Time to head to the seashore with a
tube of luscious “back on the drugstore shelves”
Orange Gelee
Bain de Soleil, watch The Beach Boys “Love and Mercy” summer
flick and...
invest in a... "guilty pleasure" face-full pair of ginormous
sunglasses.
From designer to dime stores... you
MUST sport a collection of humongous shades this season.
Hide behind
them, make a statement with them or like Anna Wintour...stare
through them.
Hands down, this season's sunglasses are
multi-functional tools... for sure.
Oh and they are huge time savers... re: no
eye make up required. Preparation for this attitude infused, cartoon-like photo took two minutes of prep. time. PS: They also hide “party
hardy” hangovers.
Creative and relaxed summer parties
have all but replaced formal affairs and I say:" hooray for that!" OK,
right now I'm dreaming about what I'd be sipping up and dining on at one
of these two parties and.... what I'd wear and who my luncheon partners would be?
From the country to the city,
“Haight-Ashbury” hippie silhouettes are relaxed and
exude an
innocent charm....ahh yes charms...let's talk about charms---->
Charms on a leather strap are a sweet
accessory and easy to build rather than buy. Find a tube shaped strap of the leather, find a few charms and your corner
store jeweler can "while you wait" finish your project. Note to self: Madonna medals seem to be a real item on necklaces, bracelets and earrings.
Japanese inspired... for me this jacket
is perfection.
Next in the Perfection Parade... these
two elegant... forever fantastic handbags.
Back to ginormous/humongous
accessories:
designers are having a hay-day with these light weight
“gotta have at least one” statement necklaces.
From Pay less to pay a lot more, you'll be
seeing: "look at me" sneakers on the streets,
in bars and at work ...worn with “way below the knee”
skirts... and less than flirty dresses.
Forget taking hems down, there just
isn’t enough material to get this trending 2015 look.
You will simply need to invest in a few
long, long, extra skirts and dresses this Summer.
Spotted on the runways: primary color
faux croc coats. They are nothing short of divine. Paired with outrageous
accessories that don't really match, they are soooo delicious, you could just eat them up.
OK... so here's an idea: if you have a dramatic broken pin or a single clip earring, simply glue it over the clasp on a small daytime or cocktail bag. You'll see these bulls eye center pieces in magazines all summer... and soon you'll have one... allowance spared for this fashion statement.
No one will ever fill Oscar de la
Renta's shoes. That said, from the ankles up and down,
the very, very
Englishman Peter Copping is doing a whimsical and at the same time....
ageless and classic job of
continuing Oscar's magnificent irreplaceable legacy.
Cashmere twin sets be dammed! Enter
stage left: mix-n-matches that make no sense at all.
With eyes closed
shut: pull a blouse, sweater and skirt out of your closet...I know, it doesn't
seem to work... but trust me... you will be wearing theeee “look” of Summer 2015!
In crazy mixed up combinations, bold
color blocking: it's like a: "1965 can't be avoided” this season.
Hit me with a sledge hammer so that I can try to believe how many fashion houses are selling pretty pricey woven
straw bags. Nearly four grand for a straw bag! Forgive me, but I just can't wrap my head around this...not too creative idea. Although they are fresh and fun, I'll be spending my
allowance on drawers full of “I can't get enough of them” sunglasses.
If you have a real "I must have one" need for a summertime woven bag...for a song or a few bucks,
you can score a new resin or vintage scrimshaw trimmed ageless basket bag at
on-line boutiques.
The kitchen sink isn't glued on to this
wood purse, but everything else imaginable is. A few years ago, I
trimmed it galore and had a blast doing it. Lucky for me: art doesn't go out of style.
Does RALPH ever get it wrong? This
isn't just a western wear jacket. Take a close look.....
the drama is in the details: the
scarf, the rolled up cuffs, the color combo... yup, again he nailed
it.
I'd never thought of pairing white
with camel... this summer...and going into Fall, I'm lovin' it.
Get the sledge hammer out again... and
say: “TRIM, TRIM, TRIM” to me.
Purses, sunglasses, shoes, leather
jackets.. are all trimmed to the nines and they are all TENS!
The CO$T: mega, mega, mucho bucks. Hey... you can DO THIS... give it a try...
take a chance... on something old or new or borrowed or blue.
We all have bits and pieces at the
bottom of our jewelry boxes. TRIM, TRIM TRIM a pair
of dime store
glasses. Won't it be too fun when someone asks you: “who designed
your glasses?”
God Bless you if you purcha$e a Dior or
Chanel trimmed-out bag this summer.
If you'd rather inve$t in sunglasses,
then “get thee to a hobby shop” and buy TRIM, TRIM, TRIM.
Don't
be afraid: give TRIMMING a TRY. As you can see: there isn't a
right or wrong way to TRIM.
There is an added bonus: you can camouflage &
cover holes/stains...
now that is cool, cool, cool: hot, hot, hot summer statement for sure.
I am an expert: “trim-o-file”...
especially with my “made out of place mats/Couture Clutches” .
Inspired by this
purse and obsessed with this mysterious fashionista … I combined two place mats and made yet another "Couture Clutch"...like tin soldiers, I've got 60+ lined up in a row.
I found the beads in my stash: so...next week, I'll “copycat” this Summer Vogue necklace ...
just like I “copycatted” SHHH these “LV”earrings. It's true: “imitation is the best form of flattery”.
I leave you with a fairy-tale slice of
a recent Bill Cunningham post in The Sunday New York Times. He and
his column have been spot-on for years.I loved the documentary about him. I am his #1 fan. Maybe
invest in a few “fringe benefits” and TWIRL your way into and
through Summer 2015.
I'd love to have you check out my
YOUTUBES. They are informative and hilarious.
https://www.youtube.com/user/fashionandflair
My Pinterest page is chock full of
ideas and shortcuts.
I hope you will find my JO LEE
MAGAZINE column PIZZAZ entertaining and insightful
http://180dfo.com/author/kathleensolmssen/