Maayan Zilberman is visual artist living in New York with her husband and seven-year old daughter, Freddie, and a regular contributor to the M Dash. She has her own Substack called Red is Best, where she dives deep into fashion and beauty, and daily on her IG channel @maayan.zilberman.

The last time we met, I shared a little more about how I’m dressing for a night out in my 40s. (You might recall I don’t subscribe to “dressing for my age”, the older I get the younger I like to feel) I’m back to share a little more about how I’m approaching my wardrobe this summer and I’m going to start with something a bit controversial: You do not need a capsule wardrobe to get you through the summer. I don’t believe in limiting myself with clothes, and neither should you.

What you need instead is a base of styles that feel great to wear, are made to last, and fit your body properly. These pieces will be your anchor points so you feel more like yourself no matter what you’re wearing. Every time you check in, you’re still YOU.

At the start of every new season, I ask myself two questions: How do I want to feel? And how do I want to present myself? There is a distinction here: I think that as women, we don’t ever really know how we look; what we experience is a projection of how we feel inside.

Even if you only think about this question in the shower, I think it’s important to take a moment to identify it for yourself, and your answer will change depending on the season you’re in.

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The last few summers I travelled a bunch with my daughter, but this season I’m working on some really interesting creative projects alongside educators and scholars, and I want to show up with real respect for the work we’re doing together. So my answer this summer is that I want to present myself as clean, sharp, focused, and professional. I don’t want to be the one “artist” in the room, I’d like to feel aligned with my collaborators. I like to imagine that if we were to take a group photo, we each have our own style but we’re in harmony with one another.

How I approached these looks

So if you’re not leaning on a capsule, once you’ve identified how you want to feel, how do you translate that to how you want to present? I wanted to share an approach I was so into in my early years in NYC, when I was just learning how to dress for different situations. Back then I was inspired by Donna Karan’s Seven Easy Pieces philosophy, or in more recent years, one that Miuccia Prada has really championed. Miuccia will never use the word capsule, but she does present a lot of skirts in her collections, and clarifies backstage most seasons that these are the backbone of her wardrobe. For any of us who aren’t as into pants or jeans (me), I’ve always looked to this Prada mentality as a means of building on easy pieces. As working women, we are incredibly busy, we have active social lives, and we don’t have the time to spend agonizing over what we’re wearing each morning. The media is always trying to get us to subscribe to this “capsule” idea so we give ourselves rules. But I say: lose the rules, this is a “base.” You don’t need to lean on a capsule that keeps your style in a neat little ultra-optimized box in order to find a formula that works for you, and to feel really great about what you’re wearing.

Here are a few of my new favorite summer looks to help inspire you to explore this new way of thinking.

LOOK 1

The first two looks I put together for this piece are suits anchored by my beloved Bia Pleated Trousers. I really love the idea of suits being a mainstay in my summer rotation; they’re as easy as putting on a dress because the suit IS the outfit. In this first look, which is inspired by my favorite Ralph Lauren summer looks of the 90s, I styled the Bias with another of my favorite silhouettes, the O’Hara Blazer, both in M.M.’s magic Everyday Crepe fabric, just released in a chic ivory for summer. Everyday Crepe is super light so I can layer it without overheating, and it stays crisp and polished. I love how the jacket is unstructured, it tells people I’m serious but not stuffy.

I actually could not believe it when I first heard this, but, guys: This suit is machine washable. This is a major, major thing. A suit you love but fear is a suit you never wear. This one? Jacket and trousers go straight into the wash. The trousers are also half-lined to the knee, which means you can wear whatever underwear you feel like. Many of you know I used to work in the lingerie business, so underwear is very important to me- these pants are basically a miracle.

Last thing: After years running a lingerie company (The Lake & Stars), I’ve put on every bra that exists. What I’ve learned is that the right bra is one that you love so much, you never worry about it showing. Currently, my answer is this Skims Fits Everybody triangle bralette, and I’m wearing it here as both a bra and a cheeky layer. If it looks good with a jacket open over it, that bra is for you. Get it in every color and stop thinking about it.

I don’t want you agonizing one more minute about what bra to wear with an open blazer this summer.

LOOK 2

These are the same Bia Trousers as in the ivory look (my base!), but in a more structured jacquard. I’m 5’ 4”, so most pants I buy need to be hemmed. The fabrics here drape differently even though the style is the same, so the hem fell in a different spot as a result. A good tailor will already know this, but it’s a good reminder. Also a good reminder? Bring the shoes you’re planning to wear with each pant to get the hem correct.

Here, I’ve paired the Bias with the more structured Rossi Blazer in a rich, coordinating shade of blue. One of the styling tenets I swear by: Don’t match, coordinate; your looks will become a lot more interesting. I’ve draped this chic Inoui scarf and secured it with the belt to pull the whole look together. Make sure the belt is in proportion to the print of your scarf: small print, larger belt- large print, skinnier belt.

I love styling with scarves, but I’m not ever going to learn how to tie it like my mother did, which is fine! Styled this way, the suit stops reading as “super corporate”, and transitions easily into an evening look, while remaining still totally appropriate for your noon meeting. This is another one I feel is quite Ralph Lauren inspired; my former intern Lily is now in-house styling there, and she co-signed this one for me! Michael Rider (formerly at RL) is now at Celine, and these runway references are what inspired me with this look.

LOOK 3

The instinct when it’s hot is to just take everything off and wear a spaghetti strap dress, right? But the more educated we are about sun exposure and what it does to skin over time, the less I want to be uncovered all day, so I’m looking for lightweight fabrics to cover up with instead.

I started with a sleeveless dress as the base of this look. The obvious solution with a dress like that is to layer a jacket or cardigan over it, but I don’t want to be tempted to take my jacket off. A more interesting way of addressing that instead is to layer with a lightweight cotton shirt; here I’ve chosen the Zaid.

What makes this styling work is that it’s a little bit undone: think, Italian Riviera vibes. You’re channeling Sophia Loren. This is how you translate specific runway looks to real life: It’s not about recreating the whole look, it’s about finding the elements that make you say: I want to feel like that. Here, I was inspired by the feeling I got looking at Prada’s spring/summer 2013 show where they presented open neck dresses that were slightly twisted at the neckline; not disheveled but just sliding a little off the shoulder. Styled this way, the layers read as a single garment, and the entire look moves with you. (Also: Do not forget to push up your sleeves!).

Again, don’t worry if your bra is showing, I promise. It’s very Italian.

LOOK 4

Here’s another look where I started with a dress as a base, in this case the Carla dress, and I layered the Zosia cardigan underneath it, using the same logic as in the prior look. The best way to style a floral this bold is to treat it like a neutral. When the pattern is even and strong enough in its scale like you see here, your eye doesn’t read it as a print – it reads it as a solid. Think about it the same way you would an animal print, where the pattern becomes the ground and that means you can pair it with almost anything. Same principle here! A practical note on fit: there’s an elastic panel in the back of this dress; I normally wear a 6 or an 8, and I’m in a 4 here because of the elastic.

This is a very feminine look, but it is not precious or prissy. Precious and prissy equals afraid. Ladies: We are not dressing led by fear, we are dressing with confidence and humor. These are things I want all women to hear, because if you hear it, you’ll keep saying it to yourself, and then that becomes how you feel, this season and in every one that follows.

I’d also like to politely remind all of us that a cardigan styled buttoned up over a dress very easily locks us into a closed off version of our stylish selves, so let’s avoid this pairing.

LOOK 5

I’m taking a lot of meetings in air conditioned spaces right now, and this look is my solution for a summer suit that can handle the air conditioning. I started with the Mela skirt as my base, and coordinated with this texturally interesting eyelet knit Katana polo top. I coordinated with the O’Hara blazer because I love the boxy shape so much.

The most important element of this look is the jewelry. I like to wear bold jewelry, and I don’t shy away from doing that in the summer. These particular vintage brooches are very special to me; they’ve been with me through so many chapters of my life, and they become conversation pieces when I wear them. They’re also a bit unexpected in a professional setting. I like the idea of using jewelry to project a certain air of insouciance, like I have plans later. I’m always walking into meetings where people ask, oh, do you have something after this? And I’m like: no. I dressed for you. But I think it’s a subconscious thing people tap into, where it’s clear you are a busy person with a full life. Jewelry can really speak volumes!

I’m going to be very real with you on sizing here: I’m wearing this skirt a few sizes up from my usual 4 or 6 here because the fabric has no stretch, and it’s cut quite straight. I know that seeing different numbers than you are used to on tags can really mess with you. But that number is not a measure of your self-worth: It is a reflection of how the garment was constructed. Ignore the tag. Whatever fits you well is the right thing to wear.

LOOK 6

Okay so real talk: I sometimes have to hide the Jordan pants, which are the anchor of this look, from myself so I don’t wear them every single day. They’re a pull-on elastic waist Ponte pant that feel like pajamas, but look like a gorgeous wide-leg trouser. I’ve worn them to site visits, to Broadway shows, to dinners; I’ve styled them with sneakers or with heels (I had them hemmed because I’m short!). They are truly my secret weapon, all-season pants. I’m probably wearing them now when you read this.

I’ve styled them here with the Aliza Vest in OrigamiTech for a bold, sporty look inspired by 90’s and early 2000’s Prada Sport. The whole thing stays super professional because of the clean neckline, and what takes it into next-level coolness is the belt, to give the whole thing a military-inspired chicness. Origamitech is another secret weapon fabric: it remains incredibly polished all day because it’s wrinkle resistant, and it also happens to be quite easy care: just toss it in the wash. This is a look that I feel like I could wear if you were to say to me: We’re leaving right now to go upstate for the weekend, and you don’t have time to pack a bag. Boom, I’m already ready to go. I’ll grab my bag.

And on that note: My bag choice here was intentional. It’s also a techy satin fabric, which plays off the texture of the OrigamiTech vest; it also adds a bit of humor! It makes you double take. Reminder: It’s the summertime, and we cannot take ourselves too seriously. We want to embrace lightness, this look does that really well.

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