Summer Dressing Workshop

Kate looks fab in her little white dress.

Dressing for Summer is hard work.  As I am fast becoming aware, it takes a lot more thought and your personal body upkeep is constant and unrelenting.    Shaving, waxing, moisturising, self-tanning, pedicures and nail polish, OMG!

Hats are a necessity in summer.

I have very quickly become aware of what an easy life I had living in the cooler climates.  If I forgot to shave my legs, well I would simply wear tights.  If I couldn't be bothered to moisturise, again, don some jeans or tights.  Black was my uniform and boots my best friend.  Even though I lived at the beach, our beach was not frequented by beach bunnies and bikini clad babes.  It was a place to exercise your dog and to collect shells and sea glass.  Period!

Bar Rafaeli in her denim cut-offs, blouse and heels, very chic.  This long skirt and white tee is favourite summer look for me, I too like to add a light-weight scarf when needed.

Since moving back to the coast, I have had to evolve rapidly into a much more high-maintenance woman and let me tell you, it is not all fun and games!  It is true however, that once I am in a routine, it's not really that difficult to keep up with the waxing, shaving, self-tanning, etc, but if you let it slide for just a few days, boy there is so much to catch up on!


I am making my own version of the little summer dress below for my girls Annabel and Chloe.  They are going to look so cute!

Kate in one of her little summer dresses.  A wardrobe staple I think!  

When I was a kid my skin was used to being in the sun, I was tanned from spending endless days at the beach and my skin never burned.  But as I grew older and moved away from the coast, my skin became paler from the lack of exposure to the sun and I became quite obsessed with sun protection.  I have worn an SPF on my face every day for over 10 years now (and the proof is that I have no lines on my face as a result of my vigilance) and I wear sunglasses and hats at all times, even in the winter.  I can see sun damage on my arms from years of sun exposure, but all I can do about that is exfoliate and continue to cover up.  As we all should be doing.


Layering isn't just for cooler weather.  Cropped light-knits and flowing, belted dresses look classy and chic.  I'm loving this look.

Colourful Gucci and the ubiquitous summer trilby.

Some stylish strangers in their summer attire. 

Summer dressing is not easy for some women.  Some of us don't like to bare our skin and not because they don't want skin damage either - we can't all look like Gisele, so in order to make the most of our own looks in the summer time.  You don't have to wear white or pale colours either.  Black is still viable and very wearable, but colour is key and jeweled colours on our clothes or accessories always look gorgeous in the summer sun, don't you think?  Shades of nude and the palest of pinks and grey look classy too.

Give it your best shot, you know you won't regret it!



Hx


Sources: The Sartorialist, People.com, Stockholm Streetstyle, Style.com