2011 Fashion

Summer Chic - your summer essentials

'Here comes the sun'!!! We show you how to stay chic this Spring/Summer in sun soaked days and balmy evenings.

Summer is the time to flaunt your fab figure and to go playful with all the bright hues. And girls with a generous side need not sulk, as smart summer styling will hide your flaws and accentuate your strenghts.

Shorts Style
Effortlessly stylish - simply pull-on a pair of denim shorts and an easy tank. Team it with smart slingbag, comfy flat sandals or wedges and a pair of summer sunglasses and you're ready to rock.

Wear your shorts to a party by dressing them up like Eva with a nice pair of heels and a clutch or keep it casual with basic white tee or nautical stripes for some fun look. What ever way you wear, it's definitely going to be stylish and keep you comfy in the heat.
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Eva Longoria, Halle Berry and Ashley Tisdale

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Your choice of accessories will be the key to your shorty look so make sure you pick the best. You can wear your shorts with a white silk shirt (tucked in) for a more feminine look. You can wear this look from outdoor soirees to pool parties and just look perfect.
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Our Picks

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Kain Washed tank top for $155, Joe's Jeans The Destroyed Short in Brigitte for $143, Aldo Otega sunglasses for $12, Aubin & WillsWellingham Straw Panama Hat for £54 (Aldo Mallinger hat for $20) and Aldo Wyatta Beaded Gladiator Sandals for £45.

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White Wash
Nothing says summer like a white ensemble. Replace your LBDs with LWD (little whote dress) or team white separates to create a chic head-to-toe white look like Blake Lively. A summery white dress can be worn from day-to-night with the right accessories. And the best part is, a white dress will complement that tan you’ve been working on over the last few weeks.
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Kirsten Dunst, Blake Lively and Taylow Swift

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Work minimalism with a elegant white blouse teamed with white pants, add statement gold jewelry for a sophisticated evening look. And if you've watched the Royal Wedding, you know lace is this season's hot fav. And what can be a better way to work the lace than wearing it in white (like Taylor Swift). A nice short white lace dress styled with an elegant belt can be worn for the day and teamed with a white jacket (Stella McCartney) for the evening look.

Girls if you're worried that 'white will make you look fat', pick a different hue to white like cream, ivory, beige to flaunt the style. Absolutely anyone can work this trend perfectly with ease. And just like black, white works with almost everything.
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Stripes
Add fun to your summer wardrobe with stripes - they are versatile and can be worn by everyone and with everything. Team a striped tee with your jeans, shorts or a skirt, pick a stylish striped dress, pair your stripes with other prints (abstract, geometric) - there's no dearth of options.
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Taylor Swift, Eva Longoria and Victoria Justice

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We think the best way to wear the stripe trend is to wear a stripe tee under a blazer and team it with smart trousers or jeans.

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Flower Power
Bring your summer look into full bloom with all things floral. Floral prints are an epitome of spring/summer chic. Read Botanical Love - Florals for Spring and Winter for how to wear the floral look.

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Related Posts:
Trend Watch: Colour Block
Colour Pop your Wardrobe
Shoe Guide: Must have shoes for women
Botanical Love - Florals for Spring and Winter
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paris postcard: french moves, francesca schiavone

the funny thing about visiting a gland slam tournament--you may see less actual live tennis than you'd watch on tv.

sound counterintuitive?

but unless you're content to just sit in one "assigned" stadium seat all day (and i'm not saying you shouldn't or i wouldn't), you may spend a fair amount of time wading through the crowds to get to an outer court to see your favorite lower-ranked players engage in more unpredictable or more competitive matches. once you finally arrive at court 6, 7, or 11, there will likely be another wait to gain entrance.

you might decide check out the "marquee" action on the other main courts courtesy of the jumbotron (at the french open there are 3 stadium courts that require separate tickets: chatrier, lenglen, and court #1, aka "the bullring," though during week 2, court 1 becomes a free, open court) and while that is an especially fun congregation at RG, it's not really watching it "live" is it?

in-between the matches, there are sandwiches, ice creams and strong coffees to be had.

and there are the bathroom breaks.

the day goes by pretty swiftly.

and because i am so easily (and maybe weirdly) entertained by people-watching and snapping photos, i spend an exceptional amount of time just loitering.

it was late in the afternoon last wednesday when i realized that i'd not seen a full "live" set.

tired and sunkissed, i retreated to my assigned seat in chatrier to watch the final match of the day: schiavone v roberta vinci. i didn't take too many photos, just sat and really watched the points. i soaked up the scene: it was quiet. the sun and heat had mellowed, along with the crowd. there were fewer of us but we seemed to watch with intensity and deep appreciation. not sure if that comes through on television, but it was true that day.

in person, schiavone is as powerful as you would expect, but i was surprised by how the surface could amplify her gracefulness. she has impeccable balance and can create some beautiful lines with that backhand of hers.

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as the match drew to a close, i noticed someone cheering really wildly. for many minutes. (can you see him?)

i'm with him: it was a nice way to end the day...

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all photos taken may 25, 2011

paris postcard: french moves, rafael nadal (part 2)

all photos taken at court philippe chatrier on may 28, 2011

paris postcard: french moves, rafael nadal (part 1)

shots from a single, side-to-side sequence

all photos taken on may 28, 2011 on court philippe chatrier

paris postcard: french moves, alexandr dolgopolov

all photos taken at roland garros, court 6, may 28, 2011.

paris postcard: french moves, gael monfils

one of the simple joys of being at roland garros is the opportunity to observe how players move on the terre battue.

you finally understand it demands more strength to get one's footing, and exquisite balance to glide and change direction. it brings out the natural gracefulness of players like monfils and nadal, schiavone and dolgopolov.

they--and the sun and the shadows and the burnt orange clay-- conspire toward unforgettable images (even if you can't quite capture them with a camera).

i tried, anyway, with my best zoom.

here are some of monfils, in court philippe chatrier, from one corner of the court. (first set is my favorite...)

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all photos taken on may 25, 2011.

paris postcard: market scene, montparnasse

on wednesdays and saturdays, the narrow island that divides boulevard edgar quinet in montparnasse hosts a market where neighborhood folk can purchase gorgeous, locally grown fruits and vegetables and flowers. the meats are plump and tempting...

i'll take a quick spin through tomorrow for cherries (cerises!), before heading to roland garros, but here are a few shots from last week: