Summertime

          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.

https://www.pinterest.com/fashionandflair/

I hope you will find my JO LEE MAGAZINE column PIZZAZ entertaining and insightful

http://180dfo.com/author/kathleensolmssen/