A woman in a gold satin jacket next to a turquoise gathered handbag, and a tennis ball with 'Kate' printed on it.

Jess Cartner-Morley’s July style essentials: statement jackets, happy stripes and the chicest white T-shirt

Whether it’s a brilliant beach towel or the perfect party bag, our fashion expert’s monthly edit is full of summer winners

The best summer sandals for men and women

Summer arrived with a bang in that heatwave, right? And it’s the World Cup. And Wimbledon. And nearly the end of term. Which means: it’s time to have fun.

Welcome to my secret shopping list for July: high-street treasures to snap up, an upgrade on the classic white T-shirt, a perfect wedding-party handbag and a towel to elevate your beach basket. Get them while it’s hot!

Marilyn Monroe bookmark

National Portrait GalleryMarilyn Monroe, 1962 by Allan Grant leather bookmark£5£5 at National Portrait Gallery gift shop

Marilyn Monroe leather bookmark

Marilyn Monroe leather bookmark

£5 at National Portrait Gallery gift shop

I love a nice bookmark. So pleasing. The best fiver I spent recently was on this leather one from the fabulous Marilyn show currently on at London’s National Portrait Gallery, with images from an Allan Grant contact sheet. A sliver of glamour to tuck between the pages of your sunlounger novel.

National Portrait GalleryMarilyn Monroe, 1962 by Allan Grant leather bookmark£5£5 at National Portrait Gallery gift shop

The White CompanyTide Stripe beach towel£35£35 at the White Company

The White Company Tide Stripe Beach Towel

Tide Stripe beach towel

£35 at the White Company

The White Company is so good: simple, timeless design, great fabrics. Affordable, and it feels luxurious. This fluffy striped towel will bring a snazzy Amalfi-coast-beach-club vibe, even if you’re sunbathing in the back garden. I also like the look of these beach towels from another new-fave homeware brand, Westwing, which are the same price.

The White CompanyTide Stripe beach towel£35£35 at the White Company

New balls please

Anya HindmarchSet of 3 personalised tennis balls£35£35 at Anya Hindmarch

Anya Hindmarch set of 3 personalised tennis balls

Set of 3 personalised tennis balls

£35 at Anya Hindmarch

Celebrate Wimbledon fortnight with personalised tennis balls for the top seed in your life. A sweet and useful gift for anyone who plays. Anya Hindmarch is such a joy; I sometimes window shop her site to cheer myself up with all the jolly things. (I’m trying very hard to resist the retro allure of her Malibu raffia clutch bag.)

Anya HindmarchSet of 3 personalised tennis balls£35£35 at Anya Hindmarch

A high-street jacket that looks like vintage couture

ZaraMarisa Berenson x Zara voluminous jacket£139£139 at Zara

Marisa Berenson x Zara voluminous jacket

Marisa Berenson x Zara voluminous jacket

Marisa Berenson, 1970s supermodel and granddaughter of Elsa Schiaparelli, has done a collection for Zara and it’s a corker. I’m in love with the caped puffball evening jacket. I’ve put my name on the waiting list for the insect place name holders (four for £39.99 and very Schiaparelli) and the decorative artichoke is frankly a bargain at £9.99, but the trophy piece is this diva-worthy, feather-trim, tangerine-hued evening blouse (£119).

ZaraMarisa Berenson x Zara voluminous jacket£139£139 at Zara

Everyone will be wearing: a PE teacher jacket

Free PeopleHalf-zip windbreaker£158£158 at Free People

Free People half-zip windbreaker

Half-zip windbreaker

£158 at Free People

The jacket your secondary school PE teacher wore is the new Paris fashion week trophy jacket. See: Charli xcx in Saint Laurent’s Cassandre cropped windbreaker (£2,200; now out of stock). Very practical and now also very cool. My favourite at non-Saint Laurent prices is this Free People number. Accessorise with sunglasses rather than a whistle and a lanyard.

Free PeopleHalf-zip windbreaker£158£158 at Free People

A party bag

DollisOccasion bag£75£75 at Dollis

Dollis occasion bag in aqua blue

Occasion bag

£75 at Dollis

So my issue with bags is this: either they’re too big and I’m endlessly rummaging like a fox in a bin, or they’re so small that I have to decide whether to take my keys or my lip balm because I can’t fit both. The Dollis occasion bag is small enough to dance with, but the drawstring closure means you can fit a surprising amount inside. A tiny bit retro, a whole lot cute. Handmade by a small London brand, in delicious shades of silk.

DollisOccasion bag£75£75 at Dollis

A white T-shirt but better

CosFolded-shoulder cotton-jersey tank top£35£35 at Cos

Cos Folded-shoulder T-shirt.

Folded-shoulder T-shirt

What can be better than a plain white T-shirt, you ask? This one. The neckline is classic crew, but the shoulder is slightly extended, and stiffened with a double layer of cotton. If regular T-shirts look meh on you, try this. It has an effortless, just-threw-on-a-T-shirt vibe but with an extra je ne sais quoi.

CosFolded-shoulder cotton-jersey tank top£35£35 at Cos

The return of the happy stripe

GapMulti stripe crop knitted vest topfrom £30£30 at Gap£30 at Next

Gap multi-stripe crop knitted vest top

Happy Stripe tank

£30 at Gap
£30 at Next

Hands up who remembers the Gap Happy Stripe Christmas jumpers of the early aughts? I was obsessed with mine. And now the grandaddy of dopamine dressing is back, as a summer racer-back tank, in fine-knit cotton crochet.

GapMulti stripe crop knitted vest topfrom £30£30 at Gap£30 at Next

For more, read the best sunglasses for men and women with UV protection

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