One ray of sunshine and the entire city collectively loses its mind.

Almost overnight, nobody owns a jacket anymore, the group chat springs back to life, and somebody is inevitably swimming in canal water they absolutely should not be swimming in. A situationship that spent six months hibernating has miraculously resurfaced, terraces are operating well beyond capacity (have you ever put yourself on a waiting list to sit on a stool?), and what began as an innocent “just one drink?” has somehow evolved into a twelve-hour commitment involving three locations, two friend groups, and a vague promise to do it all again tomorrow.

As much as we like to think of ourselves as unique individuals, Amsterdam summer has a funny way of turning all of us into highly recognisable characters. The same species emerge year after year, migrating back into the city the moment temperatures rise above twenty degrees. There is the Hot Zomer Girl, finally liberated from winter and making up for lost time. The Jordaan Terrace Economist, carefully tracking sunlight patterns across the city with a level of precision usually reserved for air traffic control. The De Pijp Polyamorist, somehow maintaining a social calendar that requires project management software. The Post-Kingsday Ascetic, busy rebuilding their nervous system after thoroughly stress-testing it only weeks prior.

We know these people. More importantly, we are these people.

Consider this your field guide to the characters taking over Amsterdam this summer. Whether you’re spending your days chasing terraces, cultivating tomatoes, escaping on the Eurostar, or convincing yourself that this situationship is fundamentally different from all the others, there is a very good chance you’ll find yourself somewhere in the pages that follow.

Choose wisely. Or don’t.

Summer in Amsterdam has never been particularly rewarding of sensible decisions.

No drama, no winter, no excuses.

She has been waiting for this since October and has absolutely zero time for anything that does not involve expanding her mind, emptying her wallet, and making memories that will be referenced for years to come. The motto is simple: you only live once. Summer is not happening to her. She is happening to summer.

This is her era. She knows it. The city knows it. The pigeons know it.

• Havaianas  – on cobblestones, bicycles, grass, gravel, and any other terrain they were never designed for. Her problem, not yours
• Los Angeles Apparel cheesecloth tee – perfect, yummy, form-fitting, and just the right amount of sheer
• World tour tote bag from Tellavision via Dream Unit
• By Goldiee Orchid earrings – because we are BLOOMING
• Chanel highlighting balm – for that “active glow” 
• Sarda push-up bra in funky violet – the structural foundation of the whole season
• Love Stories Roomie thong – comfort meets full intention
• The Unseen Spectra eye colour in yellow – an eyeshadow only visible under club lighting. If you’re not having fun, what exactly are you doing?

Essentially the person who will have a very, very full summer.

Amsterdam has made this lifestyle logistically possible, and they intend to take full advantage. Somewhere between De Pijp, Noord, and a festival field, they have accidentally built an emotional ecosystem. Nobody is cheating. Everybody is communicating. At least in theory.

Every bike ride home feels cinematic. Every sunset feels personal. Every attractive person somehow already knows each other.

It is not a love triangle. It is urban planning.

• Mova, obviously – who doesn’t love a playground?
• Giunia DUE earcuff – the only thing they are cuffing anytime soon
• White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky
• Oddbird blanc des blancs wine – for the rooftop hangout, where nobody is quite sure whether it is a date
• Jacques Marie Mage sunglasses – for avoiding eye contact when accountability enters the chat
• Tekla bedsheets in pickford stripes – the polycule deserves nice things

Has a system. A spreadsheet would not be entirely out of character.

Knows which terraces get sun from 14:12 until 17:43. Knows which café lets you occupy a table with one drink and a dream. Knows where to sit to catch the last light reflecting off the canal and where to avoid because the vibes have unfortunately become LinkedIn-coded.

The terrace is not a place. It is a discipline. A practice. A way of life.

• Samsøe Samsøe linen shirt –  easy, reliable, always appropriate. The terrace equivalent of a Swiss Army knife
• Monte Pelmo gelato – Lunch? Dessert? Afternoon snack? The answer is yes
• Sudoku – to keep occupied while waiting for a yuzu spritz, pet nat, or friend who said they were “around the corner” twenty minutes ago
• Diane von Fürstenberg silk scarf – Having a sunstroke on the Kikkies terrace is not cute 
• Slack – for the people “working from home” who have become so proficient at workflow optimisation that being three spritzes deep at Twee Prinsen by 14:00 on a Tuesday poses no operational challenges whatsoever
• Bedazzled hand fan – part practical accessory, part performance piece

Tomatoes on the balcony. Herbs on every windowsill. Sends you a photo of something sprouting before 08:00 on a Saturday. Perpetually slightly dirty fingernails. Strong opinions about compost that she will share whether you asked or not. Living her absolute best life and fully aware of it.

• Brooke Callahan tie skirt in rice
• Flore Flore Iman tank in navy – she has it in all the colours 
• Kinfill tomato room spray – because even the inside smells like the outside now. 
• Repetto Olympe ballet flats – for the Saturday market run and everywhere else
• Homemade shrub – fermenting on the counter next to the sourdough starter
• Le Labo incense in AMBROXYDE 17, burning slowly and with intention while tending to the herbs
• Apartmento subscription
• Shakerato – Drink of the summer, preferably served in a slightly wonky vintage glass “sourced” from a flea market 

The person who went completely bonkers on Kingsday and has since rebranded to “body is a temple.”

The orange is gone. The hangover lasted three days. The camera roll is under review. There are transactions that remain unexplained to this day. 

They will never do that again.

They mean it this time.

Genuinely.

Back out by Friday.

• Healthclub electrolyte sachets – consumed with the dedication of someone who has seen things
• HIMA ice bath session – to sweat out the toxins, shock yourself back to life, and feel something again
• Griff x ASICS Gel Cumulus sneaker– because even repentance has standards
• Being in bed by 21:00 – not a punishment. A privilege
• Vuori halo foldover pant– the official uniform of the newly reformed
• Alternettle acupuncture – for realigning the nervous system, restoring balance, and making peace with the decisions of your former self
• Keanto probiotic – because true healing begins in the gut

Kept the winter hibernation boo and spring has created the perfect atmospheric conditions to make things exclusive. 

Nothing is defined. Everything is heavily implied. 

No labels. No pressure. No urgency. 

They are not rushing it. They are, in fact, thriving inside the ambiguity in a way that is frankly impressive. Every interaction feels suspiciously cinematic. Every mutual friend knows what’s going on. Neither party has officially acknowledged it. 

• Mais x Frida city dress – doing all the talking so she does not have to
• Laneige lip tint – to withstand the constant cute and adorable kisses
• Brunch at Stacks Diner – nothing says I love you maybe like a shared pancake and accidentally running into 25 of your mutual friends
• Le Labo Bergamote 22 perfume – its the summer of love 
• A shared spotify playlist – the modern love letter 

Amsterdam is wonderful. But sometimes you just need to get on a train, go under the sea, and become a slightly more interesting and mysterious version of yourself for 72 hours. She is already on the platform.

• Amy Shehab toiletry bag – packed and ready at all times 
• Hotel Massé Paris – nothing in between, no compromises
• Rimowa essential cabin in glossy slate grey – she is serious about this and about herself
• Papier D’Arménie as a bookmark – picked up en route
• Deparel moth knitkini – iconic! 
• Misc letter paper – for the handwritten note she will actually send this time
• Marfa Journal via Idea – bought on arrival, finished on the train home
• Dries van Noten Loose Sweatpants – to look cool when hopping off the train  

Four group chats simultaneously coordinating the same weekend. Somebody always drops out at the last minute for reasons that remain frustratingly vague. The anticipation has been building since February and the lineup is memorized by heart. They lose their friends by 22:00, find new ones by 23:00, and somehow make it home with 142 new memories. Have the best weekend of their life every single time and wake up already thinking about the next one.

• Dekmantel weekend pass – already sorted, please do not worry 
• Yashica T-4 film camera via Analogue – one per day at minimum
• New Balance Abzorb 2010 sneakers – 15hr dance session-proof footwear 
• Lack of Guidance t-shirt –  obviously, it was never a question
• True Gum – 😉 
• Café Baba longsleeve – because the veterans know you always need a layer for when the sun has bid its farewell and the evening turns against you

The person who makes the brown canal water their home for the summer the absolute moment the temperature rises above 19 degrees. No hesitation. No questions about what is in there. Just pure commitment to the Amsterdam summer experience. 

• Estrid body scrub – extra strong, specifically for the canal dirt situation
• Marinetterein  – “I know a spot”
• Australian Gold bronzing intensifier 
• Praying pink dirty stripe shorts
• Carhartt Mercer tote bag – always slightly damp 
• Rahua detangling cream via Zalando – deployed immediately post swim   
• The complete and total absence of shame about where she has been swimming and what she has been swimming in

Outside every single morning. Strava profile fully public and actively monitored, and curated snapshots. Has carefully considered opinions about hydration, magnesium timing and why calisthenics is the way to go that he will share if you give him even the smallest opening. Not unpleasant. Just extremely, consistently, unwavering about it.

• Magnesium Athletes founding member 
• Harmless Harvest coconut water, always, non-negotiable
• Five Fingers – the shoes that start conversations he is completely ready to have and has had many times
• New Balance windbreaker 
• Spencer Badu tank top
• Satisfy trail shorts – yes they are absolutely worth it and he will tell you why
• Strava premium – obviously, the free version was never going to cut it
• Salt and Stone deodorant