Summer, A Busy Time of Year
A Note on Finding Beauty in the Busy Months
As I write this the weather outside is 60 degrees and sunny with only a few wispy cirrus clouds in the sky. A truly beautiful spring day has been given to southern New England. Not far south the sailboats enjoy the social beginning of the summer and Memorial Day weekend on the Long Island Sound. This weekend the weather is supposed to turn for the worse, raining out a national holiday and ruining many outdoor plans. Although with the change in weather it gives me time to think about other things.
As the summer comes every year, life gets busy. It is no secret that the plans are filling up and the quiet time that I spoke about a few months ago is sadly withering away. With the time I do have, I believe it is important to still enjoy some time to ourselves, to make sure that we feel rejuvenated and positive after the long and gelid months.
While I have been dealing with some writer’s block recently when it comes to fashion, I did have time this week to enjoy some time to myself. On Tuesday I had the day free and took the train to New Haven, Connecticut to check out the J. Crew store and speak with some employees and take some photos for the upcoming review (Stay tuned for that). When I was there I passed through town during the lively week of Yale graduation, seeing all of the families together to celebrate the end of a long academic journey for their children. It was a beautiful time of year to visit, even with the weather being sweltering outside, I took the advice of Jack and Christopher and carried around my seersucker blazer, even if it was mostly for effect. But what really caught my eye was the beauty that surrounded me. (and the admittedly interesting J. Press poster in town)
Even though I put off writing this until Friday and did not know where I wanted to go with this piece, I wanted to take some time to advocate for enjoying our cities and towns and the nature that engulfs us. In the winter we spend most of our time inside and in our “hibernation”, but during the summer we can enjoy the beauty before us in nature. Whether that means going on a stroll through a park or walking around the city and enjoying the architecture and street design like the nerd inside of me does, the time to appreciate the world around is increasingly important.
While during the winter we have the time to enjoy the smaller things in life and take the time to do it right, we sometimes feel overwhelmed in the summer. For me, enjoying the spaces that surround us is my way of escape. The next time you take the dog for a walk, or have the time to get out of your regular schedule, consider looking around and noticing the small things in the communities around us, and I can almost guarantee that you will find something you never saw before. Whether that means looking up the history behind a building you saw or the type of interesting plant you passed, you can have plenty of fun facts to pass on to your possibly uninterested friends and family.
As this is a fashion blog, I do feel required to mention something about apparel — and I will not disappoint. I recently found a pair of blue linen trousers that I have been loving. The slim cut is quite appealing and the fabric speaks for itself. I have never owned a pair of pure linen pants before and I will definitely be buying another. They are a pain to take care of but the wrinkles end up becoming part of the outfit over time. I got my pair from Spier and Mackay (something like this), which looks to actually have some things on sale currently. I have not bought a product from them before but I am pleasantly surprised. Perhaps a further review of the brand may be necessary if I can get my hands on a few more of their products.
Now that golf season is here as well, I have also been wearing some J. Crew “tech” shorts and polos out on the course which I got on a heavily discounted sale at the end of last year (they have not lowered my handicap sadly). While I am sure there are better golf shorts out there, when I happened to be in the store I got both for around 50 dollars together. They fit nicely and seem to be made well enough with no problems so far, and also feature a pocket for tees in the front which is helpful. Although I do not think they will be sponsoring any professional athletes any time soon, if you are in the market for some golf clothes in a style you are used to, their tech material seems good enough for the rest of us.
I am still struggling to find an unironic way to wear Nantucket red pants. If anyone has any ideas for me I would love to hear them….
I wanted to use this article as a message to let us bring the nature from outside closer to us. I hope we can all take some time to enjoy the fantastic late-spring weather and let our minds have time to relax and rest during the busy time of year. I wish everyone in the United States a meaningful Memorial Day weekend and a wonderful last week of May to those elsewhere.
While I struggle to find a proper valediction for this article as it was not a focused piece of writing, I hope you enjoyed it regardless.
What I’ve been up to…
Listening - Eat a Peach by The Allman Brothers Band
Reading - “How to Disagree Better” by Julia Minson
Watching - How to Make a Killing (2026)
Spier and Mackay are wonderful- orders take awhile, but the quality is great. Their linen shirts are lovely. Great buttons, nice detail. Their OCBD’s are also very nice and at a fraction the cost of other brands, definitely worth the wait.