Summer Lovin'

Obsessing over these items this summer

One item in particular that I wanted to focus on is the Murad Gentle Blemish treatment. I actually use the Murad mattefier which is a different product (can be found at Sephora for around 40$.) I started using this product this summer and it is AMAZING. You apply the matte-fier before your usual makeup routine and your face stays shine-free all day. Definitely a necessity for Florida living. I also love the tank by Clover Canyon, an up and coming brand known for their unique prints.

Prints: A sure way to get noticed

When it comes to fashion, there are few things more intimidating than prints. Printed anything- pants, tops, shoes- may be appealing to our eye, but more often than not we turn them down in favor of their simpler, plainer counterpart. Maybe you don’t know what to pair a particular print with, or maybe you think you won’t get a lot of wear out of it. And when it comes to designers like Marc Jacobs and DVF, we oftentimes find ourselves wondering if a print is just plain weird. Personally, I’m just the opposite. I prefer printed everything (I really do mean everything) and the weirder, the better. I love prints because they add personality to an outfit, they’re aesthetically pleasing, and they can spice up a simpler wardrobe. Diane Von Furstenberg is a favorite of mine, because she creates pieces that can only be described as art, and no two pieces resemble one another. More than that, she creates clothing that you will not find anywhere else. There’s nothing I hate more than showing up somewhere in the same outfit as someone else (imagine my dismay when I arrived at a fraternity event wearing the same Alice and Olivia dress as another girl), and prints are ideal if you want to avoid this situation.

DVF Prints 

I would suggest starting simple. Don’t worry about mixing polka dots with lace- yet. Pick a printed trouser and pair them with a loose- fitting plain black tshirt. Or pick up a scarf-printed blouse from Zara and dress it down with your favorite pair of skinny jeans. Starting simple is a great way to get comfortable with incorporating prints into your wardrobe. You can also add a printed scarf, flat, or sweater to an otherwise simple look. Use this beginners step as a way to figure out which prints are your favorite, and which prints you want to stay away from.

Scarf-print blouse from Zara

After you’ve mastered prints-for-beginners, you can begin to mix prints. This is where things can get tricky, as oftentimes mixing prints can be confused for or labeled as “clashing.” Spirit week in highschool always included a clash day where girls would tear through their wardrobe and show up to school wearing everything polka dotted, striped, floral, and neon that they could find. The way to avoid this fashion mishap is to pick only two patterns, like a striped top and floral jeans. 

Below, Blair Eadie of the fashion blog Atlantic Pacific paired her Diane von Furstenberg Leaves Pant with a striped t-shirt and a white blazer. Notice how she picked a simple print-striped- and used it to offset the loud pattern on her trousers. 

More tips for mixing prints:

1. Make sure one color repeats in every piece of the outfit (For example, the navy in Blair’s striped top is echoed in the pattern on her trousers)
2. Combine loose prints with structured prints (like flowers with stripes).
3. Blend small designs with larger-scale ones (the pattern on Blair’s pants is a lot larger than the stripes on her shirt).

Lace top and silk polka dot trouser, both by Robert Rodriguez

If you still need help figuring out what to pair with your prints, you can email me at skwiatkowski@knights.ucf.edu. 

Trend Report: Maxi Dresses

It’s officially the first day of summer, but for those of us who are spending our summer days here in Orlando, this day means nothing new for us. We spend our days sitting in the same lounge chairs we scouted out back in February, the ones that we spent hours manipulating until we found the perfect location to achieve maximum penetration from the sun. We’ve been wearing shorts and sandals and Essie’s summer collection for months now (turquoise and caicos anyone?) We can even count on three fingers how many times we visited Jeremiah’s that first week back from winter break. Blazing hot temperatures don’t come and go in Florida like they do in Northern states. In fact, you’re more likely to find us tweeting and updating our facebook status over a drop in temperatures than a rise in one. Once September begins we head to the nearest Bloomingdales and buy every sweater in stock, hoping that some higher power will sense our total desperation to wear something other than tank tops and denim cutoffs all day. We didn’t spend our entire life’s savings on those Tory Burch boots for them to sit in our closet, did we? But nonetheless, we chose to live here, and more than that, we chose to go to school here, so we have to make due with the cards Mother Nature has dealt us. So stop daydreaming about knit sweaters and printed scarves and keep reading to find out to have all eyes on you this summer. 

Every girl’s summer wardrobe requires a few necessities, one of which is a maxi dress. Maxi dresses are easy to throw on, easy to accessorize, and can be dressed up or dress down to fit nearly any occasion. You can even wear a cotton maxi dress as a bathing suit coverup. I like to pair mine with a wedge sandal out to dinner when I’m on vacation with my family, or with a flat sandal when I’m headed to the mall with friends to check out the Victoria’s Secret semi annual sale. You can wear a plain maxi dress with a bold necklace or a printed maxi with bangles and your trusty Michael Kors watch. Maxi dresses also come in a myriad of different styles, cuts, and fabrics. 

5 rules about Maxi Dresses:


1. If you’re on the short side, shell out a few extra dollars to have your dress hemmed. A maxi that drags on the floor can give off the appearance that you’re shorter than you really are. Also, this should go without saying, but if you are going to have your dress altered make sure you also take the shoes you’ll wear most often with the dress, so that the dress can be hemmed to the correct length. 

2. Don’t over accessorize! If you are wearing a maxi with a loud print, keep it simple...the focus should be on the dress, not on your earrings, your necklace, your bracelet, your fuchsia sandals, and your crossbody bag.

3. You can dress up a maxi dress with wedge sandals or pumps

4. You can dress down a Maxi dress with flip flops and a floppy hat, like Vanessa Hudgens did here:

5. Choose a Maxi Dress that will complement your body type. For example, an empire waist will provide an overall slimming effect

This maxi is great for Summer 2012 because it caters to the current neon trend. Add subtle accessories to tone down its bright hue. You can also nix the jewelry and add a pair of havianas and a string bikini to make this look beach appropriate. A leather jacket and pumps takes this maxi dress from day to night.

Sara Kwiatkowski