How To Have Your Chicest Summer Yet

Is there a “right” way to live life this time of year? We’d argue yes. From colour-bursting snack plates to noteworthy art galleries to read-in-one-sitting book releases, here’s the FASHION guide to becoming your most stylish, peak-season self.

1. Forest Bathe

Fronterra, May 15–September 28

For the luxury-lover craving back-to-the-land slow living, this regenerative botanical farm in the heart of Prince Edward County is the ultimate weekend getaway. Think canvas tents with king mattresses, outdoor hot showers and curated picnic baskets filled with local cheeses and artisanal treats.

2. Follow the Music

Aside from summer’s disco revival, this season’s most exciting sounds span a forthcoming Becky G album, a Tame Impala tour hitting Toronto in July and Vancouver in September, a Hilary Duff Toronto show in August and a Zara Larsson headlining act at Osheaga.

3. Indulge in a Design-Conscious Bag

Issey Miyake Bao Bao Valley Bag

For decades, Issey Miyake has been praised for its thoughtful craftsmanship and 73 outside-the-box textures. The Bao Bao Valley bag is no exception, adorned in geometric quilting made of PVC tiles.

4. Stay Cool

Dyson HushJet Mini Cool Fan

Like all things Dyson, this new gadget is light, ergonomic and high-performing. The task at hand? Keeping you cool wherever you are. Prop this light-as-your-smartphone mini fan on your desk, hold it in your hand or even wear it around your neck. The motor has five airflow speeds and is powered by a six-hour battery. Heat waves will never be the same.

5. Sip Stylishly

Dillon’s Canned Cocktails

Dillon’s canned cocktails are small in size but big in taste—with spirits distilled batch by batch in Canada. This summer, expanded offerings include a sour-cherry negroni spritz and an effervescent lemon-elderflower gin and tonic.

6. Get Romantic

831 Stories Major Gift, May 19; Down to Earth, June 23; Double Standard, July 2

Think of 831 Stories as the A24 for romance novels. This publishing start-up, co-founded by It-girl entrepreneurs Erica Cerulo and Claire Mazur, specializes in pleasure-filled reads with recognizable two-tone covers. This summer, the lineup includes a will-they-won’t-they, a queer fish-out-of-water tale and a messy actor comeback plot.

7. Eat With Your Eyes

Nice Cans Sardines

Tinned fish is a staple of high-art snack plates, and the dirty martini is the cocktail du jour. Canadian seafood snack brand Nice Cans is blending the two by introducing skipjack tuna in a spicy dill-pickle sauce. “The brine obsession is real, it’s cultural and it’s not going anywhere,” says founder and chef Charlotte Langley. She recommends enjoying it straight from the tin, piled onto crackers or tossed through cold pasta with fresh dill and lemon zest.

8. Dish Decadently

Le Creuset Round Dutch Oven

Le Creuset is the gold standard of dishware, and its newest colourway, Bleu Riviera, adds a pop of Mediterranean-blue escapism to every tablescape. When you’re hosting, the Dutch oven doubles as an ice bucket to keep bubbles cold or even to serve up oysters.

9. Spend a Day at the Museum

From May 15 at Toronto’s Museum of Contemporary Art

Toronto’s Museum of Contemporary Art is unveiling a multi-floor project spanning textiles, ceramics, performance and collages. With works by Kimsooja and Sara Cwynar, the exhibit is an interpretation of current-day realities through hyper-stylized pieces.

10. Art-ify Your Living Room

Square Up Sideboard

Not much can top a sunny patio. But a thoughtfully designed cabinet that warms your space year-round? That comes close. Vancouver furniture label Sundays has teamed up with Montreal-based woodworker Mitz Takahashi to offer an array of pieces in a luxe golden-hour palette.

11. Give Your Face a Workout

Face Pilates Reformer Face Mask

You may have heard of Face Pilates—a viral 75-minute facial workout designed to release tension and stimulate circulation—offered at Toronto’s Aman Spa. Now, the spa is launching a treatment-inspired product line so you can take it home. The Reformer Mask combines a peptide and amino-acid complex to smooth fine lines and improve firmness.

12. Relive Your Heated Rivarly Obsession

The Heated Rivarly Original Series Soundtrack available June 10

When Ilya and Shane’s will-they-won’t-they romance captured audiences last fall, the Heated Rivalry soundtrack became its own plot device. Now, you can purchase the beloved playlist in the form of bicoloured vinyl discs—each one in the palette of a rival team.

13. Dance All Night

RuPaul at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre’s Concert Stage on August 22

Toronto, consider this your official summer alert: RuPaul is coming. On August 22, the icon takes over the Harbourfront Centre’s Concert Stage for a high-energy DJ set packed with joy, dance-floor anthems and signature charisma. Easily the city’s most fabulous night out.

14. Get Caught in the Rain

Prada Re-Nylon Rain Jacket

Even in summer, a little rain must fall. There’s no better way to stay stylishly dry than in Prada’s Re-Nylon collection, which is made from regenerated material that’s endlessly recyclable. One percent of the proceeds benefit Prada Group’s Sea Beyond project, which supports education for ocean conservation.

15. Stain Your Lips

Summer Fridays Flushed Lip Stain

A bold hit of colour with no risk of it melting. Summer Fridays’ 12-hour lip colour is the lightweight, transfer-proof solution to warm-weather routines.

16. Add Whimsy to Your Wrist

Louis Vuitton Tambour Taiko Arty Automata

Sure, Louis Vuitton knows its way around a monogram, but the French house is also an expert when it comes to watches with complex animated dials. The latest example, the Tambour Taiko Arty Automata, combines seven animated elements that come together to create a mesmerizing horological waltz and features a bezel ringed with rubies and sapphires.

17. Go to the National Bank Open

National Bank Open, Toronto & Montreal, August 1–13

The National Bank Open returns to Toronto and Montreal this summer, and all eyes are on last year’s women’s champion, 19-year-old Toronto-raised Victoria Mboko, to see if she’ll defend her title.

18. ...…And Accessorize On Theme

Bevza Racket Mirror Pendant

Sporting spectatorship, but make it extra. Take advantage of tennis’ dress-up culture and wear this gold-plated racket pendant necklace from Bevza to your next in-person match.

19. Make Something New

Solid Wiggles Cookbook available June 23

This unconventional new cookbook—a guide dedicated entirely to gorgeous Jello-O shots—is ripe with culinary inspiration.

20. Celebrate F1 For Free

In Montreal from May 14 to 24

For the second year in a row, Montreal’s massive Royalmount shopping centre is opening a free-to-all exhibit showcasing 20 of the world’s most coveted cars. From May 14 to 24, race fans can enjoy interactive installations, peruse luxury collaborations and explore activations curated for car-design-lovers.

21. Lie Back

Louis Vuitton Riviera Chilienne Chair

At this year’s Milan Design Week, Louis Vuitton presented a striking lineup for its Objets Nomades collection. One standout? The Riviera deck chair, which is a reinterpretation from a 1925 design by artist Pierre Legrain. Made from wood, leather and mother-of-pearl, it’s the ultimate evocation of a bygone era of travel.

22. Reminice About the Olympics

From March 27 at the McCord Stewart Museum Montreal

2026 marks 50 years since the Montreal 1976 Summer Olympics. What were the Games like half a century ago? A nostalgic exhibit at the McCord Stewart Museum, Montreal 1976: An Olympic Feat, explores this question.

23. Set Sail on a Lobster Tour

Lobster Lovers in Prince Edward Island from July 6–September 30

Seafood is the East Coast’s claim to fame—and this is the best way to experience it. Prince Edward Island’s three-hour Lobster Lovers tour takes guests on a boat excursion that ends with a perfect summer meal of just-caught lobster and live fiddle performances.

24. Immerse Yourself in Indigenous Fashion

From May 1 at the Textile Museum of Canada

This May, the Textile Museum of Canada showcases Always in Fashion. Curated by Amber-Dawn Bear Robe, it explores the impact of Indigenous design and couturier knowledge about the fashion industry in Canada and beyond.

25. Spa On A Boat

Bota Bota in Montreal

Located in Montreal’s Old Port, Bota Bota’s spa-sur-l’eau is a floating wellness centre on a transformed 1950s ferry surrounded by panoramic city views. The company is adding a second boat to its fleet this season, which features a large-scale sauna and more thermal experiences.

26. Find A Wear-Anywhere Scarf

Superior Mirage Sphagia, Navarino Bay

Bubble-gum pink and Creamsicle orange come together to give this silk-cotton foulard a sorbet-like effect. Worn as a headband, belt or beach cover, this limited-edition made-in-Greece scarf from Superior Mirage offers a Euro summer in a single easy-to-tie- on garment.

27. Procure a Beauty-Counter Collectible

Carolina Herrera La Bomba Eau de Parfum

The butterfly is an age-old symbol of transformation. Carolina Herrera has harnessed that imagery with La Bomba—a just-launched fragrance featuring energizing notes of cherry peony, frangipani and solar vanilla.

28. Watch the Must-See Dramaedy

A24 The Invite from June 26

A story about a dinner party gone wrong told through A24’s stylized aesthetic? Say less. In theatres this June, The Invite stars Seth Rogen, Olivia Wilde, Edward Norton and Pénelope Cruz as two neighbouring couples whose evening together spirals into the unexpected.

29. Go Short

Veronica Beard Jazmin Paisley Short

No other clothing item is as synonymous with summer as short-shorts. Veronica Beard’s take may be primly tailored, but the ’70s-feeling paisley print takes things into a welcome boho direction. Pair them with some sky-high metallic heels and you’re ready to transport to Studio 54.

30. Have a Euro Summer

Isola Serena, Tuscany

Nestled among the olive-grove-dotted hills of Chianti, Isola Serena is an immaculately restored farmhouse turned self-contained private resort with 10 bedrooms spread across the main house and two guest houses, a gym, a professional kitchen and an infinity pool that overlooks some of the best views on offer in Tuscany. Did we mention the property even has its own olive oil?

Beit Kotn, London

Translating to “The House of Kotn” in Arabic, this newly opened Shoreditch spot from the Canadian clothing brand isn’t another storefront for Egyptian-cotton tees. Rather, it’s a mini hotel and creative residence designed in collaboration with Danish firm Spacon. Access to the space, which is rendered in deep hues and decorated with nods to Cairo’s cultural abundance, is invite only—making it the true definition of “if you know, you know.”

Gran Hotel, Margalida, Majorca

Built as a series of cascading terraces and tiered gardens hugging the seaside cliffs of Majorca, the Gran Hotel Margalida is rooted in the sun-soaked mid-century splendour of the Riviera. Each of the property’s 29 suites feels like a private coastal apartment. Meanwhile, the wellness programming is robust, offering treatments using Mediterranean botanicals and extending into guided cliffside hikes.

This article first appeared in FASHION’s Summer 2026 issue. Read more stories from the Summer 2026 issue here, and subscribe to FASHION here.