The Third Eye

K., the personal shopper at the Lovely Boutique Where I Work, has two fully functional eyes. But the other day she became my "third eye" and was it ever a help.

1 + 1 do not equal a match

I had just bought a pair of flowered summer pants and was wearing them for the first time. A restrained floral, they were still very "Granny's drapes". I cobbled together the outfit with a ruffled ivory camisole and cropped beige jacket. So far so good. At work I caught sight of a new peasant blouse. It had a nice vibe; summer is always a little bit "Summer of Love" for me. The colors would blend well with the flowered pants. On my lunch break I tried it on.

Something wasn't right. I had that slight feeling of betrayal when what you figured would work together didn't. But I couldn't think why. Usually one to trust my own judgment, I called out to K. (passing by), "What do you think of these two together?"

Like a hummingbird settling in on a tasty flower, she sweetly but succinctly said, "Well, they don't really go together. The pants are too romantic for the blouse." She was so right! I was mixing metaphors, trying to morph disparate sensibilities with the Boho top and the vintage tea shop bottom. While a jean jacket harmonizes with everything, and a chambray shirt/brocade skirt combo sings, these two elements didn't make beautiful music together. I hadn't seen it before, but of course...

T'was an ah-ha, could've-had-a-V8, why-didn't-I-think-of-that moment. It proved that even those of us wildly knowledgeable about the subject sometimes need help dressing ourselves.

The Hippie Chick Lives On

Where the Punk Show at the Met seems to have gotten it wrong (having us believe the couture they showed was Punk as worn by the People), the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston has a chance to get it right.

The upcoming show "Hippie Chic" (July 16 - November 11, 2013) begins where the Hippie look landed— on the backs of the well-heeled (and soled) who could afford the real deal: caftans from Morocco, embroidered kurtas from India and silk from the Silk Road. Names that come to mind are Yves St. Laurent, Giorgio di SantAngelo, Thea Porter, Talitha Getty, and Verushka in "Vogue".

Oh, Giorgio!

This is not the Hippie of my younger days as I fell somewhere in the middle. We decided against driving up to Woodstock that rainy weekend because we didn't want to get the new Corvette all muddy. Can you imagine?

Love, peace... and mud at Woodstock

Though the fabric of their lives was definitely cotton— that great gauzy stuff from India— the first hippies were having fun with fast fashion and vaguely invoking something spiritual, foreign, creative, comfortable, cheap and rebellious. If you chose to dress that way you were, in fact, showing your colors. We others adapted. I had a couple of long skirts and strands of hippie beads. That look was strictly for weekends. I still wore gloves to work.

The Founding Fathers?

Perhaps the Beatles were the first to take the look and run with it. Who didn't love the Beatles? They had managed to charm young and old. When they began to dress Sergeant Pepper-style it may have become acceptable to more people. I know my staid brother-in-law grew a moustache and sideburns and may have had a Nehru jacket.

Hippie Chic is not going away. The phrase alone evokes thoughts of disposable income and unlimited leisure time— jet planes, exotic islands, eternal youth. That could be why I've never quite gotten up the courage to dispense with my long paisley, crinkle cotton, drawstring waist hippie skirts. After all, they don't take up much room.

Shocked

Yes, I read every book about fashion out there. I could probably write my own, except I already have. You're reading it. Call me the Dickens of fashion writing— installment chapters that may lack Dickens' mesmerizing plot arcs.

Not all books about fashion are strictly "how to dress". Right now I'm reading a doozy—"Shocked" by Patricia Volk. This is a memoir about her mother, Audrey Morgen, crossed with an appreciation of Elsa Schiaparelli, whose autobiography Patricia read as a youngster and which changed her life.

Schiap looking conservative (for her)

The same thing happened when I was eleven. I checked out from the library Schiaparelli's book, "Shocking Life" because of its bright pink cover. With only a vague idea who she was (my mother did have a subscription to "Vogue"), I'm not sure I understood most of it, but it thrilled cover to cover. I remember thinking I didn't know it was okay to consider Fashion as Art.

Audrey

Patricia's mother, Audrey, may not be vain, but she does have a heightened sense of self. She knows she's beautiful, sets high standards for herself and proclamations for everyone else. It's funny and poignant because it reeks of the '50s that I remember, even if my own mother was no Audrey.

I'm only on page 84 and already have scooped out a few bon mots for you. As along the way we not only get a bio of Schiap and an autobio of Patricia, there are delicious fashion tidbits. Ready for a nibble?

James Laver was a fashion historian, arguably the first. He was described as "the man in England who made the study of costume respectable." He was also the Keeper of Prints, Drawings and Paintings for the Victoria and Albert Museum from 1938 to 1959. In his study of dress he combined art history with theories that defined the relationship between fashion and economic and social factors. While that is indeed a mouthful, the following, known as "Laver's Law" (from 1937), makes perfect sense:

Indecent	10 years before its time
Shameless	5 years before its time
Outré (Daring)	1 year before its time
Smart	'Current Fashion'
Dowdy	1 year after its time
Hideous	10 years after its time
Ridiculous	20 years after its time
Amusing	30 years after its time
Quaint	50 years after its time
Charming	70 years after its time
Romantic	100 years after its time
Beautiful	150 years after its time

Hard to think of 1963 as being "quaint", and maybe Laver's Law does not apply so much to the present era of fashion trends that regurgitate ad nauseum, but don't you love it?

Thanks, Patricia. This is fun.

Why "The Great Gatsby" is Not so Great

How great was it?

What a connection! The definition for dud is "a thing that fails to work properly or is otherwise unsatisfactory or worthless". It also means "clothing". Not sure how that links up, but the duds in "The Great Gatsby" will not become the next big fashion trend.

Daisy and Leo

Daisy and Robert

The New York Times runs a column which singles out what is neither wonderful nor terrible. They call it the "Meh List". File "The Great Gatsby" under "meh". The movie wasn't as annoying as I was afraid (hated Baz Luhrmann's "Moulin Rouge"). It was neither realistic nor a fantasy. It was lush but hollow and way too long. Although miscast, the real problem was we never cared about the characters. Daisy was not worth yearning over. No wonder she didn't feel the same about him; Leonardo's Gatsby was, as they say, no Robert Redford. The only one with a pulse was the garage mechanic. And he spent the film in a dirty undershirt. If we don't care about people we certainly don't wish to emulate them.

Beginning to flap

The twenties were an amazing decade. It was the dawn of "youth culture". The early flappers were really rebellious teenagers, the first girls to come of age in such a permissive era. And the times they were a changin'. Women got the vote, cut their hair, shortened their skirts and went to work.

Chanel rocking her sailor look

Chanel became Chanel. We are still  influenced by what she started (despite Karl Lagerfeld having his little jokes with the archives). Just as everyone did not dress like a hippie in the '60s and '70s, not everyone was a flapper in the twenties. The idea of the '20s being one of languid, ladylike luxury still lingers. The frenetic party dresses flapping around "The Great Gatsby" on armies of unmemorable extras only makes me think of the bathtub gin hangovers those gals will have next morning.

Deals were made, of course. Brooks Brothers tied into the menswear, opening their archives to the costume designers and interpreting Gatsby's look for today, for a price. Tiffany took on the jewels, turning over their famous Fifth Avenue windows to the task and even masking the building in Art Deco taping.

A Tiffany Gatsby window

Tiffany taped

I still love the twenties— the color sense, the new ideas in dress and pursuits, the studied artifice of makeup and hair. After realizing Victorian and Edwardian times were basically brutal, the thirties were tough, and the war years were not to be envied, I still might like to drop down in the twenties for a visit. Next best thing is a charming book, "The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt" by Caroline Preston, a novel in pictures composed from the author's treasure trove of '20s ephemera. It's clever; it's charming, and I want that dress on page 141.

"The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt"

Dumbo's Magic Feather and Other Beauty Tricks

I don't usually write about Beauty here because it is— so true— in the eyes of the beholder. And we are our own harshest critics. Becoming far-sighted is one of the greatest beauty tricks there is, and it's a trick Mother Nature plays when you get older. Hurrah hurrah for the sight of me in the mirror without glasses on or contacts in! Alas what kind of a trick is it when you know how it's done? Put in your eyes, and the illusion's gone.

We are creatures of habit. If Glockenspiel Soap worked for you in your 20s and your skin hasn't fallen off in shreds, you are probably— wrong or right— still using it. If "Afternoon of a Fawn" was your favorite lipstick in 1979 you would probably still be wearing it (if it were still produced).

I've covered the obsolescence of beauty products before. I'm facing another one. My favorite night cream— Visibly Firm by Neutrogena— is no longer available at other than bootlegger's prices (from $149.99 to $225). I'm not kidding myself: this stuff isn't La Mer! It was under $25 at its launch in the late '90s but has been off the market for at least 4 years. Visibly Firm touted copper as a miracle ingredient (hence the copper lid on the jar). I agreed to be a guinea pig for a test we were doing at the magazine, really liked using it (and that copper promise) and have been faithful ever since. Whether it's a magic feather or not, my skin really isn't bad for an old biddy. I am, however, down to the last nibs of the horde I stockpiled off the internet when it started disappearing from actual stores. It will be a sad day when I can scrape out no more.

While it's been said the older you get the less makeup you should wear, I find I am doing the opposite. A) I seem to have more time to play around with the stuff and B) I'm a little desperate. Too smart to believe all the hype the beauty industry promises, I'm not sufficiently jaundiced to turn the other cheek— when a new blush promises a rosy, natural glow. 

Have I found another magic feather in the wildly popular Bare Minerals makeup? We've all seen those infomercials (or skipped past them). They've been on tv for years. The stuff promised a lot, seemed expensive compared to what I usually got at the drugstore, and who buys makeup over the television anyway? 

Usually avoid this area like the plague

I subjected myself to this (not me in pix) 

The other day I found myself sans makeup and at the mall (post dermatologist visit). Though I avoid going past the cosmetics counters of any department store, I purposely sallied over to the Bare Escentuals counter (home base for Bare Minerals makeup) and asked for a trial face. Let's say I was sufficiently impressed to pick up a "starter kit" and have actually been using it. Okay, so I don't suddenly look thirty, or even fifty. But I do look like I'm wearing less to better effect than before.

Dewey but not me either

The starter kit set me back $64 with two pots of stuff, a compact of the main course, three fluffy brushes and a tube of "primer" (don't like the sound of that plus it stings a little bit). Definitely value for money as these are the real sizes, not samples. The application time is minimal and is kind of fun. Plus you don't have to be precise. The result is a "dewey" finish— like skin, not makeup. It's a big old-lady sin to be powdered dry. Best of all— it stays all day without even a touch-up.

Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Sure. Can you give Dumbo another magic feather? I'll wear a headdress if that's what it takes.

She's got what it takes

What Do You Wear When No One's There?

Would a uniform be a good idea?

Did your mother advise you to always wear nice underwear in case you were in an accident? Mine went further and abhorred safety pins for the same reason. But what do you wear around the house when you will neither have an accident or be seen by any other than your nearest and dearest?

I realized I have at least four categories of "second best": perfectly wearable but not my favorites (maybe from last year or before that), never liked 'em in the first place (the proverbial "bad buy"), funky and/or vintage stuff that I might wear "out" once or twice a year and the thoroughly pilled/stained/faded (for cleaning out the basement). So guess what I pick from when I'm around the house? Too bad we don't have a basement.

Why is it so hard to dress nicely for nothing? Is it because, once dressed, we have the urge to venture out? If we're "not dressed" we don't have to run errands or interact with other humans. Personally, I get a lot done between pajamas and real clothes and vice versa— like writing this blog.

"What a doll!"
(actually salesmen's samples of Princess Peggy house dresses)

MAYbe

The traveling Frances Patiky Stein
 in 1965— could be today

May is the month of possibilities. You may do this or that or go here or there this summer. May is the jumping off month to summer. Wherever you may leap you may be thinking "what to wear; what to pack". I know I do. Part of imagining myself on vacation is seeing what I'm wearing. If music is the food of love, then clothing is the fuel of travel.

At the same time, there is spring cleaning. The two intersected as I was culling my enormous collection of fashion how-to and history books (in order to make room for more). Some I've bought out of curiosity ("Designing Women: The Art, Technique and Cost of Being Beautiful" from 1938). Others I've had forever (the bible of my teenage self "The Handbook of Beauty" from 1955). I discovered one I've had since 1981 but hadn't yet read, "Hot Tips" by Frances Patiky Stein. I bought it mainly because I knew the author— from afar.

Frances Patiky Stein was a fashion editor at Glamour in the mid-60s and a particular favorite of the Art Director and my boss, Miki Denhof. Frances herself was way more sophisticated than the average Glamour reader she was dressing. If it were today she would be a young version of Carine Roitfeld. No surprise then that Frances soon decamped for Vogue and then Paris, where she briefly had her own accessories line and became Chanel's head jewelry designer for many years. Googling Frances Patiky Stein doesn't bring up much else. I would like to think, possibly in her 70s, she is traipsing about Paris with my ex-pat artist cousin Jill.

Back to the book. "Hot Tips" is full of them, and 32 years later they are still pretty hot. The book was designed by Rochelle Udell, who went on to make a name for herself as creative director at Conde Nast and is Senior Vice President/Creative Director of Chico's and Chief Creative Officer of Revlon, among other gigs. As we are going through a '70-'80s vibe in fashion now, even the illustrations look fresh and do-able. The cover photo, however, does not— socks with mocassins!

Lest you think I've gone of the track, flipping through this book to decide whether it stays or goes into cold storage, I read the chapter on Travel and found it succinct, refreshing and timely. I was happy to see tricks I swear by and new ones to try. Why oh why didn't I read this sooner? There's no mention of the 3-ounce liquid maximum for carry-on (of course) but many suggestions for the ultimate goal: a travel wardrobe that you can forget about to just have fun.

Long out of print, "Hot Tips" is still available online at sites such as abebooks.com, where there were several copies listed at the mind-boggling price of (wait for it) a dollar.

Here are a few of Frances' travelicious tips (with some 21st century updates):

> The keys to successful travel wardrobing are Organization, Pre-planning and Paring (to a minimum).

> Use non-descript luggage. Good luggage invites guesses that what's inside may also be worth stealing.

> Never put your name and address on your luggage tag. If you must, use your business address. Update: or your email or your cell phone. Once again, why advertise that you are away from your home?

>  Bag everything in plastic! Zipper plastic bags for cosmetics, drawstring bags for shoes (thank you to the GAP for the nice bags), large dry cleaning bags to insert then wrap or roll. Frances suggests keeping things on hangers inside the bags.

> Pack skirts and dresses inside out; the wrinkles will show less. Likewise fold things lengthwise in thirds. Any wrinkles will follow the body line.

> Never take anything on a trip that you haven't already worn (and that goes double for shoes).

> Take along a copy of your prescription if you take prescription medicine. Drug sniffing dogs can't read, but their handlers can.

> Don't carry passport, tickets, money, credit cards all in one handy case. How handy will it be if it gets lost or stolen? I also keep my passport number and other essentials in my smart phone on a "Keeper" app.

> The hotter the place the colder the air conditioning will be. Pack cover-ups accordingly.

> As you are looking to pare down, take things you really love and won't mind wearing often.

I realize these are not actually What to Pack Tips. She's got them, though, and they're pretty specific. What's amazing is despite the passage of time (or maybe because of it) you could pack what she suggests and look fabulous. For example, this would be an evening look in a place "...where one dresses at night take high-heeled sandals, a pretty bag for night (gold), plus extra silk shawl for evening cover! Add pretty evening bits: strapless and bare camisoles, floaty chiffon pajama or tunics to wear over silk pants, one or two bare, silky, floaty dresses, one dinner dress (short, silky restaurant-looking)... Remember silk folds to nothing, takes no room!"

Look for me at that little boite near the Trevi fountain. I may not be Anouk Aimee, and my husband may not be Marcello Mastroianni, but we can pretend...

Viva La Dolce Vita

Still Jonesing for Jenna

Much has been written about Jenna Lyons, President of J. (stands for Jenna) Crew. The May issue of Harper's Bazaar has her speaking for herself, and here's what she says:

She loves the snooze button on her alarm but makes it up by 7:30 AM with half an hour to get dressed and get her son Beckett ready for school. She picks out his clothes. At six years old he has a fondness for cashmere. I'm thinking he probably doesn't know that cashmere is Super Deluxe. It just feels good, n'est pas? Beckett in turn picks out Jenna's shoes. Instead of breakfast she'll drink an iced coffee made up to replicate melted coffee ice cream, her favorite flavor (I'll second that). Jenna likes traveling light. She will carry a bag but prefers to use her coat pockets for wallet, glasses, keys, iPhone. She takes Beckett to school— in the car service. But hey, she can give him her full attention if she's not driving.

She's at work by 9:15 AM, checking the 200 emails and 100 texts she gets daily. Then there are the 10 to 18 meetings. Lunch is usually in a meeting, and it's something she's in like with at the time— a Cobb salad or tomato soup. She's home by 6 PM for dinner with Beckett, cooked by the babysitter (really? can't we call her the nanny?)

Work looks like fun...

She does go out on nights when Beckett is with his father (she's separated or divorced or something but didn't clarify). Her partner Courtney was only mentioned briefly, but honestly I don't care. The crux of Jenna Lyons is: How does she come up with the J. Crew look, handle all the attendant pressures and still come across like a real person? As in she says she was not genetically gifted with good skin and has about seven strands of hair.

We learn she's a late-night online shopper (check) and has a stash of ice cream in her freezer (check). Buy Jenna rose champagne (you can get me extra brut). She wants a dog but not the dog hair. She loves beautiful underwear but realizes most of it can't be worn under clothes. Jenna owns 300 pairs of shoes (I can't even imagine) and 800 J. Crew t-shirts to sleep in. Maybe she has a little more hair and a few less shirts, but I like the humor. She loves getting dressed, and the whole idea of wearing a uniform  is "like a slow and painful death".

Zzzzz....

Really good sheets changed her life. I think I know how she feels as being bumped to business class on one flight has ruined me forever. Really good sheets may be cheaper. She really, really loves her bed— a California king (remember Jenna is six feet tall).

Thank goodness Harper's Bazaar brought us back to reality (Jenna is not like you and I) by letting us know she has a gigantic sable bedspread ("the most decadent thing I own"). I'll say. Nevertheless, girlfriend, when can we have lunch?

J. Crew Spring 2013 for the uninitiated

Runway Rewind

Project Runway Season Eleven ready for their recap

There will be a little tete a tete on Thursday when contestants on the latest season of Project Runway go head to head with each other in a reunion show. What will they say, now that the winner is a done deal and everyone has had a chance to view everyone else milking their own fifteen minutes of fame?

Project Runway used to be about fashion and the laborious, strenuous, uncertain path to becoming a fashion designer— speeded up x 40 for TV, with a winner yet success in the industry not guaranteed.
Lately— perhaps the past four or six outings— the talent pool has gotten shallower, the tiffs pettier, the "characters" less memorable and/or likeable. The whole thing probably deserves a spot on the New York Times "Meh" List— not terrible but not great either. Just "meh".

If you are watching you are probably not new to the series. Most of us diehards have been there from the start. We bought into the conceit that winning a television show with its prizes and publicity would annoint America's next top fashion designer. That was a little like thinking "The Bachelor" will find true love with the final rose. Time has turned that show into a bit of a joke. But we Project Runway-niacs still like believing in fairy dust.

From "Make it Work" to "Auf Weidersen", Project Runway has given us personalities to remember and minutiae to cherish. Who knew super model Heidi Klum had brains, business acumen and opinions? Who suspected we would grow fond of the acerbic Nina Garcia (whose attitude has softened as well)? Who, including the man himself, ever thought Tim Gunn would go from design instructor to television personality, author, chief creative officer of Liz Claiborne and the voice of a Disney character and still remain a really nice guy? Guest judges come and go, but Michael Kors has yet to change his t-shirt.

And the contestants! Season One winner Jay McCarroll was such a goof-off during challenges but took his finalist status seriously. His runway collection took my breath away, but he's is still traveling a bumpy road on his path to becoming a viable designer.

The goofster got serious

Over time there have been deserving winners, some just best-of-the-rest and others who were truly "meh". Chloe Dao is a hometown favorite who is by all accounts pretty successful. Selling on QVC may be a little like selling out in my mind, but her business here is thriving; she gives back to the community and certainly has handled success— and fame— well.

Hometown honey

Christian Siriano knew he was good, and he also knew he was young and might be considered an upstart. He deserved to win and knew it, but managed to be genuinely humble. He's the real deal: I wish him great success.

Not the first Christian to make
 a name in fashion

Two of my favorite personalities were not winners but have managed to forge celebrity-status careers out of PR exposure. Teammates August Scarlett and Santino couldn't be more different but even hit the road together for a short-lived but charming fashion series on Bravo.

"On the Road" with Santino (left) and Austin (right)

Which brings us to this season's winner, Michelle Lesniak Franklin. She's actually pretty good. Her clothes have heart— and art. A prime example was the "bleeding heart" sweater she showed in her runway (against Tim Gunn's advice). She believed in it, and the judged applauded. The artfulness may have gone too cerebral in the story behind her clothes (lone female wolf needing to hunt down a final kill before starvation) or a little gimmick-y (that compass worn as a brooch), but at least she had a direction.

Michelle

Her heart is bleeding

If I have issues with Michelle it was her attitudes of both entitlement and fearing failure. Michelle was a scrappy little contestant from Day One. But what a whiner! She always felt she was on the wrong team, worried her team would pull her down. When winning became a possibility she was not shy to let us know she "deserved to win and needed it". Why? Because she was struggling for years without recognition and/or success? No, because until recently she had been in the wine business and had "given everything up" to pursue her love of designing. There were times she put down the other designers (not to their faces) and other times she declared she did not want to be hugged or touched as it wasn't "the right time". She deserved to win— over the others, who were half-baked at best. Will she be a winner? Only time (and that compass) will tell.

Has Project Runway seen its best days behind itself? Maybe. Will I keep watching? When does Season Twelve begin?

Madame Surveys the Trends for You

Spring has taken her good old time settling in this year. Even here in Houston, where April is usually the loveliest of months, we are going from a high of 83 to a high of 65 in a day. Dressing is a physical and mental challenge to be sure.

Nevertheless I see Trends unfolding around me— in the stores, leaping out from the pages of magazines and illuminating laptops and iPads. The tricky part about predicting trends is one sets oneself on a mountaintop to survey the season. There's no guarantee the trends I see from my lofty perch will make it to the top. And sometimes a trend lands squarely on the summit from outer space (or most likely the streets). That being said:

NEON   There are summer brights, and then there's neon. Never found in nature (neon tetras aside), neon is not just for traffic cones anymore. From nail polish to the whole nine yards, neon is everywhere. A skinny neon belt or neon clutch is not embracing this trend. If you're doing neon, go big. As sure as I'm sitting on my mountain top this too shall passe. Have fun while it glows.

Nanette (Lepore) loves neon

DENIM   Summer's trendy denim is the skinny leg (cropped or rolled at the skinny cuff) or modified boyfriend (be sure the waist and hip fit to flatter). Gone are the wide legs and boot cuts of winter. Washes may still be dark (flattering and versatile), but look for softer, lightweight fabrications. Colored denim is huge and fits in with the neon/color blocking trends as well. White jeans always say Summer. You may need to go up a size as nothing is worse than a too-tight pair. Oh and buy white now before they are MIA.

Add a top, please

Let's call them Andre and George,
as in Androgynously Gorgeous

BOHO    Summer is always going to evoke the flower child in all of us. Make sure your Boho is age appropriate. If you were there, or could have been, forego the Woodstock-era. Go bohemian instead with timeless  folkloric or ethnic looks. In other words, channel Frida Kahlo classic not Stevie Nicks hippy.

Frida si...

Stevie not so much

CHAMBRAY   Chambray the way to go home? The blue chambray shirt is such a staple now it can be called the summer denim jacket. I have to admit, it's instant cool and the easiest friend to a pair of colored or patterned skinny pants. It's a bathing suit cover up. Tie it at the waist with a long skirt. I buy mine in the boys' department at Target.

Thirteen bucks and right on Target

GROWN-UP RUFFLES These are not your grandma's ruffles or even Holly Hobbie's. We are talking lusciously sophisticated, sculptural ruffles that are best left to the masters such as Gucci, Chloe and Balenciaga. Be wary of cheap, mass-market knockoffs else your ruffles might have ridges.

Gucci's got it

  

Dotty at Rucci... but the dark
underwear has me seeing red

MORE HANGERS-ON: This trend-spotter spots spots. (I just like writing that). Polka dots are not overdone yet, from itty-bitty dottted swiss dots to dinner-plate sized circles.  Print mixing may remain an art form better left to the pros or those who throw caution to the winds. When it's done right, respecting colors and tonality, it can be fresh and modern. Lace. Nautical stripes. Just be wary of lace AND nautical stripes (see below). Also still on stage are the modern textile miracle, photo prints (also see below). For the feet, espadrilles, wedges and ballet flats will still take you where you need to go, comfortably and in style.  

Picture this...

NEVER-SAY-NEVER DEPARTMENT: Synthetic jersey turns respectable. Arnel and Banlon are blasts from the past, but that type of material is turning up again in dresses and tops, especially those sporting those interesting photo prints. It's a great fabric to travel with as it truly never wrinkles. Synthetics are not recommended for travel to Dubai, however, as they do not breathe.

BLACK AND WHITE Always chic, this summer's black and white has Marc Jacobs to thank. His very graphic looks for Louis Vuitton stand out. 2013 black and white is a cerebral no-brainer.

Black and whites makes its Marc

DROPPING OFF THE CLIFF: peplums and the high-low hemline. They always were a little silly— the peplum in a surprisingly flattering way. The high-low hemline is just odd. "Ladies, let's show off your knees, the most universally unflattering area on a woman's body!" We can at least be grateful the style was always short in front, longer in back and not the other way around.

Pretty peplum people

Enough

BEWARE THE MIX-MASHER: Step carefully when it comes to mixing trends (neon with sheer, stripes with lace). Like a good affair, you're better embracing one love at a time.

 As always, anything unflattering is never for you.