Fashion Trends

Whether you want something handy to pull on over a bikini as you run to a corner store for a flavored water, you want to protect your skin from the sun, or you have a creepy uncle that shows up at your families’ summer home – a swimsuit cover up is a great to have.

In fact, I recommend having more than one. They’re crucial on my vacation list.If Heroes‘ hottie Milo Ventimiglia happens by my poolside and asks me to eat dinner with him and his friends, I want to be prepared.

There are several choices out there, but I narrowed it down to my top six from some of TheStylishCity.com’s favorite stores. See what you think.

1. BCBG Max Azaria Embroidered Ikat Cover Up from Nordstrom ($198.00). I love how flouncy it looks, especially the sleeves.
2. Dotti Pleated Shirt Cover Up from Macy’s ($48.00). Or, get it with pleated pockets.

1. DKNY Swimwear Dot Cover Up from bloomingdale’s ($108.00). For the glamazon in every female.

2. Milly Merano Crochet Mini Dress from Saks ($271.00). Good for petite frames. Subtly flirty.
3. Shosanna Swim Cover Up from Saks ($175.00). This is similar to the Milly one, but I wanted to include it because I love Shosanna. This is a little less virginal, and will compliment a curvy figure better.

4. Diane Von Furstenberg Harlequin Fish Cover Up from Saks ($225.00). This will enhance your bust. Plus, so pretty.
Stylishly yours,

Jessica Rae

Maxi Dresses? Yes, they’re still in. Don’t be ridiculous, a trend doesn’t end that fast. Besides, it’s only June. July and August will also have weather to tempt you into one of these flowy dresses. And, if you’re into mix-and-match style, you’ll wear one in September with a big belt and a cardigan. Sienna Miller will probably wear that sort of outfit until January. Which will probably be old by then. But, let’s pace ourselves. This is now. Like I said, it’s only June.

I’m sort of appalled that I’ve seen so many unflattering maxi dresses, by reputable designers, no less. There is this one by Ella Moss that, with the dropped waist and color will really only achieve in making you look like a dour little banana. And, for the girl who wants to wear a muumuu (a real word, who knew?), or dress like Mary-Kate Olsen, there’s this ginormously* huge maxi dress by French Connection. Why would they do that? Seriously, tell me why anyone would go ‘hey, that’s attractive, we should sell this to everyone!’ Gross.

1. Yoana Baraschi Beaded Tribal Patio Dress at Neiman Marcus ($420.00). Tribal, yay!
2.Diane von Furstenberg Kiwana Twist Bust Maxi Dress at bloomingdale’s ($265.00).

3. Elie Tahari Kara Long Embroidered Dress at bloomingdale’s ($498.00).
4. INC International Concepts® Empire Tie-Dye Maxi Dress at Macy’s ($89.00).

Stylishly yours,

Jessica Rae
*Not a real word, I just love it.

I bought a pair of big-impact gold earrings when winter was fading away, and I’ve been waiting to wear them, impatiently, since then. Summer is my favorite time for large gold earrings. I always feel like I’m on some tropical island as they jangle from my ears, even if I’m just on a balcony overlooking a noisy street.

Hopefully you wear your SPF-15+ dutifully and so the only tan you have is one you got from a bottle. But that doesn’t make it look any less pretty. Gold earrings pick up the sun, and compliment a tan.

I’m very much in love with the Kenneth Jay Lane Coin Chandelier Earrings ($68.00) from Nordstrom. They’re large enough that they’ll stand out even if you wear your hair down. Then again, in the ‘tropical’ heat, pulling your hair into a messy bun is often called for. Don’t let your ears go naked.

Another pair you might enjoy are the Gurhan Dangling Leaf-Flake Earrings ($1,400.00) from Neiman Marcus.

A more interesting take on the (by this point, standard) ‘feather’ trend are the Annette Ferdinandsen Peacock Earrings ($740.00) at Barney’s. The shape of these peacock earrings is bold, and unmistakable. Always rather fascinated with peacocks, I have some (fake) peacock feathers as decoration in my room. Oddly enough, the first report I can remember doing in grade school was on peacocks. I remember thinking it was such a big deal. This was before first graders were texting their Moms from the playground, so

none of us could type. I was lucky to have my friend’s Mom type it for me – and I felt extremely special. I may not be able to get that same feeling from that, but these earrings might do the trick.

To round these out: Jill Alberts’ Medallion Earrings ($1,950.00) from Neiman Marcus have a tribal feeling that I dig.

Here’s to living in sublime style,

Jessica Rae

Who could forget the lovable jelly sandals we all wore in the 90’s? You know what I’m talking about; those strappy things that came in a rainbow of colors that were slightly reminiscent of today’s hot gladiator sandals?
My favorites are by Givenchy $165, Barneys.com. They also come in pink.
Marc Jacobs makes jelly ballet flats that are jelly-licious and come in opaque black, and translucent yellow, pink, and gray $160, Barneys.com

The Kate Spade Maui Jelly flip flops are pretty great too, $60, Bloomingdales.com

And then there are the Marni jellies. Hot pink, translucent, and very ’60’s mod, like what Twiggy might have worn poolside.

$159, Net-A-Porter.com
Confused about what to wear about this daring, retro trend? Try neutral colors such as gray, white, and black. A casual Black T-shirt dress would fit the Marnis perfectly, and the Givenchys would look great with jean shorts and a slouchy white tee, perfect for those hot summer days.

Enjoy!