The 8-Piece Summer Capsule Wardrobe

A summer capsule is easier than a full-year one, because the heat does the editing for you. nicole narrows it to eight pieces, heavy on linen and white, that recombine into most of a season.

The eight pieces

• White tank tops. The workhorse layer: under a linen shirt, solo with denim, tucked or loose.
• Linen pants. Airy and forgiving in the heat, dressy enough to leave the house in five minutes.
• A knit tank. A little texture for evenings that cool off, so summer nights are covered too.
• Linen trousers. A sharper cut than the relaxed pair, ready for dinner or the office in July.
• Jean shorts. The off-duty anchor that keeps the edit from reading too polished.
• White t-shirts. The reset button of any capsule, and doubly so in summer.
• A mini dress. One throw-on-and-go piece for the days you do not want to think.
• A linen button-down. Open over a tank, closed and tucked, or as a beach cover-up: three looks from one shirt.

Here is the freeing part: most closets already hold four or five of these. A summer capsule is less a shopping list and more an editing job.

Watch nicole's run-through, then build your own eight in the app and shop only what is actually missing.