It's finally summertime, and the living is indeed easy. As the neighborhood transforms into a midday symphony, complete with buzzing lawnmowers and jingling ice cream trucks, the urge to go outside is excruciating. Despite the oppressive humidity, flash thunderstorms, and bloodthirsty mosquitoes that can ruin the mood at any moment, it's the perfect time to grab a book and cold glass of ice tea for a nice afternoon relaxing in a hammock.
Aside from the relaxing summer afternoons, summer has one of the best holidays; Independence Day. It stands as the bittersweet mid-mark of the season, and everything post Fourth of July seams to whiz by faster than my mind can process. Back to school commercials infiltrate the once carefree summer advertisements and pre-semester planning is a must if you want everything to be perfect for the beginning of the year. On a more positive note, it's a day of fun and food with my extended family, a time I've learned to cherish.
Barbecue Chic
Every year for Independence day, my family gets together and spends the day at my aunts house. Of course, as most southern families have been raised to expect, a summertime family gathering means there will be a cookout of some sort. I wait all day for the grilled corn, potato salad, burgers, and greens that are the staples of our celebratory feast. Because cookouts are usually outside, I chose a cropped tee and high waist shorts to keep you cool and trendy, yet only showing the acceptable amounts of skin for a family get together. Although the shirt is cropped, the shorts will cover enough so that only a few inches of upper belly will be showing. To accompany the Americana theme, I added a flag pin and eagle earrings, which pair nicely with the flag print shorts. You may be thinking, "Who would wear a white shirt to a barbecue?", a completely logical question if you haven't experienced noontime under the humid, hundred degree sun. Believe me, wearing any color other than white is asking for excessive heat retention.
Lake-side family dinner
My aunt lives on a lake, so after a day of fun, we always have dinner overlooking the water. The outfit feels breezy yet isn't too casual for a nice family dinner. I added the red, white, and blue under the main outfit in order to keep a simplistic look in the forefront. Show off the flag bikini when you jump in the lake for a post dinner cool-down.
Fireworks at the Beach
I'm basically walking you through my family's Independence day traditions, because after we have dinner we go down to the main beach and watch the fireworks. It's always amazing how beautiful the show looks reflecting on the dark waters of the lake. In order to stand out from the dark background of nighttime, the white dress keeps you looking bright and feeling cool in the warm breeze. The denim vest adds edge to the outfit and shoes keep with the America theme.
Party in the USA
You can't have a blog post without a party outfit. I went all out with this. There will be no doubt about your patriotism with these bold flag print leggings and muscle tee. Keeping your hair carefree gives the outfit a cleaned up Ke$ha feel, and the jacket and creepers add edge and comfort, which is a must for a night of dancing.
Subtle for the City
I pictured the final outfit for a casual lunch in the city. Because most restaurants have patios open around this time of year and the laid back trendy nature of the city, I wanted something simple, yet still patriotic but not overtly so. The white unitard looks effortless and crisp, and can be swapped out for a tank, crop top, or even a white one piece swimsuit. The jeans add a more streamlined touch to the outfit than what would be achieved by a skirt or shorts, and red strappy sandals not only complete the red, white, and blue color scheme, but also incorporate one of the "it items" of this summer, a must if you're putting yourself on display outdoors in a fashionable area.
If you are interested in more details for each outfit, click on the picture and it links you to my Polyvore, which shows brand, price, etc., of each of the pieces mentioned.
Happy Fourth of July!
