As we enter the final chapter of summer, I’m starting to think about the small but strategic swaps that will take my wardrobe from high summer into early autumn. I’m not quite ready to retire my linen dresses and sandals just yet, but I am craving pieces with a little more longevity—and naturally, Zara was my first port of call.

One scroll through the new-in section confirmed that the retailer is in exactly the same mindset. Pretty blouses are plentiful, and are the kind you can wear with shorts now before switching to jeans and tailored trousers when temperatures drop. I also tried the much-talked-about frog-fastening blouse, which I’m planning to wear with satin shorts on holiday before styling it with denim back in London.

Speaking of denim, Zara has seriously delivered this season. Great-fitting jeans make up a sizeable part of the collection, spanning classic blue washes, summery ecru and silhouettes that feel polished enough to wear well into autumn. Elsewhere, jackets are quietly creeping back into the new-in section, with funnel-neck shapes and heritage checks offering the first hint of the season ahead.

Of course, with another heatwave on the horizon, I’m certainly not abandoning summer dressing altogether. Linen dresses, lightweight separates and easy warm-weather staples still deserve their place in my wardrobe, which is precisely why this latest Zara drop feels so well timed. These are pieces you can wear right now, but crucially, won’t feel redundant the moment September arrives.

Keep scrolling to see the Zara pieces I tried on—and the ones I’d genuinely recommend adding to your wardrobe.

Shop Zara’s Chic Collection