Every summer, one hard-working layer is crowned as the solution to almost every outfit dilemma. For years, it’s been the linen shirt. But if you’re craving something a little fresher this season, allow us to introduce its decidedly more elegant successor: the cape top. Part blouse, part scarf, part lightweight cover-up, the silhouette drapes effortlessly over the shoulders, creating movement without adding bulk. The result is a piece that instantly makes even the simplest outfit feel considered.

Looking to breathe new life into your summer wardrobe without reinventing it entirely? This is the trend worth paying attention to. Practical, elegant and suitcase-friendly, the cape top might just become the hardest-working piece you pack this year. Here’s our edit of the best cape tops to buy now. 

“Ever since The Odyssey premiered this weekend, the internet has been just as captivated by Zendaya’s beauty look as it has by the film itself. Playing Athena, the actor has embraced an ethereal, goddess-inspired aesthetic throughout the press tour, swapping dramatic contour and bold eyes for luminous skin, softly sculpted cheeks and the kind of healthy glow that looks as though it’s come from spending a week on a Greek island,” says beauty editor Chloe Burcham. 

“The look was created by make-up artist Ernesto Casillas using Prada Beauty, and despite how polished the end result appears, his approach was fairly pared-back. If, like me, you’ve immediately added ‘Greek goddess glow’ to your beauty moodboard, these are the products I’d reach for to recreate it…”