Style Observations of the fabulous women of Los Angeles.
By Bethanie Lunn, author of ‘The Modern Girl’s Guide To Fabulousness’
In terms of style, Britain has it sewn up (s’cuse the pun). With a plethora of famously celebrated designers and an inimitable sense of eccentricity, we have much to be proud of in the fashion stakes.
However, there’s one art we just haven’t mastered – dressing for hot weather.
With reckless abandon, we forget our usual style commandments donning flimsy floral shorts, spaghetti strapped camis and cheap-looking flip flops. We’re hardly well versed in dressing for the sunshine so following my recent trip to Los Angeles – I observed the style of our friends across the pond for inspiration.
The fabulous ladies of L.A. manage to balance practicality with style and professionalism since their lifestyle caters to day-long heat. Their outfits have to take them from office to beach to cocktail bar. The overall look is very laid back featuring floaty fabrics, neutral shades and natural tones of cream, tan, white and stone to keep them looking and feeling cool. But to smarten the overall look, tailored pieces and expensive accessories are combined.
Sun dresses get turned up a notch with wedge heels or designer leather sandals, over sized sunglasses and a designer tote. L.A is a large city that is spread out with a huge focus on being active and outside. The ladies of L.A. therefore tend to walk everywhere when possible, benefiting from the exercise- something which is embraced as part of their lifestyle as opposed to a chore, and making ballet pumps and thong sandals top choices.
Everyone has a hat – straw trilbies are the most popular choice. Not only do they protect your hair and scalp from the sun’s rays but they look chic to boot. Hair and make-up is kept simple and fresh looking. Perfectly placed highlights framing the face, creamy luminous skin and pearly white teeth are some of the best accessories a girl can have alongside the ultimate must-have, a designer bag large enough to fit in the essentials. This is usually a notebook to capture your inspirations, sun cream to stay safe in the sun, facial mist to refresh and cool instantly and most importantly – a BlackBerry.
Well, if you could run the office from the beach, wouldn’t you take that option?
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