Something a lot of people don’t realise about me is that I work remotely—from Scotland in fact—so every time I come to London for work, I make sure to pay close attention to the outfits I see as I go about my days in the capital. Fresh off my latest three-day visit, I was impressed at just how many key summer trends I saw stylish Londoners wearing during my time there. Truly, they’re some of the best dressers, not just in the UK, but in all of Europe!
While I could write about its iconic style for hours on end, instead, I’m going to focus my energy on charting the five summer fashion trends I kept seeing over and over across London. Between a day out at Wimbledon (which, yes, was incredible) to heading to the Who What Wear offices in central, I covered a lot of ground, but these trends were the ones that seemed to follow me everywhere I went. This might, however, be unsurprising when you see them, for they are some of the most versatile and, by proxy, most appealing of the season.
So, whether you live in the capital and are keen to ensure your outfits are up-to-date or reside elsewhere and are inspired to emulate the looks of those in the big smoke, scroll on to see and shop the five London summer fashion trends that matter most in 2024.
5 Summer Fashion Trends Taking Over London This Season
1. Simple Linen Minidresses
Style Notes: Of all the dress trends to choose from this summer, London fashion people are taking things back to basics with simple linen minidresses. Inject some personality by way of an interesting shoe choice (boots are a vibe, as are trainers) or some unique jewellery.
Shop the Trend:
COS
Square-Neck Mini Pinafore Dress
free-est
Full of Sunshine Cotton-Linen Mini
Abercrombie & Fitch
Linen-Blend Shift Mini Dress
Reformation
Jessi Linen Dress
2. Jorts
Style Notes: London embraces ’90s trends like no other city, so it should come as no surprise that it was one of the first places to embrace the return of jorts this summer. I saw so many stylish jorts outfits when I was in the capital this week but this look, featuring a Loewe vest and A.emery sandals, is hard to top.
Shop the Trend:
H&M
Bermuda Baggy High Denim Shorts
Reformation
Raye Mid Rise Denim Jorts
& Other Stories
Relaxed Denim Shorts
Whistles
Raya Longline Denim Short
3. Colourful Linen Shirts
Style Notes: London is a city obsessed with shirts, be they blue-striped Oxfords or white cotton button-ups. However, with temperatures beginning to rise, linen is fast becoming the material of choice—I saw countless looks featuring bright linen shirts that somehow looked polished and relaxed in equal measure.
Shop the Trend:
With Nothing Underneath
The Boyfriend Shirt in Linen Cardinal Red
M&S Collection
Pure Linen Collared Relaxed Shirt
H&M
Oversized Linen Shirt
4. Minimal Wedge Mules
Style Notes: I really need to take the time to document all the summer shoe trends I saw on the streets of London properly but, for now, I’ll leave you with the most popular, and perhaps the most surprising. Minimal, demi wedges were the shoe of choice at Wimbledon, which tells me this is the shoe London fashion people are turning to when they want to look stylish. Much easier to walk in than skinny heels, I get why they’re a thing for those commuting in the capital.
Shop the Trend:
MANGO
Metallic Heel Sandals
EMME PARSONS
Suede Wedge Sandals
ST. AGNI
Leather Wedge Sandals
Reformation
Emilia Wedge Sandal
5. Full Cotton Skirts
Style Notes: I definitely saw more full, cotton skirts than I did jeans during my latest visit to London, a revelation that becomes all the more surprising when I tell you it was pouring one day. Another thing to note is that most of the full skirt outfits I saw were styled with waistcoats, just like Karina Marriott has chosen to do here. Elegant and fashionable, this is a formidable outfit pairing I can’t wait to re-create.
Shop the Trend:
Free People
Lowen Midi Skirt
FAITHFULL THE BRAND
Baia Cotton Maxi Skirt
Free People
Bubble Bliss Skirt