Tommy Ton has always had a unique point of view on what makes an outfit sing. One of fashion’s earliest street style photographers, his subjects—individuals with style and substance in equal measure—aren’t following trends. They’re expressing something deeper, and that difference is what makes his shots so compelling. Sure, the clothes are always great, but his takes capture the true essence of the wearer. In monthly installments surrounding a fashion theme, he’ll explore the outfits that caught his eye and why. Here’s Tommy’s Take.
Every summer brings the same familiar question: what can we realistically wear when the temperature refuses to cooperate? But this year, as extreme heat becomes less of an occasional inconvenience and more of a seasonal reality, getting dressed requires a different kind of consideration. The challenge is no longer simply finding something stylish, but finding something that allows us to move through the day comfortably while still feeling like ourselves.
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The question has shifted from What should I wear? to How do I maintain a sense of polish when the weather seems determined to undo it?
Fashion has always negotiated between beauty and practicality. For years, elegance often required a certain amount of endurance: the perfect heel that was slightly uncomfortable, the tailored jacket that felt too warm, the fabric chosen because it looked beautiful rather than felt good. But the way we think about luxury has changed. The women whose style feels most relevant today are not fighting the heat—they are embracing it. Ease, when done well, has become its own form of sophistication.
Perhaps the biggest adjustment is not physical but psychological. Heat changes our relationship with looking “finished.” There is something increasingly appealing about clothes that acknowledge the conditions around us. A cotton dress that has softened throughout the day, a linen shirt with natural creases, sandals that suggest a long afternoon outdoors—these things can feel far more modern than an outfit that appears untouched by reality.
The idea of summer polish is changing. The goal is no longer to look perfectly composed in spite of the heat, but to look as though you understood it all along.
Dressing for extreme temperatures comes with its own set of social negotiations. Summer has a way of challenging the rules we have quietly followed for years. Is a sleeveless dress still too casual for the office when the temperature reaches triple digits? Can tailored shorts feel professional? Is showing a little more skin simply practical, or does it require a reconsideration of what we associate with being “appropriately” dressed?
The boundaries are shifting. Pieces that once belonged strictly to vacation wardrobes are finding their way into everyday life. A dress originally bought for a Mediterranean getaway now feels perfectly natural at a weekday meeting. A fine ribbed tank or a beautifully cut bodysuit, once considered a layering piece, has become a wardrobe essential. Leather sandals replace closed-toe shoes, raffia bags move from the beach to the city, and relaxed silhouettes feel less like a compromise and more like a reflection of how we actually live.
Extreme heat has blurred the distinction between city dressing and vacation dressing. Twenty years ago, linen dresses, woven accessories, and barely-there sandals carried a very specific sense of place. Today, they feel just as natural walking through Manhattan, Paris, or Milan during the height of summer. The way we dress has adapted alongside the way we work, travel, and spend our time.
Perhaps this is why summer has always revealed personal style so clearly. When layers disappear, there is less opportunity to rely on excess. The focus returns to the fundamentals: proportion, fabric, and confidence.
The greatest lesson of dressing through extreme heat may be that restraint can feel incredibly luxurious. After months spent adding layers, accessories, and newness, summer encourages us to remove what is unnecessary and keep only what truly earns its place. In the age of the heatwave, perhaps the ultimate luxury is something much simpler: clothing that allows us to breathe.
The Bra Top Grows Up
Gabriella Karefa-Johnson proves the bra top has graduated beyond the beach. Layered beneath an oversized cotton poplin shirt and paired with a lace-trim slip skirt, the look feels effortlessly city-ready, while Chanel’s cap-toe pumps add the perfect finishing touch.
Wear White, Stay Cool
There’s a reason white dominates every summer wardrobe: it reflects heat while always looking polished. Black accessories, including Prada’s pouch-shaped bag—the silhouette of the season—give the monochromatic look welcome definition.
The New Way to Wear Sheer
Go beyond bohemian styling. Marta Oldrini proves a sheer skirt can feel decidedly city-ready, pairing the airy silhouette with this summer’s trending butter yellow, minimalist flip-flops, and understated accessories for a look that feels perfectly at home on the streets of Paris—even in a heatwave.
Denim Gets Room to Breathe
Heatwaves demand a softer take on denim. Swap rigid silhouettes for a breezy chambray shirt and relaxed jeans—a combination that feels just as polished, but far more comfortable.
The Not-So-Short Shorts
The Row’s impeccably tailored shorts offer a polished alternative to the casual cutoffs of summers past. Finished with sleek loafers—a refreshing change from the season’s ubiquitous sandals—the result is effortlessly chic for city dressing.
Let the Skirt Do the Talking
The easiest way to style a statement skirt? Keep everything else understated. A simple tank creates the perfect backdrop, while snakeskin shoes—the exotics trend is maintaining its stronghold—add just the right amount of fashion polish.
Want more? Shop Tommy’s June Take, below.
Tommy’s Take on the Joy of Accessorizing
Fashion experts have always emphasized investing in a wardrobe of foundational essentials: the perfect white shirt, a tailored suit, a little black dress, and so on. But once you’ve found those building blocks, the next question becomes: how do you avoid getting caught up in the constant seasonal cycle of trends just to make your closet feel relevant again?
The answer is quite simple: focus on accessories. Small accents, whether it’s a bag in an interesting color, a brooch that has a deeper meaning, or a belt that invites a closer look, can instantly give your wardrobe more clarity and a fresh perspective. Clothes come and go, but a beautifully curated collection of accessories stays in rotation for longer than a single season when you invest wisely in the right pieces. After all, no one ever said you can have too many accessories.
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If there has been one brand that has sparked a renewed interest in accessorizing, it’s without a doubt Celine under Michael Rider. From the very first look of his debut collection, what immediately caught your eye was that wrist full of charm bracelets, the hand stacked with rings, and the oversized gold medallion belt buckle slightly peeking out from beneath a blazer. It was a sign that all those never-ending discussions about quiet luxury were finally going to be put to rest.
It was a clever exercise in merchandising as well, as you couldn’t help but be drawn to all those delicious accessories that perfectly accented each look. It was like a fashion enthusiast’s version of walking into a candy store. Whether it was a silk foulard effortlessly tied around a model’s jacket or half-tucked beneath a lapel, it made you want to replicate the styling and adopt it into your wardrobe immediately. You could sense that this collection was going to influence fashion at the highest level before trickling down to the masses; the true mark of an impactful collection is when its imprint can be seen on fashion insiders the following season.
Fast-forward nine months later to Paris Fashion Week, outside a show at the Petit Palais, and all those chic gestural styling cues from the Celine runway had made their way to the street in an unexpected masterclass in styling. Caught in conversation, it was quite a sight to see how three fashion professionals (Sarah Park, Ramya Giangola, and Lisa Aiken) unintentionally complemented one another and somehow captured the mood of the moment.
Everything that felt timeless yet modern was there: glimpses of bold primary colors, subtle accents of gold and silver hardware, small leather wallets and pouchettes, and classic black frames. It was very much in the French way of dressing, where the individual nuances of each look made you curious and encouraged you to reconsider what you already own. After closely scanning each look from head to toe, it became clear that each of these women had adopted elements of the Celine preppy bourgeois aesthetic. Yet it wasn’t a head-to-toe runway look that made their outfits stand out. Rather, it was the fact that each woman carefully borrowed styling cues from Celine and made them distinctly her own. You could easily sense the playfulness and joy in the way they got dressed.
What’s crucial when reevaluating your wardrobe each season is looking for pieces that offer day-to-night versatility and can be effortlessly thrown together without too much thought. Practicality matters, but it’s also about allowing yourself to step slightly outside your comfort zone. Whether it’s buying the right jewelry or embracing color, you don’t want to feel intimidated by your accessories or uncertain about when it’s appropriate to wear them. You want these timeless investment pieces to feel like lifelong treasured friends that come out to play when the occasion is right. They are ultimately what truly bring an outfit together.
A Touch of Red
With a nod to the Celine Spring 26 runway, Lisa Aiken nonchalantly drapes a bold printed Celine silk foulard off her shoulder in a way that feels modern and chic. The flashes of rouge red from her Khaite pouchette and scarf perfectly balance the gold accents.
Something Old, Something New, Something Blue
Ramya Giangola effortlessly remixes old Celine by Phoebe Philo with new Celine by Michael Rider in her own unique way that ticks all the boxes. From the large gold medallion belt to the silk foulard tied with small leather pouchettes, they instantly give her vintage Celine skirt from spring 2010 a playful update.
Double Trouble
Sarah Park’s monochromatic layers of red knits are a classic nod to the American Parisian preppy trend but with a more refined elevated take as she perfectly pairs the right amount of costume jewelry completed by her signature belted duo of mini wallets from The Row.
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