Summer isn’t just a change of weather, it’s a whole change of mood. Even if you are working all summer long, you can’t escape the fabulous holiday vibe. There are barbeques and outdoor parties to attend, trips to the beach and those long warm evenings where you can sit out under the stars. For most of us, our summer wardrobe is the key to our enjoyment of summertime. If you don’t feel great in your look, be it because your clothing is too tight, making you feel sweaty, or you’re worried that you’re not in style, how are you able to properly relax in the sunshine? So, here’s a bunch of suggestions to help you do just that.
The Midi Dress
Is there a more versatile garment? It can be casual, it can be classy, it can be office, and it can even be beach. Midi dresses offer a delicious menu of choices. The only regular feature of a midi dress is that the hem should end half-way between the knee and the ankle. There are those who say that you should avoid mid-calf, but we simply ignore them. Yes, you should be careful to compliment your body shape, but that’s where belts are able to assist.
Why is the midi dress a summer essential? The most obvious reason has to be because it’s so damn comfortable to wear. There’s nothing tight or clingy about a midi, the air circulates easily, and you stay cool.
As you may well know, light colors say summer and the darker the shade the more formal you get. Wear one on the beach with flip-flops or wear heels for an evening out. Try casual with sneakers or sandals or style it with a belt and see how it works best for you.
Big Hoops
Popular in the eighties and nineties, big hoops are now back on trend, having dangled their way, to eye-catching effect, across the runways of New York, London, Paris and Milan. From web thin wire to chunky resin, big hoops are doing their dangly thing. All big-hooped earrings need is a bit of sass with them. Perhaps apply some red lipstick for that bold, stylish look, and match them with a pair of knee high boots for good measure. Go on, have some fun and wear a pair.
Chic Sunglasses
An accessory that might just save your sight, you need have no guilt about investing in a new pair of sunglasses for the summer. You can stick with the Wayfarers or you can go for something that gives the retro look a new twist, like the Ray-Ban Round Double Bridge. If you wear optical glasses, you can have your optical lenses fitted in your sunglasses.
Tie-Dye
The style, once beloved of hippies and subsequently reviled is now back with us. Last season brands including Prada and Stella McCartney splashed it across the runway. Its popularity is clear, with searches for tie-dye shirts up by 900%. This isn’t simply a return to Woodstock though; tie-dye 2019 is quite something different. Back in the day, you took your T-shirt, bunched it up and tied it up with string, dipped it in a bucket of dye and then pulled it out sometime later to mutterings of ‘Far out man’ as you revealed its unique pattern to the world. Now the technique is far more precise, and is being applied not just to T-shirts but also to mini dresses, A line skirts, denim and a whole range of couture fabrics.
Tie-dye certainly plugs into the increasing interest in sustainable and eco-friendly fashion. How to style it? Well, strictly speaking I guess you can wear it anyway you like because it’s a symbol of individualism. They would certainly look good with the chic round sunglasses if you are a fan of the hippy style, with some ripped denim shorts for the hot summer days.
Take your fashion cue from Sporty Spice circa 1995. Cluttered design, garish and ugly might usually be terms of condemnation but when it comes to clumpy footwear, they are accolades. Get as garish as you like, from pink to animal print. Remember, the reason dad wore them is because they are so comfy. They’ll literally go with anything, and give off a fabulous, artsy look that is instantly recognisable to the top fashion icons around the world.
