By Erica and Karen

August already! It finally feels like summer, so we get to wear our favorite clothes–airy and cool. Here are ten perfect late summer ideas.

• A light white linen dress. The best for those triple-H days when things still have to get done and you can’t just loll by the pool, eating frozen grapes and sipping pina coladas. 

• Then there’s washable silk. Best invention ever. As are flowery, fitted summer dresses from MM LaFleur that sway in the wind. 

• We love jumpsuits any time of year. In summer, we would go for a white cotton jumpsuit, like this Banana Republic number, maybe worn with red sandals and earrings. Of course, if you’ve gone full Barbie you may need this one. And if you are in the mood for something really elegant, go to A Uno, one of our favorite stores, in Greenwich Village. Sadly, it has no website. So we can’t show you!

• Blue is a good summer color, and we like it in this lacy-edged skirt by Gudrun Sjoden. Topped with a white tee shirt with big white beads. Wonder if chilling the beads before wearing them would be nice on a toasty day?

• Gabrielle Carlson makes a piece that can dress up anything–-a long silk chiffon tunic. (It’s washable too.) Layer it over a tank top and tights and you are dressed for dinner. She can be talked into making the tunic in different colors—in your size.

• Sometimes, of course, you just need shorts and a top. Carnival striped pleated shorts would be fabulous (if we could find some in our size). With a classic tee, and maybe some crazy carnival earrings to match!

• We found this fun store online that makes short A-line dresses with amazing prints, like the Eiffel Tower. Or the beach. The dresses survive lots of washing, and are quite cool, in several ways. Can you imagine putting one of Gabrielle Carlson’s longer, sheer tunics over one of these dresses? We might try!

• Summer does often involve getting in the water. We love the ocean, but when we come out we want a fun cover-up. A matched set may be a bit much–-but we like this one by Summersalt!

• Finally, something we should not have to bother with, but we do. A linen shawl to carry with us so when we go into a store or movie theater or restaurant or airport we don’t freeze to death. We like these from Max Mara. But really–-what is it with blasting a/c when people are wearing very little because it’s hot outside, and when wasting energy seems preposterous? We don’t get it.

But we do enjoy our summer clothes. What do you wear to sip mint juleps?