Summer, like winter, requires its own proper fashion and beauty etiquette. Whether you’re cruising the beach or headed poolside this season, it’s important to keep it effortless and fun. Say goodbye to your dowdy recession attire. Below are my tips to help make sure you’re a fashion “do” this season and not a fashion “don’t.”

Don’t over-do it with fake spray tans. Do opt for a more natural glow. Not a fan of the fake and bake? The key is finding the right self tanner designed to give you the perfect tan. Summer is the best time to give yourself a great tan but long exposure to the sun isn’t the healthiest. Look out for sunless tanning cream for a gorgeous and flattering glow without the damaging side effects of the sun.

Don’t be a victim of makeup overload. Do keep it simple. Keep makeup from melting off your skin by keeping it light. Foundation is out and tinted face moisturizer is in, at least for the next three months. Replace bright blush for bronzer and dark eye shadows for sheer colors. Try to avoid makeup at the beach and remember to choose bold, colored nail polish. For the best lip coverage, apply shimmery lip-gloss or clear lacquer—red lips are big summer don’t!

Don’t wear barely there clothing. Do sport breezy tops, summer skirts and lightweight dresses. Steer clear of tiny shorts and belly-bearing tops. Do incorporate denim and khaki shorts, summer skirts and baby doll tops. “Be mindful of the length of your hemline; select miniskirts and shorts that hit right below the widest part of your thigh for the most flattering silhouette,” suggests stylebakery.com. Another affordable alternative is the chic “Maxi,” a bohemian inspired dress that hits the floor. It can be worn to the beach or on the weekends. Take into account visible bra straps. Tank tops are nice and cool, but visible bra straps are tacky. Before heading out, make sure to do a bra strap check.

Don’t wear bathing suits in public places. Do wear a cover up or tunic over a bathing suit. Wearing swimsuits under clothes should be avoided in places other than the beach like restaurants or the mall. Keep in mind that swimsuits can be sexy but also fitted. Try to wear a full-coverage suite that fits properly. Beach cover-ups come in a variety of styles and colors, not to mention are a huge hit this season.

Don’t rock unflattering shoes or winter styles. Do wear flat sandals, espadrilles and dressy flip-flops. Store the Ugg boots and leave the ballet flats at home. In its place, sport glam beach to street sandals. Espadrilles and gladiator sandals look great with long skirts and sundresses. Socks with sandals are a huge fashion faux paux for summer (well, let’s just say year round).

Don’t wear excessive jewelry. Do look for key summer accessories. Limit big necklaces and flashy pieces. You can’t go wrong with a chic beach tote, a great beach bag or a straw fedora. No outfit is complete without a cool pair of aviators or retro chic sunglasses.

photo by nathan umstead

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Living in a refugee camp in Ghana, Lovetta Conto struggled to get food, water and an education. She still believed, however, beauty could grow even in the darkest surroundings.

She may be a bit younger than our typical That Girl (at sixteen) but she is no less inspirational. Lovetta has her own line of jewelry, called Akawelle (“also known as love”), where pieces are fashioned from discarded bullets from the Liberian Civil War. “Life” is inscribed into the leaf pendant made from melting and molding the top part of the bullet. The bottom is wrapped with gold-filled wire to hang alongside the leaf. Constructed of copper and zinc, the bullets will tarnish but Lovetta feels this only enhances the splendor.

“Even something as ugly as a bullet that was fired in a war can be made beautiful if you are willing to work to change it into something else,” Lovetta explains.

Lovetta’s dedication was recognized by Cori Stern, founder of the Strongheart Fellowship. The fellowship stresses development through enterprise, encouraging participants to create projects that “combine commerce and compassion” by benefiting peers, the community and the Fellow. The proceeds from Conto’s jewelry line are going to help construct the Strongheart House in the now peaceful Liberia.

Like her jewelry, Lovetta also has managed to take her situation and turn it into a stunning reminder of the power of hope. She struggled to build a future for herself in the refugee camp. Education is not free in most of Africa, so Lovetta’s father worked very hard to pay for her education.

“I am finally getting the education my father dreamed of for me,” she writes. “That is why I say I am not ashamed of my past. It has made me who I am.”

photos courtesy of strongheart fellowship

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The times they are a changin’. With job losses and never-ending penny pinching, revamping your wardrobe for spring may be the least of your worries. No need to be discouraged, recessionistas! Pack away those sweaters and shed those layers. Here are my tips on how to create a recession-proof wardrobe.

Conduct a Closet Inventory
Instead of splurging on new spring pieces at full retail price, dig through your closet. It’s completely fine for items from past seasons to be reused. Dust off your old spring wardrobe and think about new pieces you might want to add. It’s all about styling with color!

Make a Spring Essential Checklist
Spring is all about a fresh start. Must haves for this season include: short-sleeved cardigans in bright hues, a lightweight boyfriend blazer and the classic trench. You can’t go wrong with monochromatic, metallic and animal prints. Remember magenta and yellow are bold colors that flatter any skin tone. No closet is complete without lightweight scarves and leggings in bright colors. Make sure to put an emphasis on details such as ruffles, bows, and floral prints.

Invest in Timeless Pieces
Having long-lasting clothing is key. When you find a piece you like, decide if it’s worth the investment. Michele Parsons of Liz Claiborne says, “The thing about investing in something is that you have to believe it fits and flatters you. You have to think about whether you are going to be able to wear it with lots of different things.” Indeed, versatility is value. Know what key pieces to invest in. The dress is an example of a trend quickly becoming a wardrobe staple. Be sure to stick to plain textures and classic colors. Spending the bulk of your fashion funds on timeless pieces will become the backbone of your wardrobe for years to come.

Be a Budget Babe
Ever-changing trends can get pricey. Discount retailers provide simple and affordable alternatives. You can find designer Alexander McQueen at Target and Simply Vera by Vera Wang at Kohls. Other inexpensive retailers such as H&M, Forever 21 and Wet Seal always stock trendy and fun apparel. No spring ensemble is complete without graphic inspired tops and pieces with interesting details. For the risk takers, you might want to try a trendy romper/short suit—guaranteed to make you stand out. Blake Lively and Whitney Port are fans.

Accessorize
Handbags, jewelry and other accessories are cheap ways to add pizazz to a spring wardrobe. Look out for bangles, which are making a huge comeback this year. Still have those gladiator sandals from last year? Bring them out! Not only are they comfy and stylish but also go great with everything.

Spicing up your spring wardrobe doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Have fun and don’t be afraid to play around with what you already have. Swap clothes with friends or turn old clothes into cash. It’s nice to see old stuff get a second chance. Visit a vintage store or recycle your wardrobe—your trash could be someone else’s pure gold.

photo by bete noir

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Clothes are the most basic form of self-expression.  For many women, they have become the most important form of self-expression.  They are marketed to us in just this way: wear this and you’ll appear professional and conservative; wear this and you’ll appear sexy; wear this and you’ll appear to have no style whatsoever and people will think you’re lame (and if it’s lame enough, maybe you’ll actually get back around to cool).  We break our banks and carefully accessorize outfits so no one (God forbid) sees us in the same outfit twice. It’s dress up for adults – a world that allows us to appear in any role we want.

The newest, most-lucrative trend in the world of fashion is couture for kids.  Top designers like Juicy Couture are rapidly creating lines for both young girls and boys.  Play Couture, a new store in Beverly Hills, sells designers such as Diesel, Paul Frank, Lacoste and more high-end brands like IKKS for ages 7-16.  Play’s website touts their store as a “haven” for the “bratty, fashion-obsessed preadolescent.”  But who’s paying for these expensive items?  And why?

Jody Thomas, a mother from Colorado explains that children are not brand-oriented by nature.  “As my kids have gotten older, we are actually spending less,” she says.  “I may love the expensive little swing raincoat with the brown and pink oversize polka dots and pink trim; my daughter is indifferent to it.  My son, likewise, will love anything with a dinosaur on it.”  Thomas insists that she only buys couture for fit, quality and classic design (so that it may be worn repeatedly), and for children, these qualities are null. “They have no figure flaws and they will outgrow clothing before they outwear it.”

Breny Mendoza, a women’s studies professor and mother, explains these marketing tactics and their motivations. “These industries need to rely on the purchasing power of the wealthy and create new lines of products to make up the declining purchasing power of the middle class.”  Mendoza admits that parents have always found pleasure in dressing their children up, but questions this obsession with expensive items.  “Does it have to be with luxury items?”  She explains that this kid-sized status symbol market plays off the Hollywood baby boom.  “Buying Juicy Couture brings you closer to Angelina Jolie.  These pricey products are serving mainly adult fantasies of wealth, and not those of the children.”

But the message sent to young girls when they are encouraged to be bratty, demanding, and label-hungry is that expensive clothes bring attention, revere and acceptance.   Mendoza insists that these messages carry over into adulthood and can severely damage a woman’s understanding of herself.  “You are what you shop,” Mendoza says of the lesson parents are teaching their children with these extravagant clothes.  “Having is better than being.”

While this message certainly applies to young boys as well, Mendoza insists the growing fashion obsession in women can be demotivating.  “I have no doubt that the obsession with fashion is the new form of oppression of women and a way to depoliticize women.”   She urges women to think before they shop and asserts that brand-craving certainly should not be encouraged at such an early age.    “Shopaholics, anorexics, depression, all these diseases that affect mostly young women are somehow related to the fashion industry.”

Being a woman today requires a careful balance between our visceral, often culturally-created desire for beauty, and our most important goal: building ourselves up as women of substance.  Children are not accessories, and neither are we.  When I was in junior high, and I begged my mother to let me start shaving my legs, she told me repeatedly, “You have the rest of your life for that.  Why start now?”  We have the rest of our lives to figure out that balance, and let’s face it, we have a hard enough time remembering that bags and shoes don’t need to be the reason we command attention in a room.  Let kids be kids.

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