So with all these heavy issues plaguing fashion, what do you wear for the rest of the summer? It's easy. The summer mainstay look is Palm Beach mobster meets trailer park glam. We went to Miami, where summer lives year round, and were guided to the source by fashion stylist extraordinaire Timothy Biel. Not suprisingly, the real meccas for Florida leisurewear, live in the outskirts of Miami. Blindfolded en route, to prevent divulging the secret addresses, we were taken to Resort Wear Wonderland. Hone your style radars and you'll know when you've landed where time stood still for 40 years. Summer silhouettes to live by, that can be uncovered, include luscious Quiana camp shirts (5$), and two toned terrycloth anything, often mistaken at N.Y. Bar-B-Qs for Prada. Immerse your style vibe in the Jersey Shore, not the Hamptons. Borrowed from your favorite Uncle Quido, goldlink chains with astrological medallions will lend the vibe of the moment to any outfit unsure of its direction. All in the vibe, think trailer park, but act like you're a movie producer. Those embroidered shirts that your dad used to wear that embarrassed you then, are very cool night exactly now. The "guyabera", or traditional Latin wedding shirt, crossed the borders of Mexico and Puerto Rico, just in time. Los Angeles based Pleasure Swell did the best American rendition for both guys and dolls.
Speaking of dad, those Euro-tourist men's bags that are a perfect rectangle with a flap, are the next evolutionary step from the vinyl flight bag craze. That same ol' silhouette with the triangle logo is getting real tired.
The nucleus of a good summer ensemble starts at your feet. The trashy yet slightly polished vibe is still au courant and if summer shoes have you bugging out, go to Woolworth's and pick up some scuffs (slipper/flip-flop dept.) for two bucks and paint your toenails anything but blue, and wear them with Capris. You too can have faux Prada for a petite fraction of the cost. Summer safety tip: do not, I repeat not, ride your bicycle in these. Other best of cheap and trashy include those plastic shower scuffs; a plus, if you can find them with "millions of tiny massaging fingers" in the insoles. Usually available in Chinatown, anywhere, with weird logos: remember, weirder = better.
Big new-model-on-go-sees-in-the-city trend are high high spiked heel sandals which is even dumber than riding your bike in scuffs. First of all, it labels you a novice, icky bald men with cigars, who are not really movie directors, will try to pick you up, and the pain you must feel at the end of each day is not worth it to look taller. Hopefully, this too shall pass.
Other mid-summer wardrobe boosts, guy's surfer shorts on girls (cute with midriff-ey cardigans and halter tops), boy haircuts on girls and the men's leisurewear thing with some small reminder of your femininity, like too much mascara (navy) or perfume.
The full or half slip in strange colors (right at the knee) still works, but it's done with less shock value than the underwear as outerwear phase that it saw a few years ago, and has more of an everyday vibe. Mix them with printed cotton camp shirts or housewifey shifts, or any campy Quiana or terry shirt thrown over. Look like Courtney without the smack. Men in skirts and women in suits are not a big deal. The "androgyny" thing that is "back" is not a "look", it's a social commentary that's more about knocking down boundaries and keeping people guessing, because pigeonholing as a rule is passe'. All in the vibe, style is not always blatantly visible. More on the empowering, and big fun, serious pimp look for women as we close in on September. P.S. Summer is the best time to get your very Gucci-esque fake fur trimmed, 3/4 fitted leather or suede coat at a thrift or Army Navy store, while everyone else is preoccupied with their tan lines. Always, always wear sunscreen, by the way, and program yourself by singing "Stay Young and Beautiful" on the way to the beach. You will.
With mid-summer's fashion dilemmas cranking up with the heat, NYC based body painter Filippo Ioco's work offers a refreshing alternative. loco is swiftly becoming a gallery favorite and regular clients include MTV networks. Ioco's gender blending work transcends most preconceived notions about everything. loco, a regular at most fashion shows draws a lot of his inspiration from the runway. "I'm fascinated by the way the models move and always imagine how I would paint them". Ioco "loves high end couture like Mugler, especially collections that show artistic strength", and he "doesn't respect designers, who obviously pump things out just to make money". There you go.
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