Summerlicious Style | Wrap Up
Saturday, July 10th, 2010
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Tick, tock, tick, tock. Summer’s almost done y’alls.
How do I know? Cause I’m already seeing Fall ’10 fashion show knock offs flooding the show windows; You know it’s all over when even the stores for the masses start carrying heavy knits. Summer sales galore – HOLLA! 40% off CLEARANCE items? Already? Seriously? The ‘good’ stuff in MY size? GTFOH.
Got me enough summer goodies to last a lifetime. Lord knows I have nowhere to wear all this stuff, man I just leave my house so that I can wear some of this ish, cause I have left just about a kit a day from now ’til September. Never mind that my friend Sims tells me that Caribana signals the end of summer as you know it in Toronto (TO); You know I’m about to drag out this ‘summer’ deal for as long as I can cause your girl is NOT a fan of winter. Just the thought is depressing.
ANYWHOS! Unto more pleasant discussion, “Summerlicious” started in TO today so ya girl is about to get in some ‘quality’, hifalutin grub at ‘reasonable’ prices. *burp* I feel festive already.
Seeing that there’s lots more fun to be had for this summer, I’ll wrap up with my final take on rocking summer fashion and accessories for 2010.
Fashion
This season’s fashion is widely artistic and unstructured. Bold animal and tribal prints are thrown together with wild (intended) abandon. Matchy-matchy is so yesterday; let the colour blind among us represent. A mish mash, mosh pit of patterns, colours, themes, and concepts is everything that summer 2010 is all about.
If the risk of looking like a kaleidoscopic hot mess is too stressful for you, fear not, there are other options. You can easily pair this season’s safari nudes – khakis, taupes, warm greens, you know ‘earthy’ tones, with white for a sophisticated look, or you can choose to go with the timely classic, nautically themed, crisp pairing of navy and white.
Easy breezy, or loose yet fitted fashion choices in light, breathable, fabrics such as cotton or linen blends are your best bet. Not only do you look fresh but you also feel it. Lets face it; it’s hot out there. Not warm guys, it’s broiling hot. Things sweat. Body parts need to breathe. Help out your side. Lightweight breathable fabrics assist you in maintaining a dry, so fresh and so clean, look.
Summer is the easiest season to break all the style rules without being pulled over by the fashion police. Still, the rules must be broken fashionably so. It must be a deliberate attempt at haute and not a hit-or-miss-and-hope-for-the-best sort of scenario. For example:
1. Visible bra straps only work if the ‘bra’ is either a swimsuit, or serves no purpose whatsoever other than decoration, i.e. the straps are paper-thin. If the bra serves any other purpose, including but not limited to the word ‘support’, then either change the bra or change the frock. It’s that simple. We weren’t all meant to wear spaghetti straps or tube dresses.
2. Short shorts work well with flats as well as thong or gladiator sandals, which are a definitely step up from rubber flip-flops for social events. Heels magically lengthen and give additional tone and definition to the gorgeous gams that emerge from shorts, however, not just any type of heel will do. Avoid certain heels, like strappy evening stiletto sandal types with short, shorts. I can’t quite put my finger on why… but this combo just doesn’t look quite right, especially for daytime affairs. However, wedges and espadrilles, although they may be the same height as the aforementioned evening kicks, up the sophistication ante and miraculously tone down the streetwalker translation.
3. Stripes work well, but only when worn over your least wide part. Proportion is key. So depending on your shape, this may mean a striped top, a striped, skirt, a striped dress, or a striped bangle. Choose the right option for you.
Accessories
This summer there is plenty to choose from, as the options run the gamut from boho chic to sophisticated sass.
Bangles
Choose either one statement piece or stack and pile up many different types. Though varying combinations of metallics, tan, or bold seem to work best, there is a lot of room to show your personality here.
Necklaces
One eye catching piece or many extra long ones work well against a crisp, easy breezy white canvas. Whatever your vibe is, there are a million ways to make it work for you.
Shoes
Gladiators, wedges, beach sandals, flats, or – my fave – kick-ass, sky-high, platform heels. Noice!
b Freakin’Fabulous
Photo: Darren Robertson / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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