Summer wardrobe in Transit
6:30 Trains, Blazers in Bike Baskets
Two women, two cities, two different commutes—and one shared goal: looking sharp without sacrificing comfort.
We (Ewelina & ) live in two corners of Europe - Copenhagen and Germany - where summer workwear means navigating early trains, long bike rides, unpredictable weather, and the never-ending quest for the right shoes. This is a peek inside our wardrobes, our weekday rituals, and the real pieces we reach for when it's hot out but we still want to look like we’ve got it together.
From pre-planned looks and elevator selfies to surprise hero pieces and perfectly imperfect bags - we’re sharing how we really get dressed for summer workdays. Spoiler: it’s not always polished, but it is always honest.
Let’s get into it.
Let’s start with a little behind-the-scenes: what our mornings actually look like. From alarm clocks to outfit rituals and that all-important commute - here’s how our days begin, and how our clothes play a part from the very first moment.
Ewelina
My alarm rings at exactly 6:43. That oddly specific time gives me just enough minutes to get ready for my 7am dip in the Copenhagen canals.
Not exactly winter bathing anymore - the water’s well above 15°C by now - but the ritual stays the same.
After a quick swim, it’s shower, makeup, and the outfit I prepped the night before. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I wore a workday look that hadn’t been planned over the weekend. Once I’m dressed and accessorized, I snap a few outfit pics—for myself, but also to share here and on IG stories.
Then it’s helmet on, bike out from the basement, and off I go—7 km across Copenhagen to the office, often with a blazer folded neatly in my bike basket. My looks always need to be what I call bikeable—meaning: no pencil skirts, no precious fabrics, and yes, sometimes blazers in bike baskets.
The real test, though, happens during the day. Office mirrors and ladies’ room lighting tell me everything I need to know: Does it fit? Does it work? How do the pieces talk to each other—and to me? Most of that assessment runs quietly in the background of my brain.
If something feels off, I’ll fix it the moment I get home. Swap a shoe. Tweak a tuck. Redo the look until I feel it. Then I photograph it again—this time, the version that’s right.
Only then do I change into my lounge clothes. That shift—out of my “uniform” and into my off-duty wear—is a kind of daily mental reset. One gets me in the zone. The other brings me back to myself. Both matter. Equally.
Anika
I love your morning routine, especially your swimming routine! What a great way to start the day. I also admire your discipline to prepare outfits for an entire week - this must be such a relief and energy-saver throughout the week.
I work for a private company that fulfills government functions. I have a background in law but thankfully it’s more of a project management / manager position. Noone gets what I do for work but I really like it - it’s as fun as a job in the law field can be.
Mondays and Fridays are WFH days for me and they start with a 6.30 am alarm. On Mondays, I like to start slowly with a coffee in my really cosy chair in my living room or in my garden if it’s warm enough. I take my time to get ready with a podcast or a Youtube video, or lately a Substack Live if I haven’t caught up. I don’t lay out my WFH outfits the day before but I think I should try to make a habit out of this, too. I’ll end up in something ‘okay’ on the upper half of my body and wide leg pants but I don’t put much thought into it. And comes my lunch break, I’ll often have to change because it’s something I can’t even wear outside to run errands. Fridays start with a 6.30 am morning run, then a shower and I try to make a quick breakfast (I get so hungry after running). On WFH days, I’m usually at my desk by 8 am. I love your habit of taking a picture, Ewelina - on WFH days, I’ll do this in my lunch break (which is something I only do since I am on Substack).
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are office days. My alarm wakes me up at 5.30 am and the main goal is to function then. This might destroy my gut health in every aspect but I start with a black coffee and I simply get ready. It’s way easier in summer when it’s a bit warmer and not too dark in the morning. For these days, I do lay out my outfits the night before - depending on my agenda for the next day. We don’t really have a dress code at work and I’m heavily overdressed most of the time but if I have a meeting where I have to focus, an oversized blazer with sharp shoulders helps. If it’s a day at court, for instance, I want to show respect by dressing well. If I’m doing an interview with a promising candidate, it’s a given for me that I dress in something I feel confident in and represent my company. You get the point.
I take the 6.30 am train to the office and I always walk the rest of the way (for about thirty minutes). It’s the highlight of my office days. I love the morning silence and I’ll listen to a podcast - and it’s my only opportunity to get in movements on office days.
The outfit gets tested in the elevator on office mornings when I arrive at around 8 am. The elevator has a big mirror and I try to be alone in it and check my mood towards the outfit. I take a quick snapshot there and because I’m a chronic outfit repeater, I have to say it’s rare that I don’t like how I feel in a look. This elevator mirror has seen so many versions of me (tired, excited, fully packed, in a big wool coat and light summer dresses).
I also change into lounge wear really quickly once I’m home and try to relax. It’s the first step to end the day.
Commutes aren’t just logistics—they’re part of the outfit planning process. Whether it’s biking through a city or walking from the train with a coffee in hand, the way we get to work definitely influences what we wear. Here’s how our daily routes shape our wardrobes.
Anika
My commute plays a role in what I wear in two bigger factors: a. temperature and b. a comfortable shoe. I have to do a layered look whenever I commute to the office because in Germany, it will always be way colder in the early morning. It’s usually a sweater that I can toss into my work bag once it’s warm enough. Because I also (voluntarily!) do a thirty minute walk to the office, comfortable shoes are a must and I’m so bad at this. I’m very picky when it comes to shoes and I don’t like sneakers - can you tell my feet have to suffer a lot? Aside from these two factors, my office looks are chosen purely for aesthetic and confidence reasons.
Ewelina
My commute—7 kilometers by bike through Copenhagen—plays a big role in shaping what I wear. Every outfit I plan has to pass a quick mental checklist: What’s the weather doing? Can I bike in this without feeling restricted or awkward? What’s on my work schedule—any important meetings that call for something sharper? And finally, do I have any post-work plans where I want to look a certain way? It’s a balancing act between function and form, but I’ve learned to treat these constraints as creative prompts rather than limitations.
You know those pieces you reach for again and again, the ones that just work? We each picked our summer MVPs—the items that hold up in the heat, carry us through meetings, and make getting dressed easier (and better).
Ewelina
Two of my absolute hero pieces for summer work dressing are the nylon Stella pants from Tibi and my growing collection of short, slightly oversized, less structured blazers.
The Stella pants—along with my other nylon pieces—are ideal for Copenhagen’s warmer months. They have this silky, almost cooling effect on the skin, which is something I deeply appreciate now and suspect I’ll appreciate even more in the perimenopausal years to come. They’re dramatic without being difficult, and crucially, they’re bikeable.
As for blazers, I’ve recently welcomed shorter, more relaxed silhouettes into my wardrobe. For years, I only wore the classic mid-butt length—but something shifted.
Maybe it’s my eye evolving, or maybe it’s the mood on my Spring Pinterest board—but now, these shorter, less structured versions feel fresher.
They still bring in that classic element I crave, but with a modern ease that works beautifully with wide-leg pants and the chill pieces I mix in.
Together, they strike a perfect balance between polished and laid-back—exactly how I want to feel walking into work (or riding up to it on my bike).
Anika
Oh, the Stella pants are great on you! I live in oversized blazers and oversized button-downs in all areas of my life but here are three hero pieces that make my work wardrobe better in summer.
My first hero piece is a beige waist coat from Selected I saw on one of my favorite influencers, Vilma Bergenheim, last year. I forced my parents into getting it for my birthday for me. I’m kidding but I love it. It has a great color and shape - it’s oversized so it gives that modern office look. It has a few ribbons on each side so a nice little detail. Paired with a pair of beige pants, you’re dressed without overthinking it.
Picture on the right: Selected
My second hero piece is a black midi satin skirt I got from Mango years ago. It’s maybe boring to name this here and it’s something I don’t gravitate towards too much outside of work but it is perfect on those summer heat days. It’s airy but elegant. I also wore this to court last year with a black oversized blazer and styled it with a ribbed tank top so it was easy to transfer into a more casual evening outfit that day.
This is how I went to a work event last summer with said skirt - paired with heeled sandals and a top with puffy sleeves. I wanted to test the dress code since I had only been back at the company for around two weeks and this seemed safe enough.
My third hero piece is a pair of Birkenstock sandals I got last year that you can also see in both pictures above. They are called the St. Barths and they are kind of heavy but they are so comfortable. They have these golden buckles and the leather is quite shiny. They add elegance and that something to an outfit. I love to wear them with an all black look or with beige pants so they give a contrasting finish. They were freaking expensive but the cost-per-wear for me is justifying the price tag.
Hot weather, early mornings, and long commutes can make it tempting to default to whatever’s easiest—but style still matters. Here’s how Anika navigates that summer workwear sweet spot between comfort, function, and feeling like ourselves.
Anika
I try to take as minimal compromise as I can - which leads me back to the shoe problem. I think it helps to know your staples that marry function and fashion for you (like your Stella pants or my Birkenstock St. Barth sandals!) and then build outfits around that. It also helps to have a few formulas / summer work uniforms ready that you can trust. I think the better you get to know your style the better you’ll get at balancing those factors - I am searching for a new work tote bag at the moment and I know exactly what I want but I also realize the search takes a bit longer because I’ve learned that the straps have to be wider now that I am commuting that long. It helps to be patient to ace at creating that balance - until it comes rather intuitively.
Not all wardrobe heroes announce themselves right away. Some sneak in and become staples without warning. We both had a couple of surprise all-stars this season—here’s what caught us off guard (in the best way).
Ewelina
Definitely my balloon cotton pants. When I first got them, I thought they might be a bit too “fashion” for me—too voluminous, too structured, maybe even too much of a statement. But they’ve completely proven me wrong. They’re made from this crisp cotton that holds their shape without feeling stiff, and that exaggerated volume somehow works with almost everything else I own. They bring this playful, sculptural silhouette that adds interest to even my most pared-down outfits.
What surprised me most is how often I reach for them in the warmer months. I didn’t expect them to become a go-to summer piece, but they really have. The breathable cotton and generous shape make them incredibly comfortable on hot days, and they somehow manage to feel cool—both literally and in terms of style.
Am I ready for spring?
I don't have many different mood boards on Pinterest, but I do have a separate one for each of the main fours season and hence also for Spring.
Just as I talk about this in the above post, these pants are already the kind of piece I will reach out for again and again - on a daily basis, for summer trips or days when I want to feel modern and chill but not overdressed.
Anika
I randomly added a pair of Topshop Petite pants to my Asos cart about four years (?) ago and I wear them at least twice per week. It’s so funny because they don’t even fit. As in, I can pull them down without opening the button. I’m really bad at taking my clothes to the tailor so I watched a TikTok tutorial on how to button them to make them a size or two smaller. That creates a great shape out of them and I’m pretty sure a tailor couldn’t really cut them that well without them losing shape. I love them.
Also, I’ve been schlepping around a sample as my work bag for the past year. It’s from the time when I worked for a fashion brand and all of my friends love it but I hate how it’s boxy and slouchy at the same time and has silver details. However, it will stay until a new work bag is found.
Here’s a really bad picture I took before taking another 6am train to catch a work trip flight where you can see the bag in action:
Thanks for coming along on our weekday wardrobe ride—bike baskets, train seats, mirror checks and all.
We hope this peek into our summer routines inspires you to think differently about your own. Whether you’re commuting, working from home, or just trying to stay cool and put-together—there’s no one “right” way to dress. Just the way that works for you.
What’s your most-worn piece this summer—and how do you style it?
We’d love to hear about your summer style: your MVP pieces, your surprise staples, or just what your mornings look like right now. Let’s keep the conversation going in the comments.
Wishing you a stylish, breezy, not-too-sweaty summer.
Ewelina & Anika ☀️👋
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LOVE THIS!! love both your styles - so stylish, reflective of your personalities, AND functional / practical. Anika has convinced me to hit buy on those birkinstocks i'd also been eyeing!!!
Love how your outfits works for real life - bike and train ride included. I commute by bike as well after a short yoga session, so love seeing how others are navigating this. My summer work uniform consists of wide leg linen pants and sleeveless button up shirts.