Trending Lightly

Observations in Fashion

Hats—Keeping Your Skin Protected While Adding A Splash Of Style To Your Summer Look

by //

You don’t always need sunblock to protect your face from the sun. Give your skin a break from all of those SPF creams and wear a hat with sun protection instead.

I don’t know how you feel about wearing sunblock on your face everyday but I am not necessarily a fan. Yes, I know wearing sunblock to protect my skin from the ravages of wrinkles and more importantly skin cancer is necessary so I wear it—but that doesn’t mean I like it. I don’t like it because after reading the long list of ingredients on the labels that I cannot pronounce  I feel defeated— defeated because depending on my Google search I can get conflicting reviews on the  many ingredients listed on the labels.

I am well aware that some of these ingredients are questionable in terms of toxicity but fail to resolve much in the way of understanding what is and what isn’t truly toxic after my web search. Due to my inexperience as a scientist and in an effort to stave off the aforementioned consequences of the sun I wear a hat during the summer months and give my face a break every now and then from applying sunblock to my face.

Hats with UPF protection are the answer to my sunblock conundrum as they not only protect my skin but add a dash of style to my outfit. UPF measures the amount of UV radiation that penetrates a fabric and reaches the skin.  If you are looking for an alternative to wearing sunblock have a look at a few of my favorite hats all with a UPF of 50.

Fringed Floppy Hat by Eric Javits $375
Valeria by Eric Javits $240
Ibiza by Eric Javits is available in 2 colors $170
Brim Sun Hat by Coolibar$150
Wide Brim Hat by Coolibar available in 3 colors $99
Hampton by Eric Javits is available in 9 colors $198

Eat well, laugh a lot, and be chic!

7 Hacks & Styling Tips for a Seamless Summer Season

by //


It’s officially Summertime! This season don’t get caught off-guard without watching our video, Hacks and Styling Tips for a Seamless Summer Season.

1~Your sneaks are going to get dirty.

You will be wearing your sneaks and creepers just about everywhere and the white rubber on the side of your shoes is going to get dirty fast! All you will need to clean them up is a toothbrush, whitening toothpaste,  and a little elbow grease. Simply put a generous amount of toothpaste onto the tooth brush and scrub the sides of your sneaks, then rinse. Voila! White again!!

2~Your sneaks are smelly.

Vodka not only makes a great summertime cocktail but it can also kill the bacteria that causes odors. Your sneaks are going to take a beating. Freshen them up by spraying the insides of your shoes with a little vodka and water. Use a ratio of 1 part vodka and 3 parts water in a spray bottle. Why vodka and not gin? Vodka will not leave a scent.

3~You can’t wear a bra with that backless dress. 

But, yes, you can. Try the adhesive bra by Nubra. The cups will stick to your breasts all day long and you will get the support you need. Simply place each cup separately onto each breast, then clip the cups together. After each use simply rinse them out with a little soap and water and they are ready to use again

4~You are wearing a dress to a wedding  and you don’t want to wear pantyhose.

You don’t have to. Sally Hansen’s Airbrush Legs will work wonders on your less than tan legs. The trick to getting even color from the product is to first apply it onto your hands then rub it onto your legs like you would lotion. Let it sit for about 10 minutes before you get dressed. To remove it simply shower off.

5~You haven’t purchased a bathing suit in years because you hate wearing a bathing suit.

There is good news on the bathing suit front. You can now have a bathing suit with the same support as body shapers like Spanx. Try bathing suits by Miraclesuit.

6~Your dress is perfection but you have nothing to wear with it if the weather gets a little cool in the evening.

Stock up on pashminas or similar shawls during the year when you see the ones you like . A blend of silk and cotton or silk and cashmere or even 100% silk is best for this time of year.

7~You have a fancy garden party to attend and would like to wear heels. Stilettos will never do! A garden party requires different footwear. Stick to embellished flats or wedge shoes for all those occasions where the grass is green and the event is elegant.

Eat well, laugh a lot, be chic, and have a sensational summer!

Wearing Your Thoughts—The Emboldened Message From Our Minds Onto Our Clothing

by //

Fashion has a not-so-subtle message and that message will be noted by anyone who glances in its direction. 

Tee shirts with logos splashed across the fronts with graffiti-like strokes have been ubiquitous for a long time now. However, our tee shirts no longer merely express our preferred brands, they also illustrate our favorite meme, quote or even political view. Tee shirts with words that emit the love for Botox or ones simply with the word KALE scrolled across the front which where once popular. But those were simpler times.

If you have something to say you can now say it on your clothing (you are no longer restricted to the empty space on your tee shirts). However, saying what’s on our mind isn’t necessarily something we should share with the world.

We all experience dark thoughts or biting humorous anecdotes that float in our heads for awhile until we decide that it’s probably not a good idea to express those thoughts out loud. But enter the new wave of passive-aggressive clothing. Now we can all let the world know that we would rather drink than go to work, would rather stay at home with the cat than hang out with anyone else or simply state that we are unapologetically not sorry.

The late street fashion photographer Bill Cunningham said that clothing is a reflection of our culture. This moment in our culture is a striking one that should bring us pause. Sadly we have forgotten social protocols to keep those biting voices in our heads instead of on our clothing.

Now that all of our darkest thoughts can be  expressed on our apparel  we can say out loud what we are thinking without taking responsibility for the message. If that message is met with pushback from society the response is easily dismissed with, “It’s a jacket. There is no hidden message.” This is true. It is a jacket and the message is not hidden, it is out in the open. Whatever you wear whether it is a tee shirt that expresses your love of Botox or a jacket that expresses your indifference to human kind we hear you loud and clear.

Eat well, laugh a lot, and you should care about what you wear!