Summer has always been my favorite season. Maybe it is because it meant days at the beach, evenings by the fire pit or maybe it was because it always finishes off with my birthday! As summer is coming to a close, I am appreciating the last few weeks of long sunny days and eating endless amounts of popsicles with a small collection that reflects the lighthearted fun of summer days in New England.
As a New Englander, my summer really is defined by time spent near the ocean and all things nautical. I found inspiration in a few of my most favorite places, such as Crane Beach in Ipswich or other locations, like Rockport or Cape Cod. All of these places have something in common, as they are classic areas to visit in New England, and the style of the historic region is exactly that: classic. So, the color story of timeless blues, shown in classic stripes or warm red hues shown in playful prints draws from the seaside places, full of colorful boats or stunning sunsets.
My personal style is very much classic, but I always say with a twist. I live in navy blue (it is my favorite color second only to purple of course) and I will wear it all year long, but will often avoid pairing it with it's best friend, red, by choosing a hot pink or orange, which is what I did with this collection. To also take the timeless elements I love so much to a fresh place, I mixed iconic patterns, like stripes and gingham with other prints to give the clothes that sense of carefree fun of summer. I tried to bring a new feeling to stripes, a must have for all prep-sters, by giving them a watery look and mixing different sizes of stripes as well as colors.
Again playing with the ideas of classic clothing, I combined timeless silhouettes with trendy details to create a unique and preppy style, perfect for wandering around that small town in New England. A swing dress is given some new touches with white binding at the neckline and bows on the sleeves and a flounced skirt is given a pop with contrasting colors.
One of the best things about summer is DRESSES! Pants are great and all, but who needs them when you can throw on an easy yet chic dress and run out the door to enjoy all of the fun, ice cream and shopping your beach vacation has offer? I focused on designing several different kinds of dresses; shift dresses, maxi dresses and some a-line shapes. They are all intended to make dressing easy in summer heat no matter where you are headed.
So whether a preppy fashionista is sailing off to Nantucket, spending the weekend on the Cape, or even headed down the Shore, this collection will give her plenty of options. The mixing of prints and colors means that her suitcase will have plenty of room for souvenirs and she will never, ever run out of outfits.
Enjoy the rest of your summer and thank you so much for reading!