Stylebook’s Summer Loves
School is almost out and we’ve had our first bouts heat and humidity. Summer is just around the corner and we couldn’t be more excited. Vacations, a slightly slower pace, warm evenings out with friends, there is just an easygoing vibe about the season that we can’t wait to embrace. We want you to get the most out of your summer, too, so we’re sharing our Summer Loves here today. Then, we’ll keep the love going on the ‘gram. Be sure to follow our Instagram stories for more summer love — and maybe a few secret reader specials! — from all your favorite Stylebook writers.
What is your favorite thing about summer?
Amy: No schedules and no fussing with my kids about homework!
Meg: BRING ON THE HEAT! I don’t care if it’s humid, after this past winter and (freezing cold) spring I want to (finally) feel warmth! Also, ice cream…lots of ice cream.
Adrien: The weather, no doubt! I’m a California girl. This winter nearly knocked me out!
Kat: I love the heat! I love when my body feels warm and I could sit in the sun all day – with sunscreen of course! The heat of the summer tends to slow thing down, which I appreciate.
Elizabeth: I hate the heat but I love lazy mornings and long nights.
Rosana: Long days! I love being outside until 9pm and the sun is just going down.
Alicia: I love summer evenings after the heat of the day has let up a bit. It’s time to turn on some music and take in the night, then a good summer thunderstorm is also pretty romantic in my opinion.
Britt: Outdoor living! Your home basically doubles in size from the months of April-October! Get outside, garden, build a patio or a deck, grab a gas firepit from Lowe’s and a can of mosquito spray and hit the great outdoors!
What is your must-have summer beauty product?
Rosana: I am obsessed with face misting. Lately I have been using Herbivore Rose Hibiscus Coconut Water Hydrating Face Mist. [Editor’s note: It’s amazing and available at Bellacara.] Alicia: I love a leave-in conditioner. My hair gets pretty curly underneath but the top tends to frizz which drives me crazy! If I can put a little leave-in conditioner in, I can get the looser curl that doesn’t scare young children and benefit from extra conditioned hair! Adrien: I’ve learned to accept my hair gets frizzy in the summer. I wear a tinted moisturizer but only after I get at least 20 minutes of naked sun for my Vitamin D every day! Amy: Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen. Elizabeth: Yes, anything by Coola but especially the spray sunscreen in cucumber and the after sun lotion. Meg: Agree on Coola Sunscreen. It’s lightweight, has minimal scent, and goes on so smoothly. And Jouer lip gloss. Just the right amount of color, easy to swipe on and not sticky.
What concert / venue / exhibit are you looking forward to this summer?
Britt: I love country music…and I especially love a country music concert at an outdoor venue. Old Dominion is playing with Kenny Chesney and we plan to be there!
Amy: Summer means Wolf Trap! This year I’m most excited to see The Avett Brothers and Jason Isbell.
Kat: Taylor Swift in July at FedEx Field – I was lucky enough to get tickets from one of our amazing riders at Ascend and I am going with a few other members of our Ascend Team. If you ride with me, you know how much I love her!
Alicia: I’m a Taylor Swift fan, too, and heading to her concert with my daughter. It was the first concert I took her to and now she’s heading off in the fall so it seemed like the stars were aligned for us to get this booked for the summer.
Meg: 80s Glam Rock is having a moment this summer so I will, of course, partake. Poison. Def Leppard. Whitesnake. I can’t forget Britney at MGM (because everyone loves a good come back). A visit to the at the MET is also on the calendar to see the Costume Institute’s Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination exhibit.
Adrien: Just saw the Burning Man exhibit at the Renwick Gallery. Super cool. I am continually going online to get tickets to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture through the lottery system and continue to be disappointed that they run out. I’ll get there!
What is your summer uniform?
Adrien: Workout tights with something cute on top over my coaching gear with AGL or Vince slip-ons. Something normally Elizabeth at The Hive chooses for me!
Kat: Day to day, it’s cropped leggings, a loose-fitting crop top, and flip flops. When I need to dress it up a bit, it’s a romper or a maxi dress. I am the first to admit that I am not very fashionable. But I’m lucky because Sarah from Kiskadee is my go-to gal to help me buy some new items to freshen up my wardrobe each season!
Britt: Sadly, I think shorts are considered unprofessional in my line of work; I rarely wear shorts — unless I’m on a boat or at the beach — but I’m a huge fan of skirts, white jeans, and dresses!
Elizabeth: I might be one of the few people who wears shorts. Maybe I shouldn’t, but I do! Especially jean cut-offs.
Rosana: Print midi dress, flat strap-y sandals, hoop earrings.
Meg: Dresses, all day, every day for work and play. One of my most favorite things about summer is being able to throw on a fun dress, some cute sandals, and be out the door quickly. With so many different cuts, materials and styles, dresses always work for me.
Alicia: Usually I am either in a skirt paired with a tank, a tank dress, or floral pants and a tank. Tanks are where it’s at for me in the summer!
What is your favorite local outdoor summer destination?
Britt: After two years on the waitlist, we finally got into Mount Vernon Park Pool! My husband says he’s going to re-live his teen years when he “peaked” at the pool doing flying squirrels off the high-dive…
Kat: We have a neighborhood pool that we can walk to and it’s perfect to bring the kids to on hot summer days. Shout out to Britt Patterson for helping us buy our home in a neighborhood we absolutely adore!
Alicia: If I could be by a beach, I’d take the beach any day of the week, month, year. But this summer I will be hanging in our yard by the pool. The water is wet and the snacks are always close by!
Amy: We try to get as many Nats games in as possible.
Will you be traveling this summer?
Amy: I’m taking my first international trip ever and am so excited. We will start in Paris, then Venice, Florence and Rome, and then back to Paris before flying home
Adrien: Yes. Barcelona in July and California in August. Moonlight Beach in Southern California is a favorite.
Rosana: We are headed to Thailand to see my family this summer! We always go the islands down south. There is no place in the world more tranquil and beautiful.
Britt: We’re headed to Michigan for a family wedding in July! I’ve never been to Michigan and hear its beautiful in the summer! Very much looking forward to it!
Kat: Summer brings quick trips to see family and usually a beach vacation to Brigantine, New Jersey, where my husband used to vacation with his family. We’ve adopted it as one of our summer go-to places and it’s nice to go somewhere familiar and continue the tradition. My family is in Boston and in Maine, and this year are hoping to take advantage of the cooler summer weather up there in late August.
What is your favorite summer thing to do with the kids?
Elizabeth: We have a house on the Northern Neck and live on a creek. We have always had kayaks but I got a paddle board for Mother’s Day and my kids already have them. I am so excited.
Kat: My kids are little, so in the summer our schedules change weekly due to camps and time off from preschool. This summer, I’m looking forward to some mandatory “time off” from work and time with the kids. I like to keep things simple – playing outside, eating Popsicles, and heading to our neighborhood pool.
Rosana: I have this thing called ‘Mommy Camp’ where I take a week off work (outside of our family vacation) and schedule local activities every day. We do museums, water parks, climbing, the pool, art exhibits, library/book stores, and more. We come home exhausted everyday after adventuring around the DMV. I love it because our area is so rich with fun activities!
Adrien: Bill and I love to take the kids into D.C. and explore on bikes. My super cool friend Shiloh recommended Union Market; that is next on the bucket list. Or, riding our bikes along the SW waterfront.
Amy: Nothing! I love having the option to do something fun or nothing at all. Summer break is our chance to relax and decompress after a heavy school year.
What do you especially love to eat / drink in the summer?
Rosana: Tiger’s Blood shaved ice! Adrien: Prickly Pear Margaritas. My summer specialty. Meg: My husband’s margarita: fresh squeezed lime juice, Don Julio Anjeo tequila, a splash of Cointreau, a splash of club, and a very salty rim! Alicia: I turn into an uber-healthy girl in the summer. Tomatoes are my #1 favorite summer indulgence but I have to wait until August usually. I’m also a huge blueberry fan. Healthy eating takes precedence with lots of water, fresh smoothies, and I’ll even make a round of fruit pops. I’m looking forward to trying a recipe from @kristencoffield: Organic tequila (she likes Don Julio Blanco), lime, pink grapefruit, and seltzer, then topped off with a jalapeño garish!! Kat: A smoothie bowl for breakfast – I make a simple recipe using coconut milk and frozen berries, and it really hits the spot. My summer beverage? Rosé all day! Britt: Yes, rosé all day. 😊 Or, better yet, frosé all day!!! Amy: Rosé and crabs!
Is there a specific event you are looking forward to this summer?
Alicia: My baby girl’s graduation!! Titan Pride
Kat: My brother-in-law is getting married in NYC in July, so we are looking forward to a long weekend in the Big Apple!
Amy: My brother and his family come to visit in July and we look forward to it every year!
Adrien: Fitness on the Run’s new Summer Cardio Program. We’ve never done one and I’m psyched to be teaching it. Try it out! Five weeks of killer cardio a la Adrien!
What’s your favorite summer item in stores now?
Britt: I find the AC in the summer to be far to chilly for me, so I am constantly buying wraps in all shapes, sizes, and colors to keep my shoulders warm indoors!
Amy: Fun sailor stripe tote from Baggu at Penny Post and new citronella candles from k. hall at Red Barn Mercantile.
Meg: Jumpsuits. They are tricky on curves, so for every 10 I try only one or two 2 work really well, but when they work, they work. Depending on the style and cut, they can be super versatile and take you from work to dinner to a night out.
Alicia: The Figue Tuk Tuk Tote, at TSALT! It’s defines summer in a bag! Ulla Johnson dresses from The Hive are always my favorites, and Ulla Johnson wins again with Ingrid Slide at The Shoe Hive. A close second to the Jelrose by Stuart Weitzman.
