her revenge dress, it’s a shade that should never be taken for granted.

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5. Butter Yellow

Style Notes: Those who keep an unwavering eye on the trend cycle will be well aware of the Mondrian colour trend, which refers to the rise in popularity of primary colours red, yellow and blue. It’s called this due to their prominence in the works of 20th-Century Dutch artist Piet Mondrian, but you don’t need a Master’s in Art History to know how powerful this colour combination is. It should come as no surprise to see butter yellow being worn with red jeans. To make things more intriguing, opt for shoes with more textured options, from mesh to faux pony hair.

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One of the best parts about being a beauty editor is getting to test new beauty products ahead of launch. And one of my favourite parts is testing perfume launches before they come to market. Recently, I was invited to visit Grasse (AKA the perfume capital of the world) with one of my favourite French perfume houses, Matiere Premiere. You may know it from its viral Vanilla Powder scent, but what you might not know is that the founder, Aurélien Guichard, is the only perfumer in the world to grow and produce his own raw ingredients (including rose, tuberose and lavendin) in Grasse. Not only does this make its perfumes smell incredible, but the ingredients themselves are the standout notes that shine simply yet beautifully in each and every scent.

During the trip, I had a secret preview of the next scent to launch this summer. I came home with a lab sample, and since wearing it at home, I’ve not only fallen for it, but I’ve been inundated with compliments too. I’ve had to keep tight-lipped about exactly what it is when people have been asking after it, but now I can finally share the scent I’ve been wearing.

Matiere Premiere Black Currant Extrait de Parfum

The Scent

Blackcurrant isn’t a common note you find in many perfumes, but its unexpectedness makes this fruity oud perfume all the more interesting. On the first spritz, you get that sharp juiciness of glossy, plump blackcurrants bursting on your tongue. But it has a creaminess that reminds me of drinking a smooth, dark purple cocktail in the dim lighting of a luxurious bar.

Aurélien Guichard, perfumer and founder of Matiere Premiere, tells me that he chose blackcurrant as the standout note for this Harrods exclusive extrait, as it brings together both French and British cultures. In France, it’s a nod to the crème de cassis blackcurrant liqueur produced in Burgundy. Whilst in the UK, it brings to mind blackcurrant preserves and pastries with the jammy, dark purple fruits. It’s brimming with nostalgia, but is simultaneously fruity, luxurious and grown-up, combined with hypnotising oud and smooth leather.

“For Harrods, I wanted to create a fragrance around blackcurrant because it carries something both deeply French and strongly connected to British culture. In the UK, cassis is a familiar flavour shared across generations. I was interested in revealing its darker, deeper and more contemporary facets,” he says. “This blackcurrant absolute produced in France gives an immediate savoury pleasure, but also has darker and almost ambery facets with remarkable persistence,” he says. “I wanted a black currant textured with oud—where the purple vibrancy of cassis gradually darkens into leather, woods and musks.”

Upon spritzing, it really does paint a purple profile. The mouthwatering juiciness of blackcurrant is complemented by the oud and leathery dry-down, which envelops you like the leather interior of a dark purple-lacquered Bugatti. I’m not usually one for oud perfumes, but this jammy combination has totally won me over. And since I’ve been wearing it, I’ve been inundated with compliments whenever I’ve worn it. Thanks to the potent extrait de parfum formula, it’s a real long-lasting power perfume that lingers and creates a halo of scent as you walk. What I love most is that it works just as well as a fruity high-summer perfume, but lends itself beautifully to the autumn season, too.

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