With the existence of fast fashion, micro trends, and a crumbling trend cycle, we’ve often forgotten the time it takes for a style to be authentically born. Yet amid the chaos, we find ourselves reaching for a familiar and timely classic: the American Summer. More than a seasonal look, this aesthetic is a cultural narrative, rich with historical and literary influences that continue to shape the way we dress, indulge, and define summer leisure.
From the weathered charm of the Hamptons to the sun-drenched pages of an Emily Henry novel, American Summer is unmistakable. It’s tennis skirts, linen button-downs, saltbox houses, monogrammed tote bags, and the smell of Jo Malone’s sea salt and wood sage. It’s the soft click of croquet balls, the clink of iced tea in etched glassware, and the endless sun that seems to stretch outside of time. Most importantly, it’s a fantasy we don’t just consume, but have inherited from years of media interpretation.
This style didn’t just materialize from a Pinterest board or TikTok trend. The aesthetic of the American Summer was born on the East Coast, shaped by centuries of culture and class. The Hamptons, a string of towns and villages on Long Island’s South Fork, originated as farming and fishing communities. By the late nineteenth century, they had transformed into elite getaways thanks to the expansion of the Long Island Rail Road in the 1870s. As wealthy New Yorkers escaped the city’s heat, the Hamptons became synonymous with quiet luxury: sprawling estates, cedar-shingled homes, hydrangea-lined fences, and curated ease.
It is this very landscape that influenced F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (1925), a novel that not only critiques American excess but also immortalizes its style. Fitzgerald, who spent time in Great Neck, Long Island, translated the Hamptons’ social codes into the fictional East and West Egg. Through Gatsby’s garden parties and white suits, we glimpse the early roots of American Summer fashion—linen trousers, lightweight knits, pastel tones, and formalwear reimagined for outdoor leisure. These are styles that remain relevant today.
A century later, the American Summer style still reflects that same sentiment in the media we consume. In the fan-favorite Gossip Girl episode “Summer, Kind of Wonderful,” the aesthetic is fully embraced. Set in the Hamptons, it presents a fantasy of summer opulence through fashion. What makes the episode especially resonant is its precision, the way it uses brand references and character behaviors to reinforce the aesthetic’s authenticity. Blair Waldorf’s polished ensembles—wide-brim hats, structured sundresses, and accessories from Marc Jacobs and Valentino—underscore her role as a style icon rooted in prep. Serena van der Woodsen’s relaxed glamour, including flowing white dresses, beachy hair, and oversized totes, offers a more effortless version of affluence. With Tory Burch tunics, Ralph Lauren linens, and pastel Lacoste polos sprinkled throughout, the episode doesn’t just depict wealth. It curates it. Fashion becomes a tool for storytelling, conveying privilege and cultivated leisure through sartorial choices.
Nancy Meyers’ films, particularly Something’s Gotta Give (2003), play a pivotal role in translating the American Summer aesthetic into a visual language of aspirational living. Diane Keaton’s wardrobe, composed of crisp shirting, straight-leg trousers, and soft cashmere wraps, embodies an understated luxury that aligns perfectly with the film’s breezy East Coast setting. This style, later coined the “coastal grandma” trend, showcases the enduring appeal of classic silhouettes and tactile fabrics. The wardrobe isn’t merely fashionable. It reflects a broader trend of aspirational nostalgia, where fashion and environment work together to communicate taste, comfort, and cultural capital.
What unites all these portrayals, whether from the 1920s or the 2020s, is the way American Summer fashion plays on the illusion of effortlessness. It is a uniform of luxury disguised as simplicity. Relaxed shirtdresses, tailored white shorts, cotton crewnecks, and espadrilles suggest a life free from obligation, where dressing well is second nature.
The American Summer endures not because it is accessible, but because it’s an illusion of feasible aspiration. It symbolizes a rarefied sense of freedom, one that stems from generational wealth, coastal properties, and the privilege of time. Yet within this aspiration lies a universal longing: to live with intention, beauty, and calm. To wear white without concern of stains. To spend a day reading without guilt. To prepare for dinner, not out of necessity, but for the joy of it.
This is the legacy of American Summer style. It is not merely about clothing—it is a vision of the life one hopes to embody by wearing it.
