After more than eight years of living in New York City, I’ve learned that warm weather here doesn’t ease in—it fakes you out. There’s a brief stretch of “fake spring,” with a few teasing days of spring temperatures, and then suddenly, it’s full-blown summer—no transition, no adjustment period, just heat and humidity hitting all at once.

For years, I made the same mistake: investing in a spring wardrobe I barely had time to wear instead of preparing for NYC’s long summer. But in 2026, I’m changing that. I’m building my summer wardrobe now—and it starts with rethinking my bottoms.