Summer Sidebar

Summertime is all about effortless fashion delivered with a surgical strike to details. We've chosen a selection of unisex trends and items that are guaranteed to throw off a shimmering heat wave.

Below the knee-length for men
Designers have reinvented the lightweight men's knee-length short to suggest a new summer cool. British designer Kim Jones draws on his rich history as a sportswear designer with a versatile collection. A straight and not-so-narrow pair of white shorts complement any summer tan, while a navy blue offering uses a drawstring, a folding front flap, and elastic bottoms to capture the bell-like silhouette usually reserved for women, yet keeps it definitively masculine. Japanese designer Takahiro Miyashita and his Number (N)ine label follow a similar line, but with decidedly different results. Cut a little tighter than Jones' designs, Miyashita offers salt-and-pepper drawstring cargos. Unfinished bottoms imbue them with nonchalance, making them the perfect shorts for travel and navigating summer days (and nights). In his vivid style, Dries Van Noten adds some color with pale yellow shorts and hallucinatory, dreamy floral prints, while American designer John Varvatos gets dirty with a messy, moss-green, distressed version. Rick Owens also tackles the scruffy look, producing a rumpled, super-soft gray and black version that feels like the softest t-shirt. For a more traditional look, check out Filippa K's straight lines and Hussein Chalayan's refined edges.

Specs
It wouldn't be summer without a hot pair of fresh sunglasses. Fabulous Fanny's has a terrific selection of vintage men's and women's eye-poppers. Speaking of vintage, Linda Farrow and British label Reiss have teamed up to deliver a collaborative collection of '70s-inspired stunners. Meanwhile, Tom Ford and Jack Spade also look to the past for their masculine inspiration. Available at Saks, Ford's Cary, part of his inaugural line, recalls the most famous male Cary: Cary Grant. Spade's Chad, meanwhile, invokes images of a young Truman Capote sitting on the beach, book in lap, eyes peering out at the flesh-colored offerings. Also a classic, Ray-Ban's Wayfarer continues to be a rehabilitated bestseller for both genders. And for good reason: the simple, functional shape fits nearly every face, giving the wearer a casual, edgy, and refined air. Chloé's oversized shades look as good on a beach bunny as a tan. Meanwhile, Louis Vuitton's statement shades sport an attention-grabbing gold emblem on the side, and a yellow-and-black checkered interior.

Pauric Sweeney
Britain-based bag designer Pauric Sweeney has one of the hottest unisex lines at the moment. Speak to the sales staff at Bergdorf's or Curve in New York, or Brown's in London, and they'll attest to the success of the label's supple, luxurious leather handbags. This season, the architecture-trained visionary makes a marked departure from last summer's lavish, skins-heavy looks to bring us a truly volatile piece. Rather than merely replicate the street-ready, Palestine-inspired scarves seen everywhere, Sweeney's must-have unisex carrier sets the zig-zag motif of the scarf on a base color of subtle citrine with black top-stitching, contrasted by heavy caramel-colored, hand-wrought leather.

Carmina Campus
Carmina Campus bags prove that everything old is new again. The brainchild of Ilaria Venturini Fendi, Carmina Campus transforms so-called waste — PVC pipe, garden shades, and waterproof cloth — into one-of-a-kind carryalls. Fendi, whose famous design family knows a thing or two about bags, has dedicated the company not only to supporting recycling and zero-impact business practices, but also to researching new methods to help save our delicate planet. And the eco-friendly fun doesn't stop there. Each bag is lined in vintage fabrics from the world over, a detail indicative of both the company's aesthetic and its social mission. Carmina Campus wholeheartedly (and quite stylishly) supports the international fight for women's rights: a portion of sales from some of its bags, including the structured, Africa-inspired Baobag, will be donated to the Italian women's group AIDOS. Saving the planet and its wonderful women never looked so good. Available at L'Eclaireur in Paris and Rome's Massimo Degli Effetti.

Gladiator Sandal
Gladiator sandals endure the change of style seasons with the strength of 1,000 men. Chanel has t-strap fever, offering a stunning pair of flat metallic gladiators in python. Balenciaga's Nicolas Ghesquière conquered alligator, covering his luxurious creations in silver and gold studs. The designer also broke some barriers by combining the wedge and the gladiator — a shoe for the more diehard fashionista. Not to mention being the ideal antidote to those ubiquitous Tory Burch flats. For men, Raf Simons offers two varieties: an over-the-foot crisscross, or the more traditional — but inexhaustible — quad-strap. A pair in white leather will undoubtedly rally the sartorial soldiers. Marni offers the sandal envisioned as a loafer: the low ankle-cut allows more movement, while the toe and side swaths offer protection from the hot sand — or concrete, depending on the battlefield. Those of you looking for more foot freedom, however, may want to look into the label's bi-strap with t-strap.

Nike/Junya Watanabe
As the weather gets warmer, jogs outside become more frequent. But if your running shoes need to be replaced and those overly designed, futuristic-looking models that preach optimum performance don't strike your fancy, then the Junya Watanabe collection for Vintage Nike Running might be the answer. The purposely imperfect models, such as the Oregon Waffle, the Cortez, the Waffle Racer, and the Daybreak, look as if they've been worn for 30 years. These kicks made their debut on Junya Watanabe's runway in Paris in July 2006, and they will be available in the US beginning June 8th.

TASMANIAN RAIN
Off the southeastern coast of Australia lies Tasmania, famously the namesake and home of the Tasmanian devil. But this summer, the island will no longer be known just for its ferocious marsupial, but also for its bottled water: TASMANIAN RAIN. The island is said to have the best air quality in the world, and the makers of TASMANIAN RAIN have collected the island's rainwater, supposedly "nine times purer" than many brands on the market, in svelte glass containers. So if you're looking to quench your thirst, try this wholesome yet haute H2O. In the last few months, the trendy water has become the drink of choice for the "it" set. Get set for a downpour this summer.

-Andrew Belonsky and Robert Cordero