What’s Your Favorite Part of Summer?

The absolute best part of summer has to be climbing out of the ocean, or the pool, and you’re freezing because the water was ice cold and your lips are blue and your teeth are chattering, and then running into the arms of a gigantic, fluffy towel (probably with some weird print or pattern on it) so that you can bake, bake, bake under the sun like a clay pot until it becomes so unbearable that you absolutely must jump up like a lunatic and run right back into that water.

Maybe it’s being the only friend who refuses to go in the water — “I’ll watch your stuff” — so that you can enjoy a few peaceful moments of absolute silence amid the white noise of laughter and splashing and neighboring conversations.

Or actually, the best part of summer has to be waking up to sunny skies even though it’s as early as 7 AM and then leaving work at 7 PM to a still-bright day.

Then eating dinner outside.

Maybe the best part of summer is being able to grab a gauzy sheath from your closet while still in a yellow haze from the night before, then slipping your feet into the nearest pair of sandals and that, with perhaps the addition of a quick swipe of deodorant, is your outfit for the next 12 hours.

The best part of summer could also be using sunscreen as your only source of perfume, or popsicles as your main source of hydration. It’s leaving your phone at home because you know all your friends will be at the usual spot anyway, and refusing to get sick of the same songs that every bar, restaurant and iPod has played for past 8 weeks.

It’s feeling like a little kid again. And there’s still two long, languid weeks left plus more if you stay true to the equinox so tell me, for the love of a sunny Monday: what’s your favorite part of summer?

– Amelia Diamond

Camille Rowe shot by Matt Jones for Elle France, Background shot by Matthias Vriens McGrath for Numéro Homme