Summer Beach Necessity --- Cover-ups

Summer is, personally, my favorite season, because of the shorts, tees, and the beach.

Right! Who doesn't love the beach!?

Sun-tanning, swimming, and body-staring... the list of pros for the beach can go on.

So, as a fashion blogger, 

when I am lying on a bench at the beach, I am always observing;

not the hot bods, but the clothes people choose to wear

Cover-up is a hugely important part for a complete outfit at the beach. 

It's irresponsible to miss it out. 

Cover-up can not only cover your body when you are not in the water, but it also gives you a second layer of sunscreen. 

4.1 Arts on the Runway

Colors are essential for spring and summer, chromatic garments always have the magic to lighten up the whole look. In the past, designers tend to use flowers or geometric prints to retain the upbeat atmosphere in their SS collections. Surprisingly, what better way to incorporate colors in to fashion than artworks. The vibrant colors and abundant connotation behind the paintings are the best methods to evoke optimistic feelings for this spring. Designer houses like Chanel and Prada have sough this trend coming and iconoclastically embody it into their designs. 

4.0 Arts in Fashion

After watching the 2014 Spring/Summer collections in last October, a massive amount of artworks was fused in this season’s womenswear. Designers started to utilize garments as canvases and depict their artistic visions of spring and summer. In the SS ready-to-wear show by Chanel, the chromatic crepe dresses caught my eyes instantly. It’s like a color boom bursted on a white skirt, the color prints, the accentuation on the waist line, and the float of the dress impressed me. This is the reason why I put the Chanel girl on the banner on top, and why I used this April photo shoot to somehow duplicate the amazingness of Karl Lagergfeld.

3.3 Nautical Chic, you can have it too!

After seeing all the fabulous runway look of every designer house, nautical chic played an important role in the spring and resort collection. But, as a normal middle class housewife or a normal high school student like me, it’s hard to afford all the luxurious items. As a responsible fashion blogger, it’s not cool to not include some affordable tips to be nautical chic this spring. All the clothes I will recommend you are all reasonably priced high street brands. Let’s begin!

First, navy white and blue are irreplaceable in a nautical chic look. Shop around at HM or Zara, it’s not hard to find some great blue or white items. For instance, a pair of blue slim fit pencil pants or blue bell bottom. Don’t be afraid to try bell bottom this spring, any oversize pieces will  add a flare of carefree and casual vibe to your look which is very seductive. Spring is a season of shedding the layers, however, keeping a touch of oversize sweaters is a reminiscing of the winter time. Hence, shop those items girls! you need them!

H&M spring ad featuring the breton

3.2 Resort 2014 - Anchor Away

Nautical Chic, one of the great reinventions from Gabrielle Chanel, has reigned the resort (pre-spring) collection continuously for decades. This year, nonetheless, this trend became ever more prevalent, virtually every designer house’s 2014 resort collection(and most of the spring and summer ready-to-wear collection) is overwhelmed with the smell of the ocean. Here are two nautical elements in some of my favorite collections.

3.1 Nautical Chic: The Origin

Nautical chic is a truly timeless beauty, from early twentieth century to present, it has been invented and reinvented by many extraordinary fashion designers and fashionistas for decades. Literally, anything can last that long must have something phenomenal about it. Now, lets go back in time, and have a look on the transformation this perpetual trend.

March Theme: Nautical Chic

As an old but perpetual style, nautical trends has blown back to the public once more by the amazing 2014 spring and summer collections. Years ago, Mademoiselle Chanel saw a couple of sailors on shore wearing tees with blue and white stripes on; and transformed it into a wearable, yet fashionable womenswear. 

With the fleetingness of time, this stroke of genius is reincarnated in 2014’s spring trend. Utilizing the most essential colors of Nautical Chic — navy blue, and navy white. Several designers, such as Michael Kors, Raf Simons, or Diane Von Furstenberg, feature these two colors greatly in their collection; further accessorize with bags and sandals, it truly looks like the models are going to go on a holiday in Hampton.

To campaign this sailor look, a special guest/one of my best friend, Lucy Huang is willing to model for the big March photo shoot. (Finally, I don’t have to be the model); nonetheless, as the creative director, and the photographer now, I have more pressure on me since it’s my first time shooting a editorial photo shoot. 

There are two sets of ensembles in this shoot, the sailor stripes and the immaculate white. They are both carefully chosen with references to the actual designers’ spring collection. 

Thus, in the rest of March, I will be expanding this idea of Nautical Chic, discuss it’s history, it’s modern incarnation, and some approachable methods to incorporate it into your Spring looks.

So… stay tune, and enjoy the rest of the shoot.