Refinery29’s May picks channel coastal grandmother style for summer refresh

The May bulletin is giving summer, but make it quiet

Refinery29 Loves works because it cuts through the noise. The monthly bulletin is built around the best things to shop and see in fashion and beauty right now, and for May it lands exactly when wardrobes start craving air, ease, and a little polish. This is not about chasing the loudest trend on the feed. It is about the pieces that make getting dressed feel cleaner, cooler, and far more expensive-looking in real life.

That is why coastal grandmother makes such a strong frame here. The aesthetic was coined by Lex Nicoleta in a TikTok video in March 2022, and it exploded fast, pulling in over a billion views that same year. But the reason it still matters is simpler than virality: it translates into clothes people actually wear, not costumes for a fantasy dockside lunch.

Why coastal grandmother still reads as smart, not stale

Refinery29 has already described the look as seasonless and built around the three C’s: classic, comfortable, and chic. That combination is exactly what keeps it from feeling like a one-note trend. The best version of coastal grandmother is not about dressing like a Nancy Meyers character in full cosplay. It is about taking the ease of that world, then stripping out anything too precious.

The reference points are clear: Nancy Meyers films, Diane Keaton in *Something’s Gotta Give*, white button-downs, silk overshirts, linen, cozy knits, bucket hats, and other beachy, understated staples. That wardrobe has staying power because it never screams for attention. It whispers money, ease, and good taste, which is still the loudest flex in the room.

The pieces that make the look work in real life

The smartest part of a late-spring shopping edit like this is how well it maps onto the coastal grandmother code. Matching sets are doing the heavy lifting here, especially the breezy kind that look pulled together without feeling rigid. A soft linen top with a matching skirt or relaxed trouser has that Manhattan-to-Hamptons energy without tipping into resort wear.

What matters most is texture and cut. Linen should look lightly rumpled, not stiff. A white button-down should fall away from the body, not cling. Silk overshirts, cozy knits, and easy separates all work because they create movement, which is what keeps the outfit feeling relaxed instead of styled within an inch of its life.

The coastal grandmother checklist, translated for summer

The core wardrobe here is simple, and that is the point:

• White button-downs with enough room to breathe
• Silk overshirts that catch the light without looking flashy
• Linen pieces that feel crisp but not precious
• Cozy knits for cool mornings and air-conditioned evenings
• Bucket hats and other soft accessories that keep the silhouette unfussy

These are the kinds of items that make a summer wardrobe feel intentional. They also photograph well without looking overproduced, which is probably why the aesthetic keeps moving from trend cycle to wardrobe shorthand. It is a very specific kind of polish, the kind that says you know where you are going, even if you are just running to pick up coffee before a ferry.

Refinery29’s shopping format is part of the appeal

The appeal of Refinery29 Loves is that it turns a broad shopping moment into something easy to scan. Instead of asking readers to decode a giant mood board, it packages editor-approved finds into a late-spring list with real utility. In May 2025, the installment was updated on May 28, which tells you exactly how this series tends to behave: it is late enough in the month to feel current, but early enough to catch readers before the season fully hardens into summer.

That timing matters. By late spring, most people are not shopping for fantasy outfits. They are looking for the pieces that smooth out the week, the sort of matching set or breezy separate that can go from city errands to a weekend by the water without a costume change. That is the sweet spot where coastal grandmother stops being a reference and starts being a way to get dressed.

The real trick is restraint

The strongest coastal grandmother outfits are never overloaded. They lean on clean lines, soft structure, and accessories that finish the look instead of competing with it. If the clothes feel too slick, they lose the ease. If they feel too trend-chasing, they lose the point.

That is why the best warm-weather picks in this lane should always look slightly lived-in, but still considered. A matching set in a pale neutral. A linen shirt worn open over a tank. A bucket hat that reads practical instead of ironic. Add just enough polish, and suddenly the whole thing feels like a summer routine you would happily repeat all season.