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Thursday, July 12, 2012

On the Radar: Glamourous One Piece Swimwear

With the previous post I had put together some adorable two-piece swim looks, but don't think I forgot about you one-piece loving ladies out there!  It seems that for as long as I can remember, the two piece bathing suits have dominated summer swim looks.  But in recent years the one piece has been slowly making its way back into the spotlight.  It never quite went away I think, it just gave in to the popularity of the two piece.  Well, one piece lovers, it's your time to shine!  There are some seriously cute one piece looks out there now.  I'm actually dying to try on most of these myself.  So if you're looking to cover up more or just to try a new hip fun look, these are the suits for you!  I love the retro-glam of some of these suits which evoke that pin-up and bathing beauty look.  One  benefit of a one piece is that it can have a sexy low neckline and low back while still maintaining coverage that won't fall off in the surf!  That's something a two piece cannot do.  I'll award serious style points for that.

I cannot decide which is my favorite but would love to get at least one to try on the next time I get to lounge by a pool.  *Sigh*  If only I could find a pool nearby!



On the Radar: Glamourous One Piece Swimwear

Nanette Lepore sheer bathing suit
bergdorfgoodman.com

Norma Kamali bikini bathing suit
$450 - brownsfashion.com

H M beach swimwear
$15 - hm.com

Pistol Panties one piece swimsuit
$295 - austique.co.uk

ZEKI ruffled swimwear
$240 - harrods.com

Norma Kamali bikini bathing suit
$455 - net-a-porter.com

One piece halter bathing suit
calypsostbarth.com

Michael Kors bikini bathing suit
$215 - net-a-porter.com

Bikini bathing suit
topshop.com

Summer Swim Style, As You Like It

Keeping cool during these hot summer months is a definite must.   I realized that in the past two summers, since my husband and I have bought our condo, we have not spent any time at a pool.  In fact, the last two times we were in bathing suits were on our trip to Puerto Rico last March and on our honeymoon last year!  That's just not right...

Realizing that, unlike our old apartment building where we were spoiled with a rooftop deck with a pool, our new place only has a rooftop deck with some chairs.  We do have a wonderful outdoor terrace, but sadly it's more of an urban oasis full of plants, a barbeque and a wonderful place to sit out on a nice day.  However, this summer I was yearning for a bit of poolside action!

I spent time googling "public pools in Cleveland Park" and "public pools in DC" in hopes of something nearby we could join.  Sadly, there was a small pool and tennis club (consisting of a small pool and one tennis court, visible from the street) in a neighborhood next door, however, it appears that membership only belongs to only those persons with the posh, giant homes in that neighborhood.  So that was off the list.  And there is an aquatic center up by the Tenleytown neighborhood, not too far away that was promising, but I did not see any indication of an outdoor pool, just indoor ones. OK, I can't hang out by an indoor pool... that's just not going to cut it!  So the search continued.  There are some public recreations centers nearby but I could not find information on pools there.  D'oh!  I did also hear that a nearby hotel  had a rooftop pool which had some deal with an apartment building that their residents could also have access to.  Sooooo, that could have potential if I was willing to be very sneaky.  I didn't realize that not having a pool around, even our pathetic 3 foot rooftop pool in our old building, would be such a big deal until I realized my swimwear was collecting major dust!  There's no point in owning it if it doesn't get used right?

While I dream of pools and beach trips this summer I've also envisioned wonderful swim looks that are so cute, I just want to be near a pool or beach to have an excuse to wear them! Check out the adorable two piece swim looks I put together on Polyvore below.  They include a mix and match of tops and bottoms evoking girly and vintage looks as well as nautical, sporty, glamorous and va-va-voom color!  Now that I've got the swimsuit looks down, all I need is a place to go in them!

If you like any of the looks below, just click on them and you'll be redirected to my Polyvore page where you can find where the items you like are available online!


Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Cute Idea for a Summer Hairstyle

Let's face it...  There are hair up people and hair down people.  As in, people who like to wear their hair mostly up or people who like to wear their hair mostly down.  I'm a hair up kind of gal myself.  I have mastered the art of the straightening iron with straight and curly styles and can do a mean half updo with a small jaws clip.  But when it comes to other hair styles that require putting any part of my hair up I am totally clueless.

Since I still prefer to wear my hair mostly down, even in the summer heat, I do like to find new ways to look polished without having to use the heat styling tools on my hair on a daily basis.  So I remembered reading a few years ago in Glamour magazine about this cute way to pin your hair up on one side, leaving the other loose.  It's a super cute way to look polished while putting in minimal effort!  All it takes is a bobby pin or two.  (Side bar, a web search for this hairstyle pulled up a post from Glamour magazine online that said this style was back "in," in 2011 because it had been seen a lot on the red carpet... Oh well! I think it's safe to still rock it.)

See?






My hair is parted to the side and I really like to pin back the side of my hair that doesn't have my bangs and to leave my grown out bangs loose.




And here's the other side hangin' loose.  I like to style my bangs on this side and add some volume.





Just one bobby pin is all it takes!  Easy peesy.  You can twist your hair and pin it back or just pin it back as is.  I even tried this style with a small braid in my hair earlier this week.  So cute!

My friend even saw me do this last week and tried it herself.  It looked fantastic!


In case your wondering I didn't catch her by surprise and sneak up behind her!  This shot was planned.

Gorgeous!

If you like to wear your hair down mostly and want to add in a bit of polished-ness or just want to try a new way to put your hair partially up without having to apply the heat styling tools, take a second look at this one.  It's just as easy to take down if you don't like it as it is to put up.  If you have a side part, play with each side of your hair and see which looks best up.  While I prefer to pin up the side of my hair without my bangs, you may find pinning the other side is more flattering.  Have fun with it!   It's too easy not to try.  I might even use this the next time I style my hair in curls for an event.

Here are some celebs who have rocked this style.  As you can see below, this can be worked into a more elaborate style, such as barrel curls, or looks great just by itself!  Try this one at home... it's a partial updo do!


Ashley Greene




Demi Lovato




Whitney Port






Lauren Conrad




Lauren (or LC if you prefer to call her -- for us Laguna Beach/Hills fans) even pins her hair underneath the rest of her hair falling down so it hides the pin, which is another great technique for this simple, laid back and yet polished but potentially glamorous hairstyle.

If you have an extra bobby pin lying around, give this one a try.  It looks great on pretty much everyone!


Monday, July 9, 2012

Floral Shorts, Two Ways

I love the new trends in shorts for the summer!  There are no holds barred this year with patterns, prints, textures and shine. Even sequins are making a statement in shorts. 

One of the sweet summer short looks I'm totally digging is the floral short.  This evokes a summery, care-free vibe and with these shorts being such a statement by themselves, it takes little effort to create a fabulous outfit with just a few simple pieces.  A monotone top, flat sandals, a bangle and a cute bag are all you need to be hot to trot this summer. I even like this style to wear out on a casual date or to a casual get-together!  Check out the outfits I put together below on Polyvore.  I love a simple white button down when shorts like these make such a a statement.  What's your take?


Floral Shorts, Two Ways


White button down shirt
$63 - coggles.com

J Crew slim shirt
$70 - jcrew.com

Floral shorts
$70 - topshop.com

H&M highwaisted shorts
£20 - hm.com

Steve Madden heel sandals
$60 - swell.com

Red Herring cream handbag
£28 - debenhams.com

Flat bag
$23 - dsw.com

Ted Rossi leather jewelry
80 CAD - eluxe.ca

Pave jewelry
$58 - anthropologie.com

Van Peterson 925 flower jewelry
£20 - debenhams.com

Monday, July 2, 2012

Great Outfits to Wear as a Wedding Guest

I have mentioned having a wedding to go to at the end of June which finally came up this past Saturday and boy was I finally ready and dressed to the nines!  Inspired by having to search for the past month for my own wedding guest look, I put together some outfits below that I love and think would be great wedding guest looks!  It makes a huge difference seeing it all put together.

The first look will soon be familiar, this coral colored concoction is the dress I wore to the wedding I went to this past weekend and I absolutely loved it!  I also included longer dress lengths as both guest options as well as bridesmaid ideas.

Hope you enjoy the slideshow!



UPDATE:  If you liked any of those, check out my winter wedding guest outfit ideas here!

Travel: Finding the Perfect Plane Outfit, Take Two!

Summer is definitely here!  With the recent 100+ degree weather in DC and the storms that hit the area last Friday night and the power knocked out in 1.5 million homes around here, I've been yearning for a vacation elsewhere!

Here's a great idea for a great plane outfit that I put together on Polyvore, provided you're traveling to someplace else that's warm.  I kept the practicality of travel wear with the comfortable tee shirt, the neutral tan satchel and the striped sweater for layering in the airport and on the plane.  I added in a great lightweight button-down for layering, the ends of which can be tied over the tee-shirt to keep that casual vibe but still staying stylish.  Then came the colorful jean bermuda shorts and green flats that are both practical and comfortable but definitely add some style and keep the summer vibe going.  Throwing in a comfortable infinity scarf was a last minute idea because you never know if/when you'll be cold so packing a scarf/shawl and throwing in a sweater for travel is always a great idea!

Any vacation plans coming up for the fourth of July?  Think about traveling in this style with a red/white/blue theme instead!

Travel: Finding the Perfect Plane Outfit, Take Two!


Blouse
forevernew.com.au

Madewell linen t shirt
madewell.com

Denim blouse
$84 - farfetch.com

Drape sweater
poetrie.com

ONLY striped top
yoox.com

Cole Haan wedge shoes
colehaan.com

Nine west handbag
ninewest.com