Fashion Citizen Summer Survival Kit (Ladies Edition)
I'm not sure about the areas most of you are in but I know where I am (DC) there has been record heatwaves and with that comes a lot of things, fashion citizens are probably thinking less about being chic and more about staying cool. I've come to help you do both. A survival kit idea came to mind and I wanted to give you 5 easy items to help you beat the heat while maintaining reasonably good style, so let's get into it.
1. Maxi Dress
Tis the season for heatwaves, all over the country it seems. So how to stay cool and chic? One great piece to have is a maxi dress in a breathable fabric like cotton. The maxi dress can carry you throughout your hottest of days and from venue to venue without needing to change. A simple change of accessories and your daytime maxi has now become suitable for a rooftop VIP party. Go for bright colors, avoid black for obvious reasons.
2. Flat Sandals
Yes, flats ! I know some of my regular readers are like Whaaaaat?!?! FC is telling us to put flat sandals in our summer survival kits…well after you stop gasping, let’s be real here. Talking to my readers and lady friends I have found that as much as us guys like to think heels are like walking on sunshine, they are not. So if the heat is what you want to beat, find a chic pair of flat sandals that will keep you comfortable and stylish. The above pair are $23 from Forever21, affordable and something that you won’t mind beating up for the season.
3. Hat
Covering your head is important in this heat. Along with sunglasses, a brimmed hat can help shield your eyes from the sun which will cut down on eye strain (all that squinting you do in the bright sun). A breathable straw or raffia hat is perfection, you want to allow air to flow through the hat and not create another way to be hot. You can go the J. Lo route and get a big floppy hate or take a page from Solange’s book and get a dope fedora.
4. Tote Bag
Of course you’ll need something to carry around all your accouterments in and what better than a good, sturdy tote bag. I’d suggest one like this J. Crew tote made from paper straw. You’ll want something that can stand up to the city, the beach and the countryside as well. This roomy tote can handle your favorite magazine, book or tablet, a bottle of water and if you’re like most of America, your cellphone charger (insert guilty laugh here).
5. Sunglasses
Sunglasses are probably one of the most important items in this kit. You have to make sure you shield your eyes from too much bright light and I think sometimes we just worry about how good we look in sunglasses as opposed to the actual benefits to our eyes health. I found these cool foldable shades for ladies in a contrasting color to the maxi dress. I figured foldable would be great because you can compress them and not worry about them snapping or knocking around in your bag. Charlotte Russe has these shades for $5.50.
