The sweet return of summer

The heat is rising at The Drift, New Wave New York and Swedish Consulate Midsummer Festival parties.

Summer is here, officially. There are signs: there is the solstice of course, and the L.G.B.T. Pride march. But there are more subtle cues around town: friendliness on fire escapes; thinner weekends with locals and denser with tourists; and no one is wearing anything. This latest ritual was challenged on June 23 as writers, agents and publishers strolled uptown to celebrate the second anniversary of literary magazine The Drift, housed at the David Zwirner Gallery on East 69th Street. Soberly dressed guests listened to speeches from the editors of The Drift, novelist Joshua Cohen and a shorted Hilton Als, who curated the gallery's current exhibition of Frank Walker's work.

On the afternoon of June 24, as things grew increasingly heavy, the Consulate General of Sweden held its annual Summer Solstice Festival in Battery Park. Nordic families and their friends gathered on blankets and danced around the summer pole, some adorned with wreaths. Across the East River, models and aspiring fashionistas gathered against the barricades at Pier 1 to attend New Wave New York, a fashion show presented by MADE, an IMG-owned platform that incubates young fashion talent, and the Public School label which first showed with MADE 10 years ago. The show featured the works of five young design talents and was followed by an after-party at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge. At the end of the fashion show, rapper Nas sang his verses from a barge that floated along the pier. A gentle rain has risen. A man in a beret and tank top kissed another passionately under his refreshing drops. June is already done. Imagine that.

Hilton Als, who curated the exhibition of Frank Walter's works for David Zwirner, wore a seersucker jacket and matching shorts made for him by Hong Kong Tailor Jack, a West Village tailor who didn't is no longer in business.Credit. ..Dolly Faibyshev for The New York TimesImagePerformance artist Kaoru Matsuoka opted for a vintage-inspired Loco Lindo seersucker dress for the Summer Solstice celebration. look,” Samarah Puckett, a 21-year-old content creator and caterer, said at the MADE party. The Drift party was "fast fashion".Credit...Dolly Faibyshev for The New York Times