Summer Camp

Style cues from the least fashionable summer aesthetic

I don’t trust a Michigander or Wisconsin native who hasn’t camped before.

There’s definitely levels of difficulty to respect in it, but if you haven’t so much as plugged an RV into a predominantly dirt and gravel site in some campground off of a highway, I fear you and your yuppie family simply haven’t lived — or dealt with any conflict face to face.

I remember spending an entire week one summer at the picnic table, shuffling cards until I could perfect a bridge. I had been playing everything from Euchre, to Kemps and Peanuts with my sister and some of the older family friends of ours — just recently having been accepted into the circle now that I was a bit more mature — and realized my shuffling capabilities looked like shit in comparison.

I’ve dealt with bug bites bigger than a quarter and sunburns that peeled in large sheets off my back; one-week boyfriends who lived in North Carolina that I swore I would visit before I went to college; making fast friends and racing in canoes with my cousins and sleeping in sweatshirts that smell like the campfire from the night before. Summers of hot days jumping off the dock, cool evenings spent solving riddles and fending off skeeters, and eleven months longing after the next one- or two-week adventure.

This “summer camp” themed newsletter is kinda twofold as a result. Tent, log cabin, or what-have-you, there is something of a thrill and nostalgia in it. A controlled recklessness that makes memories unforgettable, and sparks the setting for a romcom for the ages. Sitting here in my garden in London, anticipating an upcoming permanent return to the US, I figured it’s high time to romanticize the hell out of it.

Ringer tees! Natural hair! Boyfriend linen shirts! Windbreakers, crewnecks, and cargo pants oh my!

I came into this thinking no one was gonna get it — they’d miss the nuanced differences from a Nantucket/Cape Cod vibe, or that there weren’t many references in pop culture, or that “summer camp” didn’t contain anything of interest to the 36 states and 32 countries reading this newsletter as they dream about some beach club in the Amalfi Coast (sup guys, ILY). But THEN I reminded myself of how much I love fashion, yet find equal joy in looking like crap and being off grid.

Objective numero uno is how to achieve a level of bumminess that’s so unassuming, yet somehow breeds a formulaic perfection. You don’t want to put too much effort in on the day, so you need things that can be thrown together for a long hot day, and excels in both function and flattery. So what counts?

For starters, clothes that fit the aesthetic because they weren’t necessarily selected for the sole purpose yet add significance to the overall look… for example, the properly worn-in Texas Longhorns baseball hat that my friend’s parents gave to me because they were clearing out their closet and remembered I wore a Texas shirt the last time I was at their house. I have never been to the Lone Star state but this hat is in frequent rotation, and the rusted orange is perfectly unassuming yet impactful in the same way that terracotta has such a chokehold on certain subsects of the interior design industry. So thanks, Dave!

Other pieces in my closet that would work include a pair of cotton sweats from Organic Basics, button-ups of varying sleeve lengths, vintage Levi’s, and various graphic tees that span from merch of my favorite pub in Brighton to Ron Jon’s Surf Shop (classic). Boxers and athletic shorts feel like a “duh” here. Major points to any items that are thin enough to keep cool yet covered!

My primary cues were from Wet Hot American Summer, Dirty Dancing, and The Parent Trap, with supplementary research done on CBK and Jennifer Aniston in their most casual moments. What could go wrong with that lineup?

The thread that binds them together is in no small part due to the idea that it’s JUST a xyz piece of clothing until the person wearing them breathes them to life — then it becomes the thing everyone is vying after. When anyone thinks of Dirty Dancing, they’re gonna wonder how Baby could look any better than she does in a pair of denim shorts and Keds. Jennifer Aniston has a similar thing where it might just be a tank, flip flops and baggy pants or denim cutoffs, but WOW does it seem to be doing the damn thing. I think everyone needs one pair of short cutoffs and one mid-thigh option. She also makes a fair point that having a pretty good tan can go a long way.

My summer camp prescription based on this look would be: highlights and air-dried waves, a good tan, cutoffs with minimal fraying, and a solid power pose.

Jen is a good example of how street style, with the right accessories and adjustments, can work for a summer camp vibe. Many of her papped fits detail a drawstring pant — everything from oversized, wide and baggy, to slim fit and capri length — paired with a fitted ribbed tank and either thong sandals or sneakers. Kaia Gerber, though her Malibu + NYC locales don’t initially fit the bill, follows a similar formula. I can picture any of the shots below existing in a northern Michigan setting, aside from perhaps a swap of ballet flats with a more practical or casual choice.

Replace the matcha with a camp mug of black coffee, and perhaps the Sambas for a pair of Birkenstock clogs and you might just be good to go!

Little miss Hallie Parker was a summer camp queen, piercing ears and telling girls to “read em and weep” at her poker hand while sporting plaid flannels, denim jackets and oversized tees and zip hoodies throughout The Parent Trap. Chessy gets a nod here too — that woman had her style formula down. If you can look past the parody of drugs and teenage horniness in Wet Hot American Summer, you’ll notice a healthy amount of summer camp vibes with a dose of 80’s hitmakers: baseball + ringer tees with cotton athletic short-shorts.

I think the silhouette I’m trying to depict here seems pretty clear now; and the beauty of it is a deep treasure trove of jewelry and accessories isn’t necessary to achieve the look!

If you’re going down that route, my suggestion would be one or two necklaces as a focal point… no matter whether it’s a 14k herringbone, tennis necklace or cord wrap, so long as it doesn’t tarnish or wear down after a few swims. I’ve also grown fond of having a simple signet pinky ring that I have completely and wholeheartedly co-opted from the chavvy privileged London boys to whom I’d never give the time of day. The only things we have in common are an affinity for splitting the G and these rings, anyhow. Finally, while a pair of colored sunglasses can freshen up any ol’ look, remember your tried and true Ray Bans have stuck around this long for a reason.

I have the most fun with my hair when it’s air dried because then I don’t feel bad about covering it with a large scrunchie, a baseball hat, or a bandana. You could move for a silk scarf to feel a bit more lush, or throw in a crocheted one (I think that’s my next project sorted!) for a sort of granny-chic energy. Overall, the addition of those materials — crocheted yarn, lace, or silk — truly alleviates any inclination that you may in fact not be turning a look, but instead look a little too similar to your smelly little brother.*

*My brothers are grown men who are no longer smelly, and I love them!!! But I will never forget.

And the bag!! It needs to fit everything!!! A couple drinks, SPF, towels and swimsuits and bug dope and books and speakers and a deck of cards and everything else that doesn’t fit in the cooler. My Trader Joe’s canvas tote has lugged around more than its $5 value ever imagined it could, and while I will continue to lug until I can’t stitch it up any longer, I am starting to eye an LL Bean Boat Tote like any well-to-do citizen would these days.

PARTING WISDOM PSA

In order to enjoy everything a summer of kayaking, time to kill, love and lagers has to offer, we need to protect our natural landscapes and environments— and our shopping habits are a good start to the trickle down effect.

Allow me to be your Smokey Bear of fashion, so to speak. Your low maintenance, no-frills approach should be coupled with a respect for our surroundings year-round. Circulating our closets, reducing pollution (while you’re camping or via your online purchases!), and wearing materials that don’t leach chemicals or loads of microplastics into our waterways are essential components to our enjoyment of a long life of summers like these. Be mindful of why you were invited to the section.

How we all look with our LL Bean Boat Totes and RL button ups (chic as hell and ready to party)

Pouring one out for all my grill masters and fire chiefs! HAGS x

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ICYMI