One of the highlights of my trip to Italy was lunch at La Conca del Sogno. Built seaside in a former stone quarry, this Euro-chic, see-and-be-seen restaurant/beach club features an
outdoor terrace that juts out over the Gulf of Salerno. The way to get there is by boat, and the enchanting 20-minute journey from Positano provides views
of dramatic cliffs, super yachts, luminous grottos--and, once there, lots of fashionable clothes! When we pulled up to the restaurant's dock, a chic English woman appeared wearing the vibrant Dodo Bar Or dress, above: i.e., the exact right outfit for the relaxed glam setting. As she motored off in the tender to her yacht, I realized that along with the linguine alle vongole, I now wanted this dress, too! As fate would have it, the dress is now on sale at Shopbop, along with tons of Sogno-suitable styles, such as this Zimmermann mini, this crochet lace Thurley, this Paul & Joe gauze blouse, this smocked Petersyn skirt, these Salvatore Ferragamo slides, and this Hat Attack straw cross-body bag. Shop it all here!
So how exactly was I able to fit my medley of holiday dresses into a carry-on, you asked? Easy. I only packed styles that straddled the sea to city gap: ones that can be worn with beachy essentials (i.e., swimsuit, Havianas) and concrete-ready extras (elegant sandals, both high and low), such as the Reformation dress, above in Positano and below, in Kensington. Okay, so London's heatwave helped me streamline my suitcase, but I did have two cozy cardigans on hand, just in case, that I tucked into a weekend-bag sized Gucci (AKA: my other personal carry-on), which also accommodated my lightweight cover-ups, bikinis, and sandals. Next up for me this summer is another surf and turf vacation, with time spent in both the Hamptons and in New York City. You can be sure I will employ a similar packing strategy, but with some (hopefully) new options in the mix, including this flowy H&M, this floral Veronica Beard, this Draper James denim wrap dress, this romantic LoveShackFancy, this dramatic Free People, and this tiered Wayf.
So far my dress-and-bikini-only wardrobe is sailing seamlessly through Positano, Italy. (And I was able to cram it all in a carry-on, thank you very much!) My strategy: easy, throw-them-on, bathing suit-friendly but still chic frocks for day and decadent midis and maxis at night, including the re-worked Asos, above, along with a dozen (or so!) swimsuits. My favorites, some of which you can see on my Instagram feed, include this And Other Stories rope-trimmed bathing suit, this linen Reformation mini, this Rhodes Resort robe dress, and this ruffled Shein body suit (below). If I could do it all over again, I'd squeeze in these La Dolce Vita-suitable styles from Topshop, Loeffler Randall, H&M, and Rixo London.
If you're starting to cook up your August vacation packing list (or just round out your summer wardrobe), I strongly urge you to hit The Outnet first, as it's rife with incredible sunshine-ready sweets, including the cute raffia Dolce & Gabbana sandals, above--all majorly discounted! Particularly tempting: this ruffled Zimmermann bikini ($137!), this sexy Derek Lam cut-out one-piece, this pretty broderie anglaise one-shoulder Nicholas dress, these adorable Tabitha Simmons slides, this slinky Ganni maxi (pictured below), this March 11 embroidered mini/cover-up and this Iris and Ink bow-strap dress (for a mere $155!). Check it all out here.
For the rest of the summer, I'm going to exploit the cuteness of bow-trimmed camisoles. (Reason: above.) I'll take advantage of their easy, breezy, straight-up fun, and how they're a hot-weather slam dunk paired with shorts or jeans. It would be really silly not to, especially with these cheap and cheerful styles from Asos, Rails, Lost Ink, DL1961, Simplee, Shein, Innika Choo and Storets. (The one, above, is from Storets.)
Photo: Ruta En Route
La
dolce vita-loving Italians' predilection for the grandissimo is very much apparent in their current choice of accessory: big, bold, statement-making earrings! Sculptural and modern are the hallmark attributes of this new jewelry trend, and the great thing is it works day to night. I'm digging these affordable options from Elizabeth & James (similar to above), Gorjana, Kate Spade, Gas Bijoux, Tory Burch and Ettica.
Even though these Celine sandals (above and below) are from last year and have long sold out, I am still 100% obsessed with them. Lucky for me, I've come across a derivative pair from Free People that will finally let me make my red-shoe-fashion statement now at a fraction of the price!
Jessie Bush's Instagram feed is not only triggering serious vacation envy in me, but also inspiring vacation wardrobe wants! I am about to partake in some holiday-ing (Positano! London!), myself, so her beach-to-street outfits are particularly spot on. Feminine, flirty dresses are a must, as you can see. The smocked dress, below, is from Storets, her multi-print maxi is by Mary Katranzou and her white tiered dress is from Wiggy Kit. And so are flowy, statement-making tops (that can go with polished jeans and denim shorts), such as the Isa Arfen bubble blouse, above. I'd also pack this sweet LoveShackFancy floral print dress, this girly Ganni top, this day-to-night wrap JOA dress, this BB Dakota eyelet blouse, and this cute Loeffler Randall leather bucket bag.
Fall may be a distant galaxy away (thank our lucky stars!), but today's an ideal time to shop for it, because Nordstrom's
epic early-access sale launched today. Up for grabs: key fall pieces at up to 40% off!** The most desirable ones--i.e., the
just-hit-the-rack looks that I know I'll throw on again and again and
never tire of--include this striped, puff-sleeved Rebecca Taylor sweater, these velvet Loeffler Randall sandals (above, left), these spot-on, demi-boot Madewell jeans, this Clare V classic suede tote bag, and this Sea print dress (similar to above, left). Check it all out here.
**To
access the sale now, you need to have a Nordstrom card which you can
register for on the Nordstrom site. The sale items will be available to
non-account holders as well in a week.
Photo: Loeffler Randall
Lace, flowers, and lustrous rhinestones, this dress is my kind of summer romance.
1. Topshop lace dress, $90, nordstrom.com
2. Suzanne Kalan 18-karat gold, sapphire and diamond earrings, $750, netaporter.com
3. Yves Saint Laurent Lipstick in Rouge Rose, $37, neimanmarcus.com
4. Loeffler Randall feather-trimmed straw pouch, $195, netaporter.com
5. Sam Edelman metallic sandals, $100, shopbop.com
I scored this statement-making $20 polka dot body suit, above, the other day and wore it to Little Beach House in Malibu, where it received tons of compliments. I also snapped up this $60 dress from Asos, below, which I plan to wear with and without a bikini. Other tempting under-$100 finds this Tuesday: this pretty party-worthy Topshop lace blouse, this super cute Pixie Market straw bag, these ruffled H&M sandals, and this Fifth Label striped dress. You're welcome!
Apart from a throw-on-and-go dress, my favorite hot day hero is a white lace blouse. As you can see, it easily goes with anything from jeans to a swimsuit--and always looks sexy! Fortunately, this summer ushered in a bevy of beauties to choose from including the on-sale BA&SH top, above (expertly worn with a black bra underneath), this Mango, this organza Topshop, this one-shouldered Miguelina, and this Ulla Johnson.
The National Weather Service is forecasting a record-crushing scorcher today (117+ degrees in the valley!). I'm going to keep cool in this new barely-there H&M dress, above, but would do just as well in any of these heat-proof lovelies from Tularosa, Kos Resort, Miguelina, Free People, and Jonathan Simkhai. Happy (hot) Weekend!
Is it just me who feels a bit jipped by the July 4th holiday? It felt one long weekend too short! To perpetuate that off-duty feeling, I am currently romanticizing about wearing one of We are LEONE's dramatic duster coats. As you see they go seamlessly from the sweltering city (over jeans and a body suit) to the hotel pool (avec bikini). Added bonus: they can tremendously boost your vacation Instagram game. I'd happily play in this sheer polka dot one (above), this statemen-making lace one, and this pretty floral one.
Photos: Poppy Delevingne, Sophia Penske
You'd think that
an invitation to a haute couture show in Paris would require some major
dressing up, but the 80-degree heat is demanding otherwise! Attendees are sporting chic shorts to keep cool, and why not? Shorts are just so easy and yet they can be a completely legitimate style statement, as demonstrated here. Of course, sophisticated accessories--i.e., an Hermes bag, a pair of Celine heels, above--up the chic factor. I could breeze through summer in the city with these especially stylish shorts by 3.1 Phillip Lim, A.L.C., J.Crew, Ulla Johnson, and Keepsake.
This cute fringed bag belongs on a beach in Ibiza--with me!
1. LoveShackFancy dress, $395, netaporter.com
2. Grey Ant sunglasses, $370, shopbop.com
3. Melissa Joy Manning spinel earrings, $365, netaporter.com
4. Mango fringed bag, $79, mango.com
5. Madewell lace-up sandals, $59, shopbop.com
Back to Top
