SHOES/ACCESSORIES

The headgear craze kicked into full gear in March on the catwalks of Georgio Armani (right), Azzaro (center), Fendi (right) and more. Fall takes us past tired fedoras and accessorizes toques with feathers and feathers with lace. From Amelia Earhart inspired flight caps to shiny lacquer turbans, it is high time to cover your quaff.
In another city, I might provide more subtle ways, like shimmery headbands or sparsely jeweled headwraps, to top off your look. But in Gotham, subtlety misses the point. So put away your single feather clips and get out the entire wing. Actress Samantha Morton wore a dramatic tilted Dick Tracy-esque hat by Giorgio Armani on the cover of the Times most recent T Magazine while the “Batty Brits” inside donned miniature crowns, dual winged hats, mohawks and bright pink fedoras. The message, anything goes! While you might be tempted to use your headgear as the statement piece, take some advice from your spinning instructor and add this season’s hair wear to another statement piece. If you were shy, you would live in Kentucky.
Emma Dinzebach

London’s calling! And he has Hugh Grant’s accent and Jude Law’s…um, face. The best part, he’s offering you his shoes. Not for fall silly bear, for now. Snazzy flat footwear surpassed summer’s espadrilles and ballet flats – thank god – and copy catted off the good ‘ol boys. Digging it? So are we. It feels like we’re Charlie Chaplin dancing in this season’s oxfords and brogues.

From gold and shiny to two-toned trekkers to traditional rich browns and noirs, jump on board now so you can ride out summer pairing them with your short shorts or mini skirts. The best way to wear the man trend this summer is to mix it with pieces distinctly feminine. These shoes can be worn dressed down or dressed up.We like the tucked in tank, floral skirt and black oxfords look as well as the cut off shorts, blazer and colored brogues (pictured) look.  Accessorize with headbands, bangles and your boyfriend’s Rolex…or Swiss Army watch. We know, some of us aren’t there yet.

This trend doesn’t come around to often, so how much you want to invest in these shoes is really up to you. Those willing to commit may want to explore the saddle-esque pair courtesy of Dolce & Gabana or the mean classic black crafted by the fine folks at Prada. Not ready? Visit Top Shop for plenty of classic and nuevo styles that won’t break the bank. Of course we love Kurt Geiger for men or women (below). When shopping, keep in mind that this season’s ode to men’s footwear are sleeker and ironically more flirtatious than the ‘ol Dr. Martins you wore with your high school uniform, so choose a pair that won’t overwhelm your style… whatever that may be. Cheerio!

Shielding our baby blues from the sun’s harsh rays is a necessary means to protect our cornea and fight off crow’s feet, but with the abundance of choices, styles and cost, how do we know which to purchase? Celebrity endorsed sunglasses are all the rage with stars like Nicole Richie, LiLo and Kanye making designer sunglasses seem like a summer year round must have. But celebrities change sunglasses as often as us normal ‘ol folk change our underwear, and in this economy, the average Josephine likely can’t keep up. With sunglasses ranging from $100 like Kanye’s popularized Supers (left), pushing $450 for Tom Fords worn by the likes of Angelina Jolie and her hot hubbie to $1500 (I mean, srsly? There are starving children in the world!) for these Louis Vuitton’s (right), we’re afraid we can’t keep up.
    
And luckily, we don’t have to. Celebrities require constant shades as they successfully hide a variety of things: weed smoking, dark circles, no make up, hangover, mean looks, etc. We need our sunglasses to serve a function, albeit a fashionable function, and since we aren’t constantly being photographed, an abundance of designer sunglasses isn’t really necessary. However, if we aim to actually protect our eyes, at least one good expensive pair probably is.

A good pair of UVA and UVB protectorate sunglasses are necessary when you are out in the sun for an extended period of time – lounging at the beach all day or skiing in the Alps. Polarized lenses mean that the lenses reduce glare by blocking intense, reflected light.  Unfortunately, few brands of sunglasses come with polarized lenses. That costs extra people. And even more unfortunately, cheaper sunglasses (Top Shop, H&M, etc.) come with lenses that cannot be replaced with polarized lenses. So, if you aim to truly protect your eyes, you have to buy nicer sunglasses independent of what celebrities are doing.

But for bopping around town shopping, especially if you have on hat or are lunching in the shade, that trendy pair from Top Shop will work just fine at at as low as $4, you can afford to match a pair with every outfit.

Emma Dinzebach

White hot
 Accidental stains, unforgiving panty lines and the fatal illusion of a magnified rear end:  for these reasons and so many more, some women hide from white clothing, shielded in year-round black, in fear of fashion faux pas.  True:  white clothing is the little black dress’s high maintenance big sister, demanding full attention at any given moment.  But with summer heating up to full swing and an array of white clothing that works with every body style – and budget – why not take a chance to shine?  White denim

A Hamptons essential, white denim – whether it be in a pant, skirt or patchwork purse – comes around every summer like a love story that never ends.  Unlike its counterpart, the dark denim skinny jean, white denim needs room to breathe.  When in doubt, go a size up – or risk an inevitable case of “Who brought the Twinkies to the party?” 

 White footwear 
These are not your grandmother’s bingo pumps:  white foot wear is nouveau, fresh and wearable regardless of if it’s before Memorial Day or after Labor Day.  Try white canvas espadrilles at a backyard barbeque with a floral maxidress, or white leather gladiator flats with denim shorts and a gauzy tunic.  White accessories
Save tortoiseshell for the hares and slide on a pair of off-white plastic frames, which house black or brown tinted lenses equally well.  Movie star?  Maybe – but at least you’ll get to cut the line at the Shore Club.  Pair with a long, white silk scarf woven around the waist of a knit dress to score extra points – and perhaps the bartender’s phone number.And as for those “accidental stains” that are not-so-accidental for the accident-prone?  A Tide-To-Go stick, $3.99 at most drugstores, is a fashionista’s fairy godmother that fits into the purse or pocket of your liking.