This lace shirt from Sezane has a very 1970s Jane Birkin feel.

The woven yoke here gives this one an antique-y feel.

Just a nice, slouchy v-neck blouse in a lightly crinkled fabric.

A crisp poplin wrap top that looks more pricey than it is.

I didn’t really think to include tees in this selection, but this one has such a daringly deep V-neck that I had to.

A tie-neck popover tunic that looks just as easy as it does polished.

A slouchy boatneck that is both completely un-prissy and very feminine, somehow.

A faux-wrap top that looks like the easiest thing in the world to wear.

This is a little girlier than I typically go, but I like all of the eyelet details here.

A bare-looking top that actually doesn’t reveal very much at all.

A crisp tuxedo-neck top from Universal Standard.

The stripes at the sleeves of this peasant top are a cool touch.

I like the eyelet flounce sleeves here even though they’re maybe a bit much.

This shirt is from Grayson, which is a cheaper version of the brand Frank & Eileen, and according to several of you, they make a solid button-down. Here’s an even cheaper button-down, if that’s what you’re in the mood for.

Meanwhile, this shirt has a subtle dot pattern, which is cute.

I might have to acquire this peasant top, because it’s so simple in a really perfect way.

Just a really smart-looking shirttail tunic.

The grid pattern here keeps things interesting.

More pretty eyelet on a very sweet top.

A streamlined linen popover for wearing whenever.

And finally: this is the perfect combination of peasant-y and retroish.

Pretty much all of these work for summer lounging about at home too: I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve clocked on the sofa with the dogs in this by-now-classic Emerson fry caftan. It’s got one of the most winning color combinations ever.

And speaking of color combinations, I’m always a fan of pink and orange, and the embellishment here is a cheeky touch.

This is so satisfyingly graphic: just black on white with a wee pop of yellow.

A jumpsuit is kind of a novel answer to the beach coverup question, and this one is so damn cute.

I own a version of this navy gauze caftan, and what’s really good about it is that—unlike many a cover-up—it’s completely opaque, so you can wear it from the beach to the street.

I wouldn’t fuss with the belt on cotton poplin number—it’s crisp enough without it.

Last year, I acquired this leopard print linen coverup from Emerson Fry, and I have loved it, and am pleased to see they’ve put it back in rotation after it sold out. I wore it to the beach pretty much every time I went, and it got softer with each wash (I would keep it out of the dryer unless you want it to shrink up a bit).

A feminine floral that works for me because it’s not quite a maxi, which I feel is so much more flattering.

This maxi, on the other hand, really works: so graceful and flowy.

I could see myself kicking around my favorite farm stands in this sweet contrast eyelet cover-up.

A really elegant choice (that isn’t cheap) from Mara Hoffman. I like how the fabric has a barely-there grid pattern.

Going short isn’t a crime at the beach, I don’t think, and this pink and green Indian block print is just so fun.

I’d wear this tunic over jeans apres-beach.

I love the stripes on stripes here: so cheery.

Rickrack trim has never looked so sophisticated.

I can’t resist anything that has a little metallic thread running through it, and I’m a sucker for an old-school sundress shape too.

A tomboyishly sexy option.

A slightly slinky piece that’s lightened up by bright contrast stitching.

A striped linen specimen that just looks so damn comfortable.

And finally: this would be so perfect for a beach barbecue that it almost makes me want to throw one.