Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts

Summer Style: Boat Shoes

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Okay, so we all know that around July I start getting really sick of flip flops. This year, I decided to do a preemptive strike against summer shoe boredom by buying some cute alternatives that I could wear with shorts and summer dresses.

I bought these boat shoes a few months ago:



And when I bought them, I was like "Meh, I guess I'll get these." And that "meh" soon turned into "OMG I love these shoes everyone should have them forever and ever."

I get the fact that it's a boat shoe and who really cares, but I seriously wear these almost every single day. Not only are they super comfy, but they go with everything ever. And there are tons of adorable options all over the budget scale.



ShopStyle


So, not surprisingly, I'm now super into boat shoes for summer. Check out my summer uniform lately: A button up, rolled bermudas and boat shoes. How simple and girl-next-door is this?

boat1


Yeah, it's not groundbreaking, but when the idea of trying to build yet another outfit out of your Old Navy flip flops makes you physically ill, you'll thank me.

Alright, sound off: How do you feel about these guys? I'm kind of over my TOMS, so I feel like this is a nice alternative, right? 

Summer Style: Hats

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

So I'm a big hat person. I live in them all summer long because a) they obviously keep the sun off my face and b) the idea of blowdrying my hair in the heat is akin to the idea of baking cookies on Jae's scale of "Crap I Don't Need to Do to be Happy."

Therefore, much of the summer is spent with a hat jammed on my head. Here's the thing though: I used to think I was definitely NOT a hat person. Excepting a weird phase when I was 12 when I wore a yellow bucket hat everywhere, I went much of my life thinking that hats were for other people. I have large features, and so hats (especially growing up in Canada, where that meant toques) looked weird on me.

Now I love hats and I want you to love them too. So much of feeling confident in one is in choosing the right type of hat for your features and face shape. Once you've nailed that, you're good to go.

A rule of thumb: For me, pulling off hats also amounts to hair and makeup. I usually leave my hair loose and wavy  or in a low, messy bun (again, no blowdrying in the summer) and put a little more effort into my eye makeup when I'm going to be wearing a hat. It makes it look "on purpose" rather than "I just shoved this on my head and ran out the door."

The second rule of thumb is to choose a hat with a brim in proportion to your features. That's why I look sucky in toques (knit hats, for you Yankees). Large features = larger brim. Small features = smaller brim. Yay!

Alright, face shapes:

Heart-Shaped Face

Hey, let's be friends, because I have a heart-shaped face too. That means you have wider cheekbones and a prominent chin, which can make your cheeks look even wider. Luckily, we can rock a classic ball cap like it's our job, which makes me happy. I lean toward vintage caps that add a little height to my face.

Oval Face

If you have an oval face and your forehead, cheeks and chin are all pretty proportionate, you're in luck because you can wear just about anything. Just be conscious of anything with height, since it can make your head look longer. Instead, go for a shorter brim and forehead -- military hats and even rounded straw hats will look best. Just keep the top of the hat (the distance between your forehead and the top) pretty short. 


Round Face

Look at you, you little baby angel. If you have a round face, rounded hats will make you look -- you guessed it -- round. Since you have full cheeks and a rounder chin, you'll want something that balances out those rounder features. A brim that slants over one side of your face can help create some angles. You look uber cute in a straw fedora and I am jealous because I do not. You can also choose a hat with a higher, square top to add length to your face.


Square Face

If your face is pretty angular with a strong chin, you want a little femininity in your hat. Don't get me wrong, you look like a total boss in a vintage ball cap. But some softness can help counteract a strong chin. If you do a ball cap, pick one that's a bit girly and you're good to go, otherwise floppy hats are your friend. 

Also, ignore other guides because one time, I looked up what type of hat I should be wearing, and a website for a fashion magazine which shall remain unnamed said this: 

Oh yeah, just let me go get my hat on and I'll start robbing people with my Merry Men.


Anyway, are you a hat-wearer or are you like "Um, no thanks." 

Accessorizing in the Summer

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

First off, Happy Pioneer Day to my Utahns! I'm a transplant and have absolutely no pioneer heritage whatsoever, but I appreciate the day off and the fireworks, so WOO! Of course, I played a couple of hours of volleyball and worked out last night for the first time since my trip and I am FEELING it today. So I will be watching fireworks with Advil and an orthopedic pillow.

Utah is funny because each little town has their own celebration -- even my tiny town of 2,000. That means there's always some festival going on, usually with vendors, tons of food and entertainment. But the heat -- OH THE HEAT -- makes a lot of these unbearable. This year, I've gone to four of the various city festivals in my area and I have one more planned, so I've had to learn to dress accordingly.

The thing about summer dressing is that you want as little as possible, right? So I find that a lot of times, it's like a top, shorts and flip flops and I'm done. Accessorizing in the summer sucks because everything is just an extra layer and makes you hotter, like the time a couple weeks ago I decided to wear a cute summer scarf and it ended up drenched. I know you wanted to know that.

So here are some ideas to accessorize this summer without wanting to jump into a vat of ice cubes. Even though that sounds really nice right now.

Get a Pedi

For reals, people! It's so easy to look cute and it doesn't make you feel one degree hotter. Except for that time I had a pedi and I got a chemical burn. But if you do it yourself, it's fine. Lately, I've been painting my toes and then doing a couple layers of chunky glitter near the top like this. It's cute, simple and sticks around forever. Plus, you can do your pedi when you catch up on DVRed episodes of Real Housewives of OC, not that I do that or anything.

Wear Honkin' Huge Earrings

I love necklaces, but let's face it -- sweat city when you're in the sun, amiright? I have the world's most sensitive nose and I hate the smell of like, sweaty metal. Ooh, that sounds like a rock band! Anyway, I default to big, light earrings in the summer. I find that those made of wire and hammered materials weigh the least, like so:














Go for a Hat

I'm definitely a hat girl -- it's the tomboy in me. I tend to wear military or ball-style hats, but basically any topper works. Especially if you can rock a floppy straw hat because that makes me jealous. Just don't wear a trucker hat with your bikini because you';re not Tara Reid (thank goodness). Anyway, hats keep the sun off of your face, especially if you once had skin cancer on your nose and swore to your doctor you'd never get another nose sunburn ever again. Aaaand they're cute. Win!












Wear Your Hair Up

This is a no-brainer, but you don't have to wear a ton of accessories if your hair is your accessory. Wear your hair up and then try using a cute headband or ribbon to accessorize. I love doing a big, fat top bun and then wearing glammy sunglasses or doing a side braid with messy pieces. Bonus points: You can get away with not washing your hair. Check out my Pinterest hair and makeup board for more ideas.

Air Out

OK, so I love wedges but they can get all slidey and gross when it's hot. So go for a flat, strappy sandal that keep your feet totally cool, but look for ones with bright colors or interesting details. These ones are also cheap, so yay!












Choose One

If you're feeling totally naked without all of your accessories, just go with one super impactful one. That way you're not like, jangling your 10 bracelets around swimming lessons. That's annoying. La Mer wrap watches have a ton of visual impact while still being just one piece. Slap it on and you're put together.


















Wear a Scarf Literally Anywhere but Your Neck

Sure, everyone is like "Ooh, wear a summer scarf, they're so light!" But those people have never wrangled kids in 105-degree weather and can bite me. I love me a summer scarf, you know I do. But not when it's this hot out. So when I'm wishing for my H&M teal leopard print scarf, I tie it on my purse instead. That way it's part of the outfit without actually touching me and honestly, as a mom all I want is like five minutes where someone isn't TOUCHING ME.

Get Nekkid

No, don't strip off your clothes and head outside, no matter how hot it is. Unless you live in a nudist colony. But why would you be reading a style blog then? I have deep thoughts. If it's really sweaty out, skip the accessories altogether. Go for like, a brightly colored summer dress or ditch your usual solid tee for a graphic one instead. Done!


What's your fave way to wear accessories when it's hot? Or do you just not leave your house? I can deal with that too.

This Summer I Love...

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Is it me or is every summer pretty much exactly the same? I mean, clothes-wise. The hot weather hits and for like, two seconds you want to look cute and then it's like "Screw it I'm spending the rest of the year in capris and flip flops." Ugh, I feel ya. Not literally, because that would invade your personal space, but figuratively -- I feel ya. I get stuck in a summer rut every year and need to bust myself out of it. Here are some of the things making me feel pretty/cool/interested/like I don't want to just sit inside my house with the air conditioning and my underwear on all day.

Graphic Tees

Skip n' Whistle sent me this adorbs graphic tee and I've been living in it ever since. I am the biggest book nerd ever so it spoke to me on a personal level. I might have had to wash it today because I might have spilled snow cone all over it but that might be a vicious rumor I heard. But seriously, when it's uber-hot and I don't want bells and whistles on my clothes, I'm all about a graphic tee. Just make sure it's not like, Hello Kitty, k? You're a grown woman. I also stay away from shirts that advertise a brand because I don't like advertising for free.





































Light Dresses

When my kids were in swimming lessons, every morning I found myself search for a dress to wear. It was hot and I was lazy and only wanted one piece to put on. It helps that they also make you look like, insta-pretty, right?




































Cage Flats

I bought a pair of cage flats (as seen on my Instagram) and they are my new fave sandals. I saw them first from Zara, but the problem was the Zara ones were made from jelly. And jelly gets sweaty and that's gross. Mine are sueded on top and way comfy and I've gotten tons of "Where did you get those?" whenever I wear them. Hint: I searched "cage flats" on eBay. No joke. The ones I have are the Lynna-01 by Bamboo. They're such a nice change from flip flops.























Cuffed Bermudas

Can we all agree that while they're awesome, bermuda shorts can look a little fuddy duddy? This summer, I'm all about the cuffed berms. Just that little roll somehow makes everything alright and less mom-shorts. I also love me some colored berms this year too. Remember the rule of thumb -- always let your shorts or cuffed pants fall at the thinnest part of your thigh/calf.





































Moccasins

Finally, moccasins are my other fave type of footwear. I've been wearing mine nonstop because they look cute with shorts, pants aaaand cute summer dresses. They can do no wrong unless it's really hot and then they get stinky so I don't spend a lot on mind. Wear 'em to death, replace and repeat. Just avoid the ones with fur unless you want to die of heat exhaustion.

(I think these navy ones want to belong to me immediately.)





















What are you guys loving for summer? Are you totally stuck in your flip flop rut? Break freeeeeee.

(Jk I wore flip flops yesterday don't judge.)

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