What to Wear to a Summer BBQ: Style Choices That Actually Work

STYLE ADVICE · SUMMER DRESSING

By Ella Blake  |  Tellar Fashion Hub  |  Summer 2025

A summer BBQ calls for an outfit that looks intentional but feels effortless — flattering, practical and, crucially, forgiving enough to survive a rogue dollop of coleslaw. Get it right and you'll look like you threw it on in two minutes. Get it wrong and you'll spend the afternoon tugging at something too tight, too formal or utterly impractical in the heat.

I've made every BBQ style mistake going. There was the year I wore white wide-leg linen trousers (beautiful in theory, devastating in practice — grass stains by 3pm). Then the summer I thought a floaty maxi was a great idea right up until the moment it nearly went into the charcoal. These days, I approach BBQ dressing with a formula that actually works, and I'm sharing it all here.

The Golden Rule: Comfort Is Not the Enemy of Style

This is genuinely the most important thing I can tell you. A BBQ is not a dinner party. You'll be moving between garden chairs, standing up, sitting cross-legged on a rug, possibly chasing a dog. The mistake most people make is prioritising how something looks on the hanger over how it functions in real life.

That said, "comfortable" does not mean shapeless. The best BBQ outfits have structure without restriction — a midi skirt with stretch, a relaxed linen co-ord, a wrap dress in a breathable fabric. Think ease of movement with a clear sense of style.

The Outfit Formulas That Never Fail

After years of styling clients and more than a few personal experiments, here are the combinations I keep coming back to:

• Linen wide-leg trousers + a fitted tank or broderie top. Linen breathes brilliantly in the heat and the wide-leg shape is elegant without being fussy. Mango does a particularly good linen trouser for around £40 — excellent weight, doesn't crease into a disaster the second you sit down. Pair with a simple tank from Cos and you're done. Minimal, polished, practical.

• A midi wrap dress in a print. The wrap is your best friend here — adjustable fit, flattering on every body shape, and a print hides a multitude of sins (including, but not limited to, sauce incidents). Boden are the absolute kings of the joyful British print and their jersey midi wraps are perennially one of the best things they do. Easy to wash, too. Very important.

• Denim shorts + a relaxed shirt or linen blouse. This is the BBQ classic for good reason. Keep the shorts to a longer, tailored cut — mid-thigh or just above the knee — and you'll look polished rather than like you just rolled out of bed. Whistles does a beautifully cut chino short, and for the blouse, White Stuff consistently delivers in the linen-and-cotton space with a lovely relaxed fit.

• A co-ord set — matching shorts and shirt or top. This is the cheat code of summer dressing. Matching separates give the impression of an outfit without requiring any actual effort. Joules and Seasalt Cornwall both do excellent co-ords in cheerful prints that feel quintessentially British-summer without being twee.

Fabric Is Everything in the Heat

If there's one thing I'd urge you to be ruthless about, it's fabric choice. The wrong material in 25°C is genuinely uncomfortable — and it shows on your face.

• Yes to: Linen, cotton, chambray, jersey, broderie anglaise, light viscose

• No to: Polyester, heavy denim, anything with a synthetic lining, anything described as "satin-finish" in a product description

Fat Face is worth a mention here — their cotton and linen pieces are well-made, good value and genuinely breathable. They're not the flashiest brand on the block, but the quality-to-price ratio in summer is hard to beat. Phase Eight and Hobbs are worth a look if you want something slightly more elevated — their occasionwear fabrics are beautifully considered for warmer months.

Footwear: Think Flat, Think Strappy

I cannot stress this enough: do not wear heels to a garden BBQ. You'll be walking on grass, you'll be standing for hours, and nobody is looking at your feet. Save the heels for a dinner. Instead, this is the moment for your best flat sandals.

• A leather strappy sandal in tan or gold elevates any outfit instantly

• A simple espadrille in navy or natural works beautifully with linen or denim

• White trainers are perfectly acceptable with the right outfit — clean ones, though, please

Ted Baker does a gorgeous range of embellished flat sandals that are the kind of thing you wear all summer on repeat. For something more relaxed, Reiss and Me&Em both have clean, classic flat sandal options that photograph brilliantly without costing a fortune in blisters.

Two Independent Brands Worth Knowing

I always try to highlight a couple of lesser-known names — the brands that don't have the marketing budget of the high street giants but are producing some of the best summer pieces around right now.

• Lisou — a London-based brand doing the most beautiful printed silk-effect wrap dresses and tops. The prints are genuinely stunning, the fit is flattering, and they're a fraction of the price of designer equivalents. Perfect BBQ territory.

• Paloma Wool — a Spanish independent with a very considered aesthetic. Their summer separates have a slightly artistic, relaxed feel that's effortlessly cool without trying too hard. If you want to look like you have great personal style rather than like you bought a "look," this is your brand.

The Accessories That Pull It Together

Keep accessories simple and consider the practicalities. A crossbody or small basket bag keeps your hands free. A sun hat — a wide-brim straw, ideally — is both practical and the single quickest way to look more put-together at any outdoor event. Gold jewellery in the sunshine is always a good idea: a few delicate chains, simple hoops, maybe a stack of thin bangles.

Avoid anything too precious or fragile — this is a social event, not a shoot. Leave the embellished clutch and the statement necklace at home. The aim is relaxed elegance, not effort.

Never Get the Size Wrong Again — Try Tellar

Before you buy any of the pieces mentioned above, there's one tool I'd genuinely recommend bookmarking: Tellar.co.uk — the UK's leading free sizing platform that matches your measurements to over 1,500 brands instantly.

Sizing is the single biggest frustration in online shopping — especially for summer staples like wrap dresses and linen trousers, where brands vary wildly. Tellar removes the guesswork entirely.

Here's how it works:

• Measure once — just your bust, waist and hips, or use your existing size in a brand you know

• Use the Store Size Lookup tool to get your exact size in any brand — from Mango and Boden to Reiss and COS

• Always free — no account needed, no downloads, works instantly in-browser

Tellar also has a brilliant Fashion Hub — a library of free, honest, unsponsored style articles written by real stylists. No ads, no paid-for placements, just genuinely useful fashion content. You can start exploring here:

• The Ultimate Clothing Sizing Guide — everything you need to know about finding your true size

• Jeans Trends 2026 — the denim styles worth buying right now

• Ultimate Guide to Dresses & Best Buys — the only dress guide you'll ever need

• Ultimate Guide to Jackets & Best Buys — from blazers to bombers, all the key shapes covered

Honestly, if you're shopping for summer this season, do yourself a favour and check Tellar before you buy. Your returns pile will thank you.