The perfect summer edit for the Cosmo girl who wants it all
From style to restaurants to playlists, here's everything you need to survive this season.
Once you make your peace with the sticky, sweaty mess that is summer, you'll realise that the season has so much more to offer. The light lasts longer. Outfits get bolder. You find yourself reaching for those strappy sandals, that loose co-ord set, those oversized shades that make you look like you're perpetually on holiday. There's something about the warm weather that gives you permission to take up more space. Almost as if empowering you to wear the colour, try the silhouette, or even order the experimental flavour. And this year, the Cosmo girl is leaning all the way in. Not just into the fashion, but into the intention behind it. Because the most stylish thing you can do this season is care about how you look, yes, but also about where it all comes from.
So here's your complete summer edit. Chic where it matters. Conscious where it counts.
For the conscious summer girl
If sustainability and style are the highlights of your summer moodboard, let’s make our first pitstop at Hot Planet. Now this is a brand for every woman who's done shrinking to fit in, building on the belief that looking good and living consciously should never feel like a compromise. Think punchy prints, edgy silhouettes, and summer co-ords that look just as good on a sun-drenched coastline as they do at a rooftop bar, all crafted from new-age, biodegradable fabrics, produced in small batches with a strict no-waste policy.
For the cosmo chicas who love a flowy embroidered silhouette, there's Lafaani offering handcrafted, hand-embroidered, slow-fashion. Add to the mix an “immortal” sense of Fashion (which is what Lafaani means), you will be reaching out for the same piece season after season. On a separate yet similar note, our moodboard also features SiSa, a label born from travel itself. Here you will find hand-drawn prints, hand-embroidered details, and bold silhouettes that merge a contemporary yet robust sense of fashion still rooted in Indian aesthetics. At SiSa, every outfit is genuinely one of a kind, because so are you.
Completing the conscious girl's summer look, from the ground up, is Lino Perros. Their summer shoe selection is everything the season calls for: open-toe flats, strappy sandals, and easy sliders in breathable materials and warm, earthy tones. Practical, long-lasting, and the kind of shoes that walk the talk, quite literally.
For the vacation girlie
Chic, carefree, and completely in her element, she's already mentally at the airport. Her outfits are planned, her bags are colour-coordinated, and her only real dilemma is which pair of shades to lead with. This section is entirely for her.
Appapop, known for upcycled denim and bold, high-quality designs, is this season's definitive go-to for wearable art. Their statement dresses and coordinated sets are made especially for those who want to look effortlessly dressed even on a vacation day.
And if the vacation in question dictates that you be on your feet all day, CAI Store has the solution for this little predicament in their Waveform platform shoe. Lightweight, cushioned, structured, and versatile enough to carry you from a cobblestone alley to a chic poolside café, the Wave is comfort disguised in style. Grab them in a neutral and watch them work with every single outfit in your suitcase.
For those looking to up the ante on a sophisticated and graceful summer look, S24 Parganas is quiet, considered, and deeply rooted in age-old Indian techniques, with each piece hand-embroidered. Produced as the antithesis of everything fast fashion stands for, the result is clothing that doesn't scream for attention but simply commands it through its intricate, and intentional make.
No summer look is complete without the right eyewear, and Maui Jim is here to make sure yours is exceptional. While protecting your eyes from intense glare and harmful UV, choose from over 125 polarised styles. Word has it that their classic aviators and wrap-around frames are the season's most effortlessly chic finishing touch.
For the frequent traveller
A true traveller knows that the trip does not begin at the airport, but on a shopping site online, while planning the entire mood of the vacation. Our Cosmo girl isn't simply going on a trip. She's curating an experience. And every detail, from what she packs to what she plays, is chosen with intention.
Scarters was built on one quietly radical idea: that in a world overwhelmed with clutter, less is genuinely more. Their minimalist, highly functional bags and luggage are obsessively detailed and designed to move through the world with ease, personality, and a quietly iconic presence. Their clean, muted tones is the summer companion every style-conscious traveller deserves. Functional. Beautiful. Unforgettable. The kind of bag that turns heads in the departure lounge without trying.
For the foodie in the sun
Good food is part of the summer experience, period. Step into Tóa 66, a no-frills gem offering a 7-course Thai tasting menu led by Thai Master Chefs Kanchit and Natanong Vongvichai. Tóa 66 exists to flip the script on how Thai food is understood in India. No gimmicks, no fancy talk. Just damn good food.
For the plant-forward girl, Kitchen Garden by Suzette is the summer dining destination you need on your radar. Fresh, organic, and deeply seasonal, their vegan menu is a love letter to conscious eating—charred broccoli with lemon hummus and toasted pine nuts, leek and potato roulade with glazed carrot, and customisable light bites that leave you feeling energised instead of heavy.
Alternatively, Greenr Café, India's first national plant-based café chain, inspired by California's healthy food culture, runs a close second for the conscious diner. Equal parts nourishing bowl and community hub, it's the kind of place you head for lunch and end up staying all afternoon.
Over in Bandra, Pause Café is a space designed with women in mind. Warm, safe, intuitive, and serving some of the best plant-based and Jain-friendly food in Mumbai. Almost everything is made in-house: the breads, the dips, the sauces, the staples. The result? Food that nourishes and a summer lunch spot you'll return to, every single week.
Moving on to the sweetest part of the course. Choose to cool off with a Matcha Kulfi from Parsi Dairy Farm, a rich, creamy, earthy delight made with absolutely zero preservatives. Or head to Copetto Scoops for a scoop of authentic Italian gelato. A little bit of Italy, a lot of summer joy. Either way, dessert is non-negotiable and we made sure that the tradition sticks.
The summer home table
Because the Cosmo girl's style extends to every corner of her life, here’s a little something to spruce up the dining area of your abode. P•TAL is a purpose-led brand working with India's UNESCO-listed metal artisans (the thatheras of Punjab) to create timeless, functional cookware in brass, copper, and bronze. Handcrafted using age-old techniques and honouring the principles of Ayurveda, P•TAL ensures that a copper matka isn't just a kitchen piece this summer, instead it's slow living, made beautiful.
On your playlist this summer
Here are some of the hottest tracks that everyone's been listening to on repeat with this summer.
Opalite by Taylor Swift
Man I Need by Olivia Dean
I Just Might by Bruno Mars
Tit For Tat by Tate Mcrae
Yukon by Justin Bieber
Where Is My Husband! by Raye
When Did You Get Hot? by Sabrina Carpenter
Gone Gone Gone by David Guetta, Teddy Swims & Tones And I
Aperture by Harry Styles
Chanel by Tyla
Binge list: what to stream this season
Because hot girl summer also happens on the couch. Between the beach days and the brunches, you're going to need something to stream. Here's what's been holding everyone hostage this season.
The Night Agent (Season 3, Netflix): The thriller that refuses to let you sleep is back for another adrenaline-fuelled run.
Paradise (Season 2, Hulu): It just delivered a season finale that people cannot stop talking about. Start from the beginning if you haven't already.
Industry (Season 4, HBO Max): The sharpest, most Machiavellian show on television keeps reinventing itself, and this season with Kit Harington is extraordinary.
Bridgerton (Season 5, Netflix): The diamonds are back, the dresses are divine, and the romance is as delicious as ever. Essential on the summer viewing list.
The Lincoln Lawyer (Season 4, Netflix): Slick, smart, and wildly bingeable. Your weekend is already sorted.
Lead image: Pexels
Also read: Tickets first, life later: How concerts are rewriting our plans