These 13 Investment Pieces Are All We Need to Look Chic In The Summer After 40
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by The Candidly Team
We would love to fall back in love with our closets. But sadly, they are full of clothes that either bore us or we have no clue how to wear.
In the past, we’ve been known to spend too much on designer pieces that end up being impractical or looking deeply dated after six months, a problem we lamented all about HERE.
On the other hand, we’re also done buying bargainy things we don’t even really like that fall apart after a trip to the washing machine.
Point is, the problem is not “splurging.” We’ve learned in our 40+ years of life that is actually smarter to splurge as long as we splurge smarter. It helps us buy less and wear more of our clothes.
It’s wise to invest in incredible quality staple pieces. And it’s wise to invest in the ultra-chic pieces that bring us joy and make us love everything else in our closet even more because now we have something exciting to wear them with.
The trick is simply knowing how to wear these things. And in that spirit, here are the 13 summer pieces that have that kind of magical effect for us and exactly how to wear them.
1. The French Girl Going-Out Tee
We start with what weirdly could be the most divisive thing on this list. After all, half of you are probably just thinking nope, not doing strapless and moving right along. But for those of you whose attention we have, here’s the deal. There is not only a way to wear strapless, which we outlined HERE, but when you get a chic tee like this, with a 3/4 sleeve to cover your arms and a flattering, tuckable waist, you have yourself one of the most flattering, French-looking tees in your closet that shows skin in a way you’re comfortable. Belted with long, wide-leg jeans, nothing is more foolproof for “dressing cute to go out.”
Here is one of us adhering to the above formula:
We actually wrote an entire article about this brand because the quality of everything they make is so incredible, and they were kind enough to give us a code to share with you. Use CANDIDLY20 to take 20% off.
Price: $122
2. The Prettiest Wide-Leg Trouser
Johnny Was Wide Leg Pleat Pant*
Wearing colors that make us happy changes our entire mood and therefore, day and therefore, life. And if you wear color on the bottom, you don’t have to be concerned with “your season,” you mostly just have to choose one that fills your heart with joy. And this lilac does that. When you sub these perfect, lilac pants in for jeans with a simple tee or tank, suddenly you’re commandingly chic, unique … and still comfy.
Price: $198
3. The Linen Summer Dress That's Amazing On Curves
Favorite Daughter The Favorite Linen Dress*
There are so few dresses in our closet we can toss on and feel good about ourselves in no matter how bloated or slovenly we feel inside. This dress glides from day to night, picnic to wedding. All the while we feel completely nipped, comfy, and like we need zero adjusting. (THIS breathable bandeau is great underneath by the way.) It also comes in black and white, but this yellow is excellent for spring and summer and inspiring constant happiness.
Use the code THECANDIDLY15 to get 15% off.
Price: $298
4. The Only Jeans We Have An Ounce Of Desire To Put On In Warm Weather
We own plenty of excellent $50 jeans. So when we splurge on denim, it has to be because they are that one special pair that are all we want to reach for most days. And these jeans are, quite frankly, our favorite new shape for the season. We originally wrote a whole thing about how barrel jeans aren’t cute, but this exact pair exclusively proved us wrong. They’ve stolen our hearts because their magic shape is supremely flattering. Even though they’re spacious, so we don’t feel sweaty and restricted, they make everything look longer and leaner. No matter what we throw on with them, the jeans alone elevate our whole look to be more “styled,” and we look our best.
Use the code THECANDIDLY15 for 15% off.
Price: $298
5. The Sleek Summer Sandal That Feels Like A Cloud
It felt like we’d just dug up some medieval treasure when we discovered that one of the most artful, minimalist sandal brands made a whole line of comfort soles that feel like buttery, cushioned heaven. Here are two of our favorite pairs, starting with this flat sandal that has all the allure of a strappy heel but is as cozy as our cushiest flip flop.
Price: $220
And here is their beloved minimalist platform. They look beautiful with every single thing we wear in warm weather, and the support and stability is unrivaled.
Price: $305
6. The Classic Marinière
Buck Mason Catalina Breton Tee*
This is the gorgeous, higher-end version of the marinière, the tee that every chic French woman has in her closet. The material is so lovely, we know we’ll wear it forever, and the shape is uniquely flattering. It’s become our go-to top on “cool summer nights.” We pair it with jeans and linen pants and skirts like this:
Price: $128
7. The Nice Tank That Doesn't Fall Apart And Fits Like A Dream
We are very much tank people. We try every single one we can get our hands on. Some are $19. And some are $90. THIS, my friends, is the best of all of them. The smooth, stretchy ribbing holds us in like nothing else. We actually skip the bra, it’s that supportive, though you can obviously add a comfy bandeau. The way it frames the neckline and smooths the waist is a dream. Plus, there’s no extra bunching or fabric at the bottom that looks bad with all our pants and skirts. We won’t go on and on, because this tank sells out every half a minute, so now that it’s in stock, all we can really say is be swift.
Price: $78
8. The Non-Boring Floral Dress To Wear To Summer Events (Aka Weddings)
Not all of you will love this dress. And that is the whole point.
For starters, many of us are sick to death of looking at the same boring, bridesmaid-style selection of dresses we’re forced to squeeze into for summer events. This dress, on the other hand, is elevated and distinct.
And secondly, the ruffles are the most amazing belly pooch concealer, making it a perfect dress for apples. It feels oh-so-easy to slink into without being too tight.
It is THE special dress we’ve been looking for to wear to that thing, and we thought some of you might feel the same.
Use the code CANDIDLY15 to take 15% off.
Price: $399
9. The Perfect Brown Platform For When You Want Height Along With Undying Comfort
Before we say anything else, just know, we are babies about foot pain, and therefore, almost never, ever, ever wear heels. And certainly not THIS high of heels. But the geniuses at Paige must have the same issue because they’ve created a shoe that looks good with all lengths of bottoms, gives us legs that go on for days, AND somehow feels like f—cking heaven. How? We don’t ask. We just wear them on repeat and tell every woman we know about them.
Use the code CANDIDLY15 to get 15% off.
Price: $328
10. The Flattering Joggers We Never Want To Remove From Our Skin
Beyond Yoga Spacedye Midi Jogger*
We admit that 82% of our lives is spent in house clothes, more specifically, joggers. They’re the ultimate alternative for people who can’t pour themselves into a squeezing, tight legging, especially in spring and summer when the thought of peeling them off after being in the sun all day gives you angina.
These joggers are legging-adjacent, but they have some breathing room so you don’t feel like your legs/waist are in a vice. They’re also made of the softest material we’ve ever touched.
Price: $110
11. The Everyday Bag We’ve Crowned The Best
Oh sorry, are you sick of us talking about this bag? Or are you marveling at how it comes in yet another perfect color and weave? We hardly carry anything else, because it is truly the dream handbag, containing all our chaotic mess of must-have items, while looking luxe and chic, and expressive of ourselves. We get flowery when talking about it, but the best thing to do is really just to go LOOK at it.
Price: $435 - $485
12. The Most Unbelievable PJs You Won’t Sweat In
Negative Supreme Shirt* and Pants*
We all decided to grow up a little bit, and we stopped wearing our ratty college t-shirts to bed, and we can now report, it feels f—king amazing. This set is the perfect combo of chic but comfy. We don’t sweat in them, and they’re so silky soft to the touch, we never want to take them off. If there is one gift you give yourself that falls into the oft-overused term “self-care,” it is getting yourself these pajamas.
The pants only come in solid colors now, which is just fine. because we usually switch to the shorts for the summer anyway.
Price: $148 for the top, $98 for the shorts, $148 for the pants
13. The Fancy Sandal With Comfort You Won’t Comprehend
When a warm-weather occasion commands a truly knockout shoe, this is the only one we can really recommend with our whole hearts. we own it in black (see below) but the camel color is perfect for all the light. colors we wear on vacation and to summer weddings, making us look statuesque and gorj in all our dresses. Plus, they match our company mascot Bunny who you can see looking her version of statuesque here:
Aside from the looks though, the comfort of these heels alarmed us when we first tried them. We can wear them all evening on our feet with zero pain.
Price: $385
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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