Game, Set, Match

Photos: Style.com; Pintrest.com; People.com

There is something about a white pleated tennis skirt that I love.  Preppy tennis whites, will never go out of style, but the real adventure is transitioning them from the clay to the streets.  To perfect tennis street chic, an all white look is my favorite, but substituting white with black or navy would look equally as chic with gold accessories and espadrille wedges.

LWLD

I adore a lace dress, which is the most romantic and girly version of the LWD.  The perfect little white lace dress is something I am constantly shopping for...year round. Gisele's amazing dress on the cover of French Vogue is provacative, yet sweet.  Although most of us cannot and should not pull her look off, each of us can pull off a version of the LWLD.  Below are several LWLD's I have spotted this summer.  The long sleeves allow you to get a way with a daringly short hemline so you can show off your tanned summer gams.  The lace dress needs few accessories, just throw on some neutral wedges or flats and some gold hoops or turquoise earrings and the look is complete!



1.  River Island Belted Chiffon Lace Dress

2.  Bloomingdales - Lilly Pulitzer "Lela" Daisy-Lace Shift Dress

3.  Urban Outfitters - Pins & Needles Lace Dress

4.  Shopbop - Foley + Corinna - Bardot Dress

Zoe-tally Excited!!!

Image: Instyle.com

Rachel Zoe's 2011 fall clothing line is without a doubt ah-mah-zing!  I absolutely adore Zoe's signature look, super dark flare jeans, a flouncy silk blouse, a fur vest and piled on jewels. The stylist and designer turned mother is without a doubt "wearing a collection" above.  Looking at her fall line has me loving the iconic 70's and not to mention, extremely excited for cooler weather.  Zoe has a bold sense of style, unlike any other, and though not loved by all, her fall line has something for everyone to desire.  The line does not miss a beat and is now available now at neimanmarcus.com.  I have to get my hands on the red dress below!

Images: neimanmarcus.com; instyle.com

Looking forward to Zoe's 2012 Resort line! Below is a sneak peak into what the designer has in store for 2012, a series of easy maxi dresses and her signature midnight blue denim. 

Images: style.com

Images: style.com

White Tee

Photos: Pintrest

White tee's scream summer.  The casual tee can be worn atop anything from jean shorts to long formal skirts.  This season I have been topping my long maxi skirts with my favorite American Apparel white t-shirts (which I live in).  The white tee is so versitile, it is such an effortless look to pull off that is actually...effortless. 

High Gloss

Lacquered walls are SO completely unexpected, and not to mention look great against a painted floor!  The high gloss look captures my eye every time, and in particular, the Miles Redd design above.  Either its a  bold color you're staining your walls with or a softer hue, the sheen adds the polish and glamor to any room.  Definitely a luxurious look that is covet-able and could fit into any home's decor, in the right shade of course.  The lacquer is without a doubt a show stopper, so much drama!!!

Paint the floors!

Painted floors are oh so chic!  I love the look of a shellacked floor, it is so surprising and makes a real statement in any room.  The faux bois floor in the picture above, painted to mimic the traditional wood floors is so interesting and anything but ordinary.   I  also enjoy a solid pastel color painted floor in the kitchen, such as a sea foam or robin egg blue, which is less dramatic than the faux bois, but still unexpected.

Would you ever experiment with a painted floor?

Wear a collection

Get stacked...with bracelets, that is!  Pile on the bracelets, on one hand or both.  A personal favorite is to stack bracelets alongside your watch - do this everyday to create a signature look.  There are no downfalls or wrong ways to wear this look - mix up the combination everyday so you're sure to make use of all the bracelets in your jewelry drawer.

Side note - loving the gold band set against the engagement ring in the photo above.

 

Tortoise Shell Excessories

Images: toryburch.com; therow.com; endless.com; shopbop.com; jcrew.com; anthropologie.com

1. Tory Burch - Resin Logo Cuff 
2. THE ROW - Oversize Cateye 
3. BCBG - Clutch 
4. Nixon - Oversized Chrono Watch 
5. J.crew - Cece leather and tortoise ballet flats 
6. Salvatore Ferragamo - Belt 
7. J.crew - Luxe Amber Halter Top 
8. Anne Klein - Tortoise Toggle Bracelet 
9. Kenneth Jay Lane - Tortoise Link Necklace 
10. Kenneth Jay Lane - Tortoise Stretch Bracelet 
11. Anthropologie - Tortoise Hoop Earrings 

A black dress with tortoise shell accessories has been a go to outfit in my summer wardrobe his year.   Tortoise shell is very neutral and looks great with any color, but especially black, white and coral.  A watch and sunglasses can be worn every day, where a bracelet, necklace or earrings make more of a statement and can be worn on occasion.  Tortoise shell can add an effortless vintage feel to any ensemble.

Fancy hot pants

Photos: people.com

Photos: people.com; eonline.com; elle.com

Majorly coveting the scalloped hemline shorts!  The Chloe hot pants look effortlessly chic paired with a blazer on Sienna and Kate, but seeing as it's only June and it's already in the upper 90's, Lauren Conrad's west coast, laid back approach to the scalloped shorts might work better for us Houstonians.

When wearing short shorts, think about proportion. As the hemline inches up, consider covering up a little bit more on top, with a three-quarter length sleeve airy silk top.  LC definitely got it right by wearing a loose fitted tank.  For those of us that dress more conservativly, its best to offset the tiny shorts with a more modest top (not to mention more flattering).  The scalloped short is a whimsical twist on a summer staple, that is super girly and fun to wear!

Photos:  topshop.com; freepeople.com; shopbop.com; diani.com; modcloth.com

In order clockwise:

1.  Topshop - Red short
2.  Free People - scalloped eyelet short
3.  Twenty8Twelve - Driben Shorts
4.  Madison Marus - incarnation suede short
5.  Modcloth - Shenanigans Shorts
6.  Alice + Olivia - Butterfly Short