Summer Style Guide

Summer 2006 fashion is up for grabs! Maybe it’s because winter had all of us bundled up in heavy and bulky coats, or maybe we just became more creative, but this year’s summer fashion is all over the charts. From dark colors to light colors to every color in between. From plain to prints, from jeans to shorts, you can take your pick, but here is a quick peak at where the runways, stores and trends are heading.

The Runways
I admit, not a lot of people wear clothes from the runways, but they can be inspiration points for your own style. So I’ll give you the cliff notes version of three designers’ collection: Dolce & Gabana, Tommy Hilfiger, and Versace.
If you sport the bad boy look, Dolce & Gabana is the designer for you. Think black, ripped jeans, and sunglasses. If black isn’t for you, especially now that the sun is starting to come out, the other colors presented are: red, blue, green, and tan. To take style from this runway, pair any of said colors or a graphic shirt with low-rise ripped or relaxed jeans. If you’re tucking in your top, try sporting an eye-catchy belt. You can also throw on a blazer if going to a less than casual occasion, or a leather jacket to keep you warm on windy days. For formal wear, try on an all black or an all white: suit, or blazer, dress shirt, and slacks. The daring would wear the silver or the gold suits that also showed up on the runway. I personally don’t like Dolce & Gabana’s swimwear, which was floral printed, but even that is up for grabs. Oh, and don’t forget the black sunglasses.

Tommy Hilfiger is the opposite of Dolce & Gabana. If you sport a more clean-cut, country club, good boy look, this is the designer for you. Red has brightened this runway, whether it’s a red shirt, red pants, or red blazer. But the colors do not stop there. Blue, tan, green, white, orange, yellow, and even pink are the colors of the loose, open, and airy shirts, pants, and Bermuda shorts (shorts that come to your knees). Tommy Hilfiger also paired yellow with green, green with pink, and pink with blue. His two-buttoned suits were in shades of tan. No jeans for this designer. The models were in: slacks, printed pants, capri pants, Bermuda shorts, cargo shorts, and just shorts. To take style from this runway, think comfort. This 2006 collection makes me want to lounge in a hammock on a porch overlooking the beach.

Versace is very fun. For the man with his mind in the Bahamas, this is the designer for you. Think prints and lots of colors! The pants are printed, and the loose and lightweight tops are printed. For formal wear, Versace has white and light blue suits, blazers, and slacks. They have paired white slacks with an airy top in any solid color (like green or blue), and have also paired black slacks with a printed top. To take style from this runway, pair solid colored pants or slacks with a printed top, or printed slacks with solid colored pants. For example, pair white or black pants with a boldly printed top. You can also pair red pants with a top that has red on it as its main color. If you are brave enough to wear printed pants, wear a solid colored top.

The Stores
The stores are also taking off the big and the bulky from their racks. They will have you picking spring cottons, lightweight colors, and comfortable casuals. Polo shirts are everywhere, either solid colored or striped. Pick some up in the color, design, and brand of your choice. Short-sleeved plaid shirts are in, as well as band shirts, graphic shirts, and distressed shirts. Choose a band, graphic, or distressed shirt that you like and wear it as is, or layer a short-sleeved plaid shirt over it. Wear any of these tops with jeans or cargo shorts. Pick cargo shorts in browns, tans, and darks colors (like black and charcoal).
Track jackets are the rave when spring temperature goes down. Some track jackets have the name of a country on it, like: Brazil, England, Italia, Ireland, or Mexico. Others have a number, while others simply have a design like a striped trim on the sleeves. Others more are in a solid color raging from blacks, browns, and blues to reds, greens, and whites. Pick one up with a design you like, or in a solid color of your preference.

Any of the clothing mentioned above can be found in stores like Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle Outfitters, Gap, Old Navy, Guess, and Eddie Bauer. They can also be found in department stores like Nordstrom, Macy’s, JCPenny’s, and Sears, as well as Target, Kmart, and Walmart.

The People
Ultimately, the styles come down to the people. What are we wearing this spring? As I see more and more of the sun, I see more and more skin. Cargo shorts are definitely in. The band, graphic, and distressed shirts are in as well, and so are Hawaiian shirts. Sandals are being worn with cargo shorts and jeans. The feet are coming out! Some are already at the beach, where the board shorts are hitting the waters. If the temperature happens to drop, people are putting on track jackets and lightweight sweaters.

As the season progresses, the styles seem to become more fitted, but comfortable. Long gone are the days where baggy clothes and sagging pants dominated. However, no designer or store is dominating this summer’s fashion. It boils down to your individual style and how you combine the trends out there to fit you.

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