We’ve been on the hunt for the perfect tan most of our life.  In high school we spent countless hours lounging around our parent’s pool in an effort to bake our skin until it had achieved the ideal sunkissed shade of brown – sometimes with SPF protection, sometimes without.  Once we smartened up and learned about the harmful effects of UV rays we moved over to self-tanners that we generously applied to our hungry skin in an effort to be anything but pale.  After many streaky applications, a few overly orange faces and one horrible allergic reaction, we’ve finally realized that we can’t change our genes and so we’re embracing our über pale skin tone (which we like even more after a few brushes of bronzing powder) and instead of torturing ourselves in our unsuccessful quest for tanned skin, we’re turning to our wardrobe for the perfect tan.  Inspired by Salvatore Ferragamo and Chloe’s Spring/Summer 2011 collections, we’re looking for buttery soft tan leathers like Zara’s two-tone neon & neutral kitten heel sandals or Michael Kors updated version of the fanny pack.   We’ll also be draping ourselves in silky smooth tans with Topshop’s ruched mesh tube dress and Club Monaco’s silk ‘Selena’ pants. And even our nails will get a shot of tan this summer thanks to OPI’s  new San Tan-Tonio nail lacquer from their Texas line of polishes. 

Click through to shop our favorite tan pieces for Spring/Summer 2011…

We don’t want to be traitors to our gender but sometimes we really just can’t stand another minute in our high heels.  We love a good 4″ heel as much as the next girl but there are times when we can almost hear our pinched feet screaming in pain.  So for those hot summer days when we’d rather go barefoot than slip on another pair of pumps, we’ll definitely be reaching for something a little flatter, like a fun pair of flat leather sandals.  From t-strap to criss cross, ankle cuff to espadrille, the options are endless and the hardest part will be choosing just one pair at a time! 

Click here to shop our 10 favorite flat sandals for summer starting at $23

In the summer months we live in constant fear of air conditioning.   Whether we’re on the subway or at the office, we’re always freezing thanks to the pumping A/C. That’s why we can never leave the house without a topper of sorts.  But for years we’ve been struggling with what sort of cover up to stash in our bag.  A cardigan seems too Gossip Girl.  A black blazer is just way too corporate for summer.  And a pashmina is too late 90s for us.  So when we spotted a few celebrities making the rounds in white blazers, we knew we instantly had a solution to our cold air woes.  Both Kate Moss (at the Mango F/W 2011 show this week) and Blake Lively (at CinemaCon in March) topped off their outfits with a clean crisp white blazer, similar to the one shown at Balmain’s Spring/Summer 2011 show.  This year we’re taking a page out of Kate and Blake’s book and combatting the A/C with a pearly white blazer! Continue reading Spotted: The Crisp White Blazer As Seen on Kate & Blake

When we were a university student, our main concerns were getting good grades and finding a part-time job that could provide us with enough beer money for our Thursday night pub crawls.  Nowadays, in between attending classes and hitting the books, fashion students are watching the runways, reading Style.com,  and even finding the time to write about their sartorial wonderings on their very own blogs (a much better habit than nursing a post-Thursday night hangover we might add).  Enter Amanda Stines.  This student-by-day fashion blogger-by night uses her site, Amandas Fashion Spot, as a platform to discuss all things “chic and feminine”, from coverage at fashion events like LG Fashion Week to her fashionable travels to NYC and beyond.  We particularly enjoyed her coverage of the Royal Wedding (it was Amanda who taught us about the Carrickmacross lace used in Kate’s dress).   

Click through to read more about Amanda and her fashionable finds…