I Never Once Thought About Knits for Summer—Now They're All I Wear

Trust me on this one.

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Brooke Ely Danielson wearing light knits
(Image credit: Brooke Ely Danielson)

All of a sudden, I've fallen in love with knits. I have to admit—knitted fabric was never among my summer wardrobe go-tos, maybe for obvious reasons. It's like I got bit by some fashion bug of sorts, but I'm not mad about it. Now, not only am I incorporating knit pieces into my wardrobe, I'm actively building outfits around them. The other day I was out enjoying the sun and stumbled upon the cutest crochet jacket from Mango. An inexpensive purchase, this jacket feels and looks luxe, a total win for me.

Brooke Ely Danielson wears a crochet jacket for summer with nothing underneath

(Image credit: Brooke Ely Danielson)

Beyond crochet—which isn't technically a knitted fabric, but for the sake of this story I'll consider it one—I'm super into knit tanks at the moment. Several have made their way into my “staples pile," since they're so easy to throw on with trousers, summer denim pants, shorts, slip skirts, or any summer skirt.

I've also been gravitating towards full knit sets. My absolute favorite in rotation: the Ulla Johnson Paulina Skirt and Koa top. You can find this set in black and also a lovely ivory (which I'm packing with me for every summer getaway). The black I wore in Lake Como last summer, and whatever you think about black in the summer, I loved the look and felt chic.

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Brooke Ely Danielson styles a knit tank for summer

(Image credit: Brooke Ely Danielson)

Mirror selfie of Brooke Ely Danielson styling a black knit set for summer

(Image credit: Brooke Ely Danielson)

Brooke Ely Danielson models a black knit set while in Lake Como

(Image credit: Brooke Ely Danielson)

I also own the Ulla Johnson set in white. The top is cute with jeans.

Brooke Ely Danielson styles the top half of a knit set with jeans

(Image credit: Brooke Ely Danielson)

In an effort to dress up properly when leaving the house (ciao, workout clothes for errands!) I like to throw on a knit tank with a summer skirt and a mule.

Brooke Ely Danielson models a summer look in shades of brown featuring a knit tank

(Image credit: Brooke Ely Danielson)

Brooke Ely Danielson wears a brown knit tank with a satin skirt and Celine woven bag

(Image credit: Brooke Ely Danielson)

Knits Tanks I Love

Crochet Pieces I Love

Brooke Ely Danielson
Brooke Ely Danielson
Contributing Editor

Brooke has held editorial positions at Shape, Glamour, and Vogue, as well as contributed to In Style, Well + Good, Mind Body Green and Aspen Magazine. Brooke has also consulted for several brands, including Aztech Mountain and Tory Burch. Brooke has also made on-air appearances on the TODAY show, Fox5 among other media outlets while in her role as the Fashion & Lifestyle Director at Shape magazine. She runs the Substack 12 Seeds.