summer nights

Although it's very close, summer is not quite over, and there's still plenty of time to take advantage of the weather and fun activities. I find people (including myself) sometimes find it stressful to dress up for nights out in the hotter months, as you want to dress light and fun, but not look too day-timey. Usually accessories and especially shoes and bags, can help you dress up an outfit, but also don't be afraid to wear something a bit darker and heavier, if it is for a more formal occasion.

Towards the end of the summer I tend to wear lots of light colours, since I know I won't be able to in about a month's time, but I also don't wear a lot of bright colours because I usually reserve those for the high summer. I love this outfit for a semi-dressy evening out for dinner, perhaps for a celebration. The dress itself could go either way (casual or dressy) depending how you accessorize, so for this particular look I opted for fancy accessories in a gold tone.

Dress: Chicwish

Necklace: Jane Norman

Bag: Saint Laurent

Pumps: Jimmy Choo

This summer I tried very hard to not wear as much black, and while I definitely didn't cut the colour out completely, I was pretty successful. For an outfit like this, I would've typically worn the romper with black shoes and a purse, but I love the look without black as well, especially for a night out in the summer. If you're worried about it being too much pink, the shoes are more of a beige and so they act as a neutral, which just makes the romper pop even more. But you could always do a light grey or white shoe and accessories if you prefer. You could wear this type of outfit with a white blazer for a dressier night as well, but throw on a denim jacket and you could also wear it for a more casual dinner or movie. (As you can probably tell, denim jackets are my go-to cover up in summer!)

Romper: Nelly

Earrings: Colette Hayman

Rings: Accessorize

Bag: Kate Spade

Sandals: H&M

As much as I love dresses and rompers and all things flowy in the summer, there are nights when I want to dress up and stick with pants. I tend to go for white jeans this time of year because they are lighter and give out a more summery vibe. I find white jeans are the black jeans of summer; they still go with everything, and you can dress them up or down. If you want to really dress up your white denim, go for an all-white look, with black and silver accessories. The colour palette is so classic and chic. I just added pink pumps and lipstick for that extra bit of summer colour, but neutral would also work.

Top: Coast Stores

Jeans: Tory Burch

Necklace: Style Moi

Bracelets: Guess

Clutch: Whistles

Pumps: Christian Louboutin

Lipstick: Clinique Chubby Stick

As much as I talk about not wearing black in the summer, black is classic, and you shouldn't be afraid to rock it in the warmer weather. A black jumpsuit is perfect for a summer night; go for a style like this for an event, or a just a jersey one with thin straps and a denim jacket for something a bit more laid back.

Jumpsuit: Stella McCartney

Necklace: Robert Rose

Ring: Effy Jewelry

Bag: Saint Laurent

Shoes: New Look

Say Something

In this era of texting, blogging, tweeting, and every other form of social media and communication, getting your thoughts out into the world and "saying something" has never been easier, or really more common. And lately this trend of captioning has found its way into the fashion industry and onto our clothing. 

I for one love this trend. These graphic garments mostly come in black and white and grey, and so they match with pretty much anything in your closet. Pair a printed T with skinny ripped jeans and a sleek blazer (like Sheryl Luke of Walk In Wonderland above), and not only do you look ultra chic, but you've just elevated a basic shirt to a whole new fashion level. They really make a statement, and give the people reading your shirt a small glimpse of who you are. And at the end of the day, isn't that what fashion is all about?

From left to right:

(Top row)

Etsy; Etsy; Batoko; H&M

(Bottom row)

Daytrip; DKNY; Delia's; H&M

There is just one more that I wanted to add to this post, but didn't want to include in the collage since it wasn't black and white (it would just throw the whole flow off). But this is probably one of my favourites!

What are your favourite pieces that "say something"?

Upper Finger Rings

This is one of my favourite trends right now. Adding a ring above your knuckle allows you to add even more jewels to your fingers, and to get creative. They’re also great if, like me, you’ve got shorter fingers, since these rings make your fingers look longer and slimmer.

What’s also great about the upper-finger rings, is that, because they’re made smaller in order to sit just above your knuckle, they can also double as a toe ring.

Etsy has some beautiful designs for these above-knuckle rings right now. Check some out below:

Now obviously I’m going to mention H&M (not only because I work there, but because I actually love all their merchandise, and own almost all of it myself). They have packages of rings of all different sizes, so that you can wear some below your knuckle (like a regular ring) as well as above your knuckle. And, of course, they’re a great price.

You can join the upper-finger ring trend by wearing simple, plain styles (like H&M above), or by wearing rings with a fancier design on them (like Etsy above). Tell me how you’re wearing this trend, and feel free to include pictures!