Summer is about simplicity. Layering too many accessories and products makes your look stuffy and over-done. Sticking with key trendy summer essentials allows you to keep the rest of your look laid-back and relaxed, the way summer should be. My favorite summer must-haves are shown below, but there are plenty of items in several other summer categories to shop through. Happy clicking!

See all: Yellow Purses, Coral Blushes, Cork Wedge Heels, White Jewelry, Braided Jewelry, Retro Sunglasses.

Shown above (L-R): Berbenno handbag in light yellow by ALDO, CORALista blush by benefit, Mely Wedge in Chocolate by BCBGirls, Braided Magnetic Cuff Bracelet by Accessories & Beyond, sunglasses by Forever21.

OTHER SUMMER ESSENTIALS:
(Basics so easy, you’ll rock them every day!)

Baggy Tees
Beach Totes
Bandeau Tops
Charm Bracelets
Havaianas Sandals
Bronzers
Sarongs
Loose Powder Makeup
Anti-Cellulite Products

I don’t know why, but it seems impossible to be in a gloomy mood when I wear yellow. Yellow’s said to instill optimism and energy while stimulating memory. No wonder I like it so much. Yellow is a great color to wear during the summer months and there’s a perfect shade of it for every skin tone. Yellow isn’t just a daytime color, either. It’s rare to see yellow rocked at night, but I think that’s what makes it even hotter! Pair some Canary Yellow Shoes from my buyer’s guide with a little black dress and some silver hoops and you’re good to go! Yellow Purses and Faux Canary Yellow Diamonds are hot too! I’m obsessed.
Shown: Cosa Sandal by Kelsi Dagger in Gold.

Reading the “color issue” of my beloved InStyle magazine really inspired me to branch out from my everyday blacks, browns, and greys, especially when it comes to makeup and nail polish. And WOOHOO!, the fashion pros even gave me permission to “go ahead and clash my nail polish” with my makeup and clothes. So that’s exactly what I’ve been doing! Yesterday was yellow eyeshadow and gold Keri Hilson earrings. Today, green shadow and lavender nail polish (with glitter, duh).

Color really does affect your mood, so if you’ve been feeling down in the dumps lately, I highly recommend some shimmery Diamond Powder makeup, a colorful Jeweled Cuff Bracelet, or some Oscar de la Renta Embellished Espadrille Wedges to cheer you up. Hot.

Also pictured, Lorella Satchel by Guess Handbags and Emilio Pucci Blue Napa Lame heels.

Here are some of my favorite color/mood associations:

Red: Passion
Orange: Creativity
Yellow: Joy
Green: Ambition
Blue: Tranquility
Purple: Wisdom

Check out my Colorful Spring Trench Coats buyer’s guide to see some bright, sexy trench coats that are popping up everywhere in the city this Spring! I want a RED one!

Fashion week, 2009 has come to an end and among all of the fabulous people, red carpets and glamour, there was a lot to be seen- including Barbie’s First Ever Runway Show! But as we all know, not everything actually makes it past the runway. I’ve created a compilation of what I think will actually show up on real people this fall. I’ll be curious to see which of my predictions make it this fall.

Feathers-Not everyone is going to be wearing the full-on pheasant feather hat, but there will be a whole lot of feathery and bird inspired fashion happening.  I’m thinking lots of feather headbands.

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Chunky Jewelry paired with more feminine pieces.

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High-Waisted Skirts have slowly been making their way back into fashion for the past couple of seasons. I’m pretty sure this look is going to fall into most girls’ closets by September.

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Streamlined Cut Out shapes are going to be all over the place in tops, pants, dresses. You name it.

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Metallics are going to be huge in purses, shoes and accent colors.  I noticed that almost every designer had a shiny metallic dress or evening gown.  Which makes sense because historically, metallics have been a staple in hard times. We still want to shine.

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Jeans Tucked into Boots- This is one of my favorite looks that was all over the runway. This look is here to stay for a long, long time.

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Asymmetric Hems The asymmetric hem kind of comes and goes and comes and goes. They reminds me of my favorite skirt from the 80’s made by UNITS.  The hem line started at mid-thigh on one side and then was bias-cut all the way to mid-calf.  It was really cool at the time.

One often sees cream and brown paired together, or cream and pink, or sometimes even pink and brown, but it’s pretty unusual to see cream, brown, and pink all worn together. The neapolitan ice cream I ate yesterday inspired me to create A Taste of Neapolitan, a Kazowie buyer’s guide featuring only vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry-colored clothing. The flavors taste and look so good together!

Something about this trio of colors make me think cozy, relaxed, and sweet, so my guide features some brown True Religion cords and a cream cable knit cardigan by Stella McCartney, among other sweet treats. I think it would be adorable to wear head-to-toe neapolitan, so I picked some items from my guide that I think would look cute if worn together. Check it:

Neapolitan: yay or nay?

I often like to go back through the Kazowie.com shopper’s guides I’ve turned out in the past to see if my taste in clothes, shoes, bags, and accessories has remained consistent. For the most part, one can tell that all the products on my various guides were hand-picked by the same person. (See: Foxy Fringe, Hot Headbands, and Tie Dye Mania!). Of course, there’s always the occasional powder pink Burberry checked scarf that has me wondering what I was thinking that day. (a.k.a. I should have had that extra cup of coffee!)

Looking through my old lists today, I was inspired to combine the trends of two unrelated guides that I created, Pretty Black Jewelry and Springtime Fresh Nail Polish, and create a cool look for Spring that I’m definitely going to try. Gothy/funky/punky black jewelry paired with girly/chalky/pastely Easter egg nails? I think it’s a pretty interesting and unexpected combo.

Been there, done that? How did it go? I haven’t tried it yet, so I’ll let you know how it works out for me.