Some items of clothing immediately evoke a certain place or style.  The moment I laid eyes on this semi-sheer lightweight cotton top from NYDJ, I thought of a weekend in the Hamptons.  Paired with a crisp cotton poplin midi skirt in pink, this top would lean in to its upscale preppy inclinations.  But this weekend, when the heat and humidity descended onto NYC all at once, I needed to style it for a day in the hot city instead.

First off, I passed on the cami layer I’d wear in a more buttoned-up setting, letting the breezy fabric help me stay even cooler.  The material is opaque enough that I wasn’t scandalizing anyone anyways.  I added a favorite pair of cutoffs (from the sadly now-defunct brand Harper & Liv), both for practical temperature reasons and because I love the contrast with this relatively prim top.  A good pair of cutoff denim shorts is essential for any summer wardrobe, so I’ve rounded up some of the best available now below:

I love the open eyelet detailing on the sleeves of this top, which was a gift from Katie Sturino of the 12ish Style and NYDJ.  It is only available in straight sizes (I’m in the XL), but there are fun lightweight shirting options in plus from NYDJ as well, like this one with pretty tonal embroidered detailing.

My exaggerated cat-eye sunglasses and chrome-finish mules completed the downtown look.

As the day wore on and the sun dipped lower in the sky, it was still absurdly hot in the streets of Soho, so I am very glad I was wearing something lightweight and cool.  The whole day was a great reminder that you can always look beyond the obvious style of a garment and put your own spin on it.

Outfit details:

Lightweight cotton top: NYDJ

Cutoff shorts: Harper & Liv (similar)

Sunglasses: Arizona (on sale for $9.99!)

Silver mules: Attention (also on sale for $9.99!)