Summer in the city is always hard: it’s dusty, it’s hot and frankly, a bikini and cut-offs just doesn’t cut it in the CBD. Dressing for summer can be difficult for a number of reasons, but I have some fool proof ways to look sensationally summery even surrounded by concrete.
I love a classic red lippy, but when the sun is out and I’ve donned the mandatory pastel shades of summer, it doesn’t quite suit the every day. As a city girl who cannot leave the house without a swipe of lippie and a lick of mascara, I always opt for a bright pink lipstick to liven up my summer look. Mac Pink Pigeon is a matte hot pink lipstick that’s incredibly wearable despite its garish tone. Wear it with minimal eye make-up for a look that adds a fun and flirty feel to any summer ensemble or slither it on if red feels a touch too severe for those hazy sunny days.
Long hair and heat can be a bad combination in the heat, and it’s proven that us girls tend to wear our hair up in summer more than any other season. This, however, is the perfect excuse to bust out our coolest, chicest and flirtiest earrings to make the perfect summer fashion statement – even if we’re in our work wear. Short Story are a Melbourne based label who make the cutest quirkiest earrings imaginable. From teensy golden dinosaurs to gem-encrusted owls, these earrings are impossibly adorable and the perfect addition to any summer updo.
THE CROP
I know, I know, for most girls this 90s fashion revival is an absolute nightmare. Crop tops were hard to pull off the first time, let alone ten years later when they’ve returned to the vogue list. But like everything else, fashion has given the crop a modern twist and opposed to pairing the tee with low-rise jeans and ending up with yards of exposed belly, the modern crop is now worn with a high waist so that only a suggestive sliver of skin is revealed. It is the ultimate day to night piece; wear with high-waisted peg leg pants for a chic work look and then pair with a flouncy A-line skirt and heels for gorgeous summer’s eve attire. My pick: the layered effect from By Johnny.
SUMMER HEELS
I live in Melbourne, so my relationship with flat shoes ended a long time ago – seriously – we all wear heels. The ultimate summer shoes this season are the Projection Shoes by Life with Bird. These have a stacked square heel (a chunky heel is comfy, I never wear stilettos because I actually want to enjoy my day), with amazing hologram leather straps and a beautiful shiny rainbow finish: they are sensational. Created by Melbourne design duo, Bridget McCall and Vincent Van Messner who started their company twelve years ago, Life with Bird has become a Melbourne fashion staple ever since. Any clog or chunky heeled sandal is a great summer shoe for a city girl, but for me the Projection shoes are simply divine.
SCENT
Years ago I bought the Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess scented body oil and my god it smells of summer. With notes of bergamot, amber, vanilla and coconut, the scent will transport you to a tropical island somewhere and give you a summery high you didn’t realise you were missing. The body oil spray is hard to get your hands on these days but the company have recently released an eau fraiche in the same collection, which promises to have similarly desirable effects for a girl stuck in a dreary office while the sun is shining.
The Fashion Advocate x
