11 Foolproof, Vintage-Inspired Summer Outfit Ideas

Lately, we’ve been looking to the past for ways to deal with the present. Those of us who were too busy for family meals pre-coronavirus are now cooking at home more than ever. We’re scheduling long, leisurely phone calls; we’re writing letters (with a pen and paper and everything!); we’re planting our own gardens, even in New York (my colleague Steff Yotka set hers up on the fire escape). There’s something comforting about these slower, deliberately low-tech habits, perhaps because they help us feel connected to the past. These are things our parents and grandparents did—and the activities feel a lot more stimulating than a mindless Instagram scroll.

The past is resonating in fashion, too; look no further than Vogue Runway’s “Past/Present” series for proof. Revisiting fashion from decades ago reminds us of a time before the pandemic, before our lives were so dependent on technology and when fashion was a much smaller, slower industry. As we look ahead to summer—though many of us will still be in quarantine—we’re feeling inspired by vintage Vogue photos and outfits that seem to have more staying power than flashy, disposable trends.

It isn’t a surprise that some of our favorite looks are quite simple, too: Christy Turlington in a sundress and sandals, Claudia Schiffer in a tank, trousers, and sneakers. They’re the kinds of summer outfit ideas we’d like to recreate on warmer days: simple, but not lacking personality. Below, we’ve broken them down into easy, three- or four-step “formulas,” edited by Vogue’s market editor Madeline Fass. Shop all 11 of her foolproof summer outfit ideas below.