Happy 4th of July one and all! :) Before I jaunt off to my family BBQ I thought I’d share some of my favorite fashion inspirations for the 4th! (wow, favorite. fashion. for. 4th. That’s a lot of F’s…don’t get jumbled up yet, I promise this festive piece will put your mind at ease!) As per tradition, keep it classy in red, white, and blue, but you don’t have to be completely traditional! It’s my personal view that we should not dress ourselves in an actual American flag printed piece, but rather use patriotic colored, printed, and inspired pieces to create our own festive ensembles. Red and white stripes are a great way to show off a literal translation of our beloved star spangled banner! The problem with wearing large pieces (such as a dress) in red and white stripes is that too often you can end up looking like Christmas in July. An easy way around looking like a candy cane (even if you think you’re a cute one!) is to choose smaller pieces like accessories or layering items to tie in the red and white stripes for your outfit. I love the idea of bringing a sweater along to provide the necessary contribution of stripes. This way you can snuggle up into a comfy and cute sweater while you ohh and ahhh about the fireworks!

More often than not, I end up swimming on the 4th either at the beach or at a pool party, so a cute bikini is always in order! For added inspiration I’ve picked out a sweet little one from Hollister. Because of the tiny flying seagull logo printed they use it almost resembles the stars on the flag especially when printed on navy. Summer time means sun time – don’t forget your hat and sunglasses! Fedoras have become my go-to hat (in case you hadn’t noticed in my recent style posts!), as have rounded tortoise shell sunglasses.

An American classic: cut off denim shorts (in any color variation will do). Pair these with a simple cotton button up in white to fend off summer rays and keep cool. It’s true, wearing white on a hot day has been proven to keep you cooler than wearing any other color, especially black! It’s because white doesn’t hold onto the heat as well as darker shades that won’t reflect it back.

Holidays are a great excuse to do your nails with a bit of festive flair! I always, without doubt, go for a cool shade of red. Whether it be fire engine red, deep maroon, or even a pinky shade of red, I always go for sophisticated red nails on the 4th. (This year they’re painted “SoHo Nice to Meet You” deep maroon by OPI). What better way than to show off your festive mani-pedi than by wearing open toe sandals and adorning your hands with gold star rings? On the topic of accessories……every girl needs a great bag! And when your plans include BBQing, picnicking, trips to the beach, and other great outdoor activities you’d better be sure to have a tote that can fit everything you need! I love this Gucci tote in navy – it’s classic, clean, and very chic!

Whatever you plans may be this 4th, I hope you’re having fun and enjoying the reason to dress fabulously patriotic! God Bless America, my home sweet home <3