The summer holidays are finally here and its time we packed away those long winter cardigans and got out of those dull black trousers and swapped them for something that screams 'it's the summer finally my pasty white skin has been allowed to breathe'.
If you are not heading away this summer and even if the weather at home is not so hot you should still dress bright to make yourself feel as if it is the summer.
Dressing in winter clothes the whole year round is just not fun! You need to have some way of differentiating the seasons.
It may not always be vest tops and shorts weather but you can still get away with wearing a brightly coloured top covered with a bolero or shrug and a floaty skirt.
If you have been on holidays and come back to the typical Fermanagh weather the last thing you want to do is get back into your dull winter clothes and cover up your golden tan.
It may not be warm enough to wear that floral ra ra skirt that you danced the night away in on holidays but with all the hot summer trends that have hit the shops you will have no excuses for covering up your tan.
For those of you not heading away then why not treat yourself to a few lovely summer pieces and get your tan from a bottle (a safer option anyway).
SAILOR CHIC
This is my trend of the summer as it makes me think of hot summer days by the beach. It is extremely easy to mix and match this trend as you are dealing with three main colours, navy, white and red and you can throw in gold or silver accessories. It is one of those trends that instantly makes you look smart and elegant so can be worn to the office, for a meal out or even to a summer BBQ. Mix and match navy shorts, white jeans, white skirts, navy cardis, red vest tops or navy and white stripy tops. The list is endless and it's very difficult to go wrong. Take tips from D&G's spring summer catwalk trends as seen on celebrities Katy Perry and Alexandra Burke.
DISTRESSED DENIM
Ripped, bleached and distressed demin is the way to go this summer, however please don't get it wrong by putting denim jacket with denim jeans. Think builder style jeans with white paint splatters and holes. You could opt for a bit of DIY by taking an old pair of jeans and ripping a few holes and splattering a bit of bleach on, provided you don't go too over the top. For the celebrities its designer all the way and Posh Victoria Beckham has been seen sporting a pair of Balmain that would have set her back a few thousand pounds, loose change to her though! Take tips from Gossip Girl's Taylor Momsen who has mastered the rock chick look with black biker boots and biker jacket topped off with a cool pair of Raybans. For more of a summer outlook, team with a white vest top and gladiator sandals.
WICKER WOMAN
I didn't realise just how big this accessory mini trend was until I was doing a spot of online shopping and found lots of amazing raffia and wicker bags on various online shops. For example the Topshop straw barrel bag, which looks like a cute little wicker basket, is completely sold out. If you noticed in the Sex and The City movie, Miranda had a wicker fish bag when they went to Mexico, which I thought was very cool. Wicker and raffia have been seen everywhere from beach bags to wedge sandals to bracelets, necklaces and earrings. The great thing is that it is a natural material and it looks great with a tan.
SPACE AGE
Fashion heads up! This is a future trend, which has already started to hit the shops bit by bit. The Autumn Winter 09 catwalks will be showing off lots of metalics and space inspired pieces. Kate Moss recently caused a stir in a stunning silver and black Balmain dress with high-rise shoulders (another possible future trend so keep those shoulder pads at the ready). The trend is a mix of this season's body con look, tight dresses that pull you in where it's needed, and lots of sparkle and metalics. There are sure to be lots of blingy accessories to go along with this trend. Bring out the summer in this trend by mixing white with silvers and golds rather than black as this can be worn towards the autumn.
SUMMER MAXI DRESSES
The best maxi dresses always come out in the summer months, despite the fact that they look great all year round. There is just something so elegant about a maxi dress; it just flows over the body. If you have the height you really must invest in a bright summer maxi dress as it can be worn for so many different summer events. At the moment we are spoilt for choice in finding the perfect summer maxi dress. Monsoon in particular has several stunning maxi dresses and I even spotted a fab paisley print maxi in Oxfam. Take tips from the celebrities, in particular Mischa Barton and Nicole Richie who work the hippie look to perfection. In my opinion a maxi dress only works with flat gladiator sandals or flip-flops. Don't let this put you off because if you have the height you will get away with the length and don't worry about your feet as you wont really see them under the dress.
