After School Summer 2025 Trend Recap
the newsletter "of the summer" is back
Like last year, I’ve spent the last few months logging every single mention of the phrase “of the summer” — i.e. song of the summer, shoe of the summer, drink of the summer — and compiled it all here as a Summer 2025 Trend Recap of sorts.
A note on methodology, unchanged from last year: I scan hundreds of publications each day for trends — about 500 last year, closer to 600 now. My usual lens is youth culture, since young people are often the earliest adopters, but this particular project is age-agnostic.
To qualify, the exact phrase “of the summer” had to be used, either in the headline or in the body text, though I did make a few exceptions for “of summer” (i.e. “The Bag of Summer Is a BAB”). I separately tracked “the summer of,” as well as “[Blank] Girl Summer” mentions.
The last day of summer is still technically weeks away, on September 22, but with school back in session for most of the U.S. and Labor Day weekend behind us, my feed has officially moved on to fall:
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Before I jump in, one of the more interesting macro trends of summer: I mentioned last month that there was an overwhelming sentiment among young people that it was the “worst summer of all time,” citing a brutal job market, political chaos, and an overall bleak economic outlook, but in the last week or so, the tone has shifted pretty drastically. Suddenly, young people are already expressing nostalgia for the summer of 2025:
It’s fascinating to watch this play out in real time. As classes begin and the air turns crisp(er), it seems as though they’re experiencing a collective realization: even the worst summer is better than winter.
With that, let’s take a look at summer 2025’s biggest trends, according to my newsfeed:
Style
“Aesthetic of the summer”
“Hot, mean, stepmom-to-be, à la The Parent Trap” [Glamour, Apr 30]
”Accessory of the summer”
Cowboy hat [Elle, Apr 18]
Lip gloss keychains [New Beauty, June 2]
Basket bags [The Guardian, June 21]
Square scarves [Fashionista, July 18]
Labubus [Byrdie, July 23]
Headscarves [L’Officiel, July 30]
Lorna Murray sun hat [Marie Claire UK, Aug 12]
The “useless” belt [Vogue, Aug 13]
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“Sunglasses of the summer”
Chanel Coco Beach Sunglasses [Who What Wear, July 10]
“Bag of the summer”
The Boatkin (part Birkin, part L.L. Bean Boat and Tote) [Daily Mail, June 8]
Book club mini totes [Elle via as seen on, June 16]
See-through handbags [WWD, July 10]
BAB (i.e. “big ass bag”) [New York Times, July 21]
“Trashed L.L.Bean Totes” [GQ, July 24]
“Shoe of the summer”
Fisherman sandals [Business Insider, May 8]
Flabelus Mary Janes [Marie Claire UK, May 9]
Cowboy boots [Cosmopolitan UK, May 14]
Slingbacks [Marie Claire, May 16]
Keen Newport H2 [The Strategist, May 19]
Gardening clogs [The Standard, May 20]
Wedges [Cosmopolitan, May 28]
Topsiders [Vogue, July 19]
Ballet sneakers a.k.a. “Sneakerina” [Refinery29, July 28; Glamour UK, Aug 14]
Flip flops [Washington Post, Aug 2]
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“Sneaker of the summer”
Adidas Tokyo sneakers [Glamour, Mar 29; Marie Claire, Apr 24; GQ, Aug 11]
Dries Van Noten trainers [Vogue, Apr 11]
Chuck Taylors [Teen Vogue, May 5]
Nike Air Max 95 [WWD, May 16]
Reebok Classic AZ Sneakers [Glamour, July 30]
“Color of the summer”
Tomato red [Travel and Leisure, June 28]
Dill green [InStyle, July 3]
Lemon yellow [Marie Claire, July 8; W, July 9]
Butter yellow [Who What Wear, July 25]
“Collab of the summer”
Staud x St Regis [L’Officiel, Apr 8]
“Print of the summer”
Polka dots [Cosmopolitan UK, May 16; People, June 27; Cosmopolitan UK, Aug 11; Elle, Aug 12]
Pucci [Glamour UK, May 18; Grazia, July 1]
Gingham [Travel and Leisure, June 28; Marie Claire, July 2; Marie Claire, July 14]
“Dress of the summer”
Old Navy Waist-Defined Ruffled Midi Dress [Gee Thanks, April 29]
Bandage dresses [Popsugar, June 6]
FYI: This was called the “dress of the summer” in the metadata, not the actual body of the article, but this was such a big trend this year, I allowed it:
“Simple, sleek maxi dresses” [Vogue, June 16]
Zara Polka Dot Midi Dress [Who What Wear, June 20]
Abercrombie Dipped Waist Smocked Dress [Grazia, July 8]
Damson Madder Lilo Polka Dot Mini Dress [TikTok, all summer]
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“Shorts of the summer”
Dôen Iona shorts [Who What Wear, Aug 5]
Cargo shorts [W, July 22]
Boxer shorts [Who What Wear, June 9]
“Skirt of the summer”
White maxi skirt [Stylecaster, June 20]
The viral Zara sheer chocolate brown and blue polka dot midi skirt [TZR, July 29]
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Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browserLace silk skirt [L’Officiel, July 29]
Maxi skirt [Financial Times, Aug 7]
“Slogan shirt of the summer”
“I’d hit that” tee [GQ, May 28]
“Swimsuit of the summer”
Burberry bikini [Marie Claire, May 14]
Monokini [Nylon, July 29]
Stringkini [L’Officiel, July 31]
“Haircut of the summer”
Micro bangs [Popsugar, May 6]
Cowgirl cut [Marie Claire UK, May 22]
The corkscrew curl shag [Allure, June 6]
The bob [Marie Claire, June 10; Instyle, July 15]
The White Lotus bob [Daily Mail, March 6]
Draped bob [Who What Wear, May 9]
Flicked bob [Glamour UK, May 11]
Riviera bob [Bustle, June 6]
Linen bob (“a bob hairstyle and the linen blonde hair colour”) [Who What Wear, June 16]
The “bixie” (bob-pixie hybrid) [Vogue, June 18; Cosmopolitan UK, July 17]
Du Cap bob [Who What Wear, June 23]
Cowboy bob [Elle, June 23]
French bob [Popsugar, June 23]
“Hair tool of the summer”
Beach Wavers [L’Officiel, May 16]
“Manicure of the summer”
Jelly gloss nails [Glamour, May 1]
Princess nails [Refinery29, June 6; Marie Claire UK, June 24]
Lemon drop nails [Marie Claire UK, June 25]
Polka dot nails [Nylon, July 17]
“Scent of the summer”
Ôrəbella by Bella Hadid [Cosmopolitan UK, May 16]
“Grandma perfumes” [Glamour UK, June 16]
“Going out top of the summer”
Gimaguas pink metallic bikini [Nylon, Aug 4]
“Tank of the summer”
Hanes boys’ tanks [TikTok, all summer]
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Culture
“Couple of the summer”
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez [Vanity Fair, June 27]
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce [TMZ, June 29]
Zoe Kravitz and Harry Styles [The Times, Aug 26]
“Show of the summer”
“Book of the summer”
Waist Deep by Linea Maja Ernst [Dazed, May 6]
Sunstruck by William Rayfet Hunter [AnOther, May 20]
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid [Book Enthusiast, July 28]
“Movie of the summer”
Materialists (“the most stylish breakup movie of the summer”) [Collider, June 9]
F1: The Movie [Hypebeast, June 3; The Zoe Report, June 24]
The Naked Gun [Indiewire, July 3]
Weapons (“the best horror movie of the summer”) [New York Post, Aug 6]
Sketch (“the family film of the summer”) [Daily Beast, Aug 6]
Superman [Dexerto, Aug 14]
Lilo & Stitch (“the highest-grossing film of the summer”) [Variety, Aug 24]
Kpop Demon Hunters (“the splashiest film of the summer”) [Deadline, Aug 27]
“Song of the summer”
“Headphones On” by Addison Rae [Betches, Apr 18]
“Sally, When the Wine Runs Out” by Role Model [Teen Vogue, Apr 24]
“What Was That” by Lorde [Vogue, May 15]
“Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters [Billboard, July 25; People, Aug 23]
“Daisies” by Justin Bieber [The Atlantic, July 29]
The “Jet2 Holiday” commercial soundbite [Tubefilter, July 22; Vulture, July 30]
“Manchild” by Sabrina Carpenter [Hollywood Reporter, June 6; NME, Aug 2]
“Ordinary” by Alex Warren [Business Insider, Aug 15]
“Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls [WSJ, Aug 25]
“Album of the summer”
Addison by Addison Rae [Associated Press, June 6]
I'm the Problem by Morgan Wallen [NPR, June 25]
Louder, Please by Rose Gray [Interview, July 25]
Food & drink
“Drink of the summer”
Naked and Famous [Delish, May 1]
Margarita [Forbes, May 8]
Spicy “sauvy B” [WaPo, June 11]
Spicy Piña Colada [Good Housekeeping, June 23]
Foam [Slate, June 28]
Lonkero [The Guardian, July 17]
Spaghett [Business Insider, July 27]
“Billion dollar smoothies” [WSJ, July 31]
Sarti Spritz [Real Simple, Aug 7]
Buzzballz [The Guardian, Aug 19]
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“Restaurant of the summer”
Bar Bianchi, NYC [Vogue, May 2]
Yacht Club, NYC [New York Post, July 23]
“Snack of the summer”
Nori and cheese slices [Blackbird Spyplane, June 5]
“Dessert of the summer”
One amusing “of the summer” note: Unlike last year, there was not a single “drug of the summer” mentioned this year, perhaps because it was a more sober summer, or maybe just because Foster Kamer published his newsletter less frequently. (It’s over a year old, but I highly recommend Foster’s “drug of the summer” segment, which illuminates just how different the vibe was 12 months ago.)
The summer of…
“the motel” [Los Angeles Times, May 15]
“boat shoes” [Esquire, June 25]
“freaky flip-flops” [Who What Wear, June 6]
“Molly Gordon” [Who What Wear, June 18]
“too much skin at the office” [WSJ, July 2]
“glamping” [Harper’s Bazaar, July 2]
“Ebon Moss-Bachrach” [L’Officiel, July 12]
“Labubu” [Interview, July 15]
“celebrity it-bag revivals” [Vogue, July 20]
“Pedro Pascal” [Decider, July 23]
“the crash out” [Glamour, July 31]
“the influencer engagement” [The Cut, Aug 11]
[Blank] Girl Summer
Tomato Girl Summer [Vogue, July 8; Daily Dot, Aug 6; Harper’s Bazaar, Aug 12]
Horny Girl Summer [Nylon, July 9]
Lemon Girl Summer [Cosmopolitan, July 10]
Sardine Girl Summer [Refinery29, July 9; Who What Wear, July 12; Harper’s Bazaar, July 17; Town & Country, July 17]
Bandana Girl Summer [Marie Claire UK, July 21]
Pucci Girl Summer [New York Times, July 24; The Zoe Report, Aug 12; Vogue, Aug 12]
Ranch Girl Summer [Teen Vogue, Aug 3]
Shrinking Girl Summer [The Guardian, Aug 10]
Goth Girl Summer [Marie Claire UK, July 27]
And finally, my personal summer 2025 favorites…
Shorts: Levi’s cutoffs, same as last summer and every summer. I like to buy old 100% cotton 501s a few sizes up on eBay and DIY them.
Dress: I’ve been waiting for the right time to tell you that I spent most of the summer wearing Jams World, a resort-y Hawaiian surf brand that’s been around since the ‘60s (and that my mom and aunt have been wearing for years). These tropical-print babydoll dresses got me through some pretty intense Florida heat during the month of August; they’re still in production, but I prefer the vintage ones. I could write an essay on what they mean to me, and maybe I will, as long as you promise not to buy all the secondhand ones in my size on Poshmark. Back in New York, I got a lot of use out of my Skargorn t-shirt dresses, which I’m pretty sure I purchased from Madewell in 2013. Very indie sleaze.
Shoes: When I was out of the city, I was wearing Havaianas or these Bernardo gold-flecked cork Miami sandals. When I was in Brooklyn, I was wearing my taupe suede Birkenstock Arizonas, same as last year.
Drink: Early this summer, after a sweaty 10-mile sojourn from Brooklyn to Central Park, a salty margarita healed something inside of me. I convinced myself in that moment that the fresh lime and salted rim were basically electrolytes — nature’s Gatorade, when you really think about it? — and it kick-started a summer obsession. I ended up having a lot of pretty terrible margaritas (too sweet), but did enjoy several memorably excellent ones, especially after my husband taught himself how to make a perfect rendition.
Song: “Gz” by JID was my most listened to song, even though it came out less than a month ago, followed by “Flashlight” by Diplo and Project Pat, and “She Ready” by Key Glock (the Barbara Mason sample is so good).
Show: Overcompensating was the first show I watched this summer — over a Memorial Day weekend spent with my mom, and then again with my husband — and though it was indeed very hyped, I think in hindsight it was actually underhyped? A masterpiece! And then in July, The Hunting Wives filled a void that Sirens left (Sirens filled a void that White Lotus left). In the middle, a Euphoria rewatch and, while on a road trip, lots and lots of episodes of Cops, which I only watch while on road trips.
Bye summer!
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It always cracks me up when I’m accidentally on trend, this time with my trashed llbean tote.
This is a masterpiece and belongs in the US Library of Congress, that's all!