Styled Through The Seasons, Summer 2026

5 days ago
4 min read

I almost thought of skipping and even discontinuing the capsule series (and just keep doing it offline) for a multitude of reasons, chief of which is my non-creative work being a priority and me having limited time for creative work this year. But, since I had no intention of discontinuing the offline practice itself, I decided that I might as well keep documenting and sharing it with everyone.

It makes sense that this temptation to pause came around summer, since it is the season I tend to have the most complicated relationship with. Unlike winter, which rewards layering and intention, or monsoon, which has its own romantic vibe, summer feels more like survival here in India. It's about staying cool, staying light, and not looking like you've given up entirely.

The capsule this year reflects those priorities and is built to aid the hustle that I find myself in the midst of.

Going short!

The bottoms (specifically shorts) served as the starting point this year. The lean towards shorts should be obvious considering it being summer. There's a total of eight bottoms this year — five of them shorts, two trousers, and my trusty 501s as the one denim holding everything together.

Each of them has been picked with breathability in mind. On one end of the spectrum are the home shorts in cotton by March Tee in beige and indigo for lazy days spent indoors, while on the other end are the relatively heavier built 501s from Levi's.

The color spread across the bottoms is one of the things I'm most pleased about: maroon from HM, olive green from Muji, beige from Uniqlo and March Tee, and indigo blue from March Tee and Levi's make for a surprisingly varied selection without anything feeling out of place or forced.

Tees that let in the breeze!

Although the bottoms served as the starting point, tops make up the largest section of the capsule this year. With the chance to layer being rare, picking tops for summer always demands intention. When the silhouette is stripped back to shorts and a tee, the tee carries a lot of weight.

This year, I've leaned a lot on one of my favourite local brands, March Tee — the dark green round neck, the striped white, the black pocket tee. I think they make the best basics in the country at great prices while making a sincere effort (not sponsored at all). Just the truth!

Besides the items from March Tee, some other picks worth calling out are: the Ralph Lauren round neck in purple, which works surprisingly well across all seasons. A checked shirt in white — light enough to be worn on its own. Lastly, my South Park graphic tee in blue, which is one of the oldest tees in my wardrobe right now.

Footwear and layers that help mix things up!

The Paul Smith navy windbreaker is the only layer that makes the capsule this year — selected to be carried on nippier and windier summer nights and for that occasional summer downpour. It also comes in handy in those overly air-conditioned rooms and is light (so easy to carry around!)

Although the summer capsule features just one layer, I did pick a generous number of accessories and footwear. Three caps, two sneakers, and a pair of Birkenstocks. The cap rotation features my all-time favourite LIFE cap from Miniso in navy, the classically styled Fred Perry in olive green to go with the shades of green in the capsule, and the modern silhouetted Nike in purple to go with the purple RL tee and maroon items.

In terms of footwear, I had originally included my only pair of Veja sneakers but my dog has since chewed through them, so the selection has an empty slot as I purchase a replacement. Besides a white sneaker, the footwear selection includes a minimal black sneaker from Adidas, a slightly more elaborate one from Reebok Classics with hues of beige, green, and blue. Lastly, I decided to include my Birkenstock slip-ons for extra hot (or lazy) days when I can't be bothered to put on shoes and need something easy to slide into.

All in all, I am glad I didn't skip documenting and sharing the capsule. Although my most challenging year, considering the overwhelm with my non-creative work — shooting the looks and writing about it has actually served as a great distraction from that overwhelm.

Of course, the benefit of not having to spend time thinking about what to wear now that the capsule is ready will pay dividends too, giving me more time to focus on my non-creative work instead of what to wear.

I feel this might be my best summer capsule yet — intentional yet flexible, considered without being overthought.

Here's the final list and initial looks so far (sorted in reverse-chronological order)

The List