Six months ago Vogue’s Accessory Guide for Spring 2010 claimed that low heels were trending. Hallelujah! Finally we’d see a varied assortment of heel heights in stores.

But while I definitely see more heel height variety in the US this year — there are flats, low heels, three-inches and skyscrapers — in my opinion it isn’t enough. Flats and three-inch-plus heels are definitely still in the majority. There is generally more heel height variety in Europe as our trip in March confirmed.

So what’s the verdict in your neck of the woods? Do you see a greater assortment of heel heights in stores this year? Or is the hard-to-find one-and-a-half to two inch heel still as elusive as ever?

These ideas might seem obvious, but a little refresher won’t do us any harm. Here are some tips on how to instantly look and feel more Summery. And you’ll stay cool too.

1. Lighten up your layers: The hotter it is the fewer you’ll wear, unless you’re subjected to arctic indoor air-conditioning.
2. Lighten up your fabrics: Summer is the season to wear cotton, silk, linen and rayon rich blends. Cotton-silk blends get my vote for favourite hot weather woven blouse fabric. These blends are also great in breezy pant styles and dresses.
3. Lighten up your silhouette: We all know that the most effective way to stay cool in the heat is by wearing an airy frock made of natural fibers. Think fit-and-flares, empire cuts, and sack-like sheath styles instead of super form fitting frocks.
4. Lighten up your clothing colours: Wearing something white and lightweight spells Summer. Think casual white dresses, jeans, shorts, clamdiggers, skirts, pants, linen jackets, denim jackets, camisoles, tops and blouses. If white is not your thing, think off-white, cream, tan, sorbet pastels or dove grey. An effective way of wearing black in Summer is to pair it with white. Wearing white with grey and citron is one of my personal favourite colour combinations.
5. Lighten up your footwear colours: Wearing flesh toned and metallic sandals is a no-brainer. Dove grey shoes are fab too. For the more adventurous there’s bright coloured footwear and white sandals. The more foot skin you expose, the cooler you’ll feel.
6. Lighten up your handbag colour: Think light neutrals like tan, grey, cream and white. Bright colours are obvious but don’t forget pastels, zebra print, basket weaves and all over patterned bags.
7. Lighten up your nail colour: It’s fun to pop extra bright or light colours onto toe and finger nails when temperatures soar. Personally, I stick to bright blue or green toenail polish – both of which are a nice change from deep burgundies, reds and plums.
8. Lighten up your hairstyle: A few light steaks or a shorter do paves the way to a Summer look.

You don’t need to do all of these at once. Some you may not do at all. Maybe you like your hair longer in Summer so that you can tie it back into a ponytail. Maybe you enjoy the contrast of a  black Summer handbag because you wear lots of white and cream. Maybe you like ventilating silk and cotton blends best in dark colours. Maybe you like black sandals with red toenail polish. It’s up to you how to make your Summer look work. But if you’re stuck, these tips might help. Have I left anything out?

Yes it’s a knit, but it’s a machine washable rayon-polyester blend.

Yes it has a ruffle, but the ruffle lies fairly flat against the bodice and the neckline is low (so don’t give up if you have a full bust).

Yes it’s a racerback, but use a bra strapper and you’re in business.

Yes it’s a little revealing, but who cares when it’s hot as Hades outside. Even modest me won’t wear a camisole with this style in a darker colour.

This is one breezy and ventilating knit top. Although I’m not wild about center front seams, that doesn’t both me here. Even though it doesn’t look that way in the pictures, the fabric floats away from the mid section and does not cling.

If you’re having a scorching Summer, then this top for $39.50 at full price is well worth fitting on. It’s available in white, blue and grey online, and in a blue and grey pattern in stores. Hope it works if you like the look.

I did not like harem pants when they first came out, thinking that the saggy crotches looked ridiculous no matter what. Then I saw countless pairs styled to perfection on the streets of Tel Aviv when we visited Israel last year, and I started to change my mind. After the penny finally dropped I owned up to loving the look and I’ve been on the lookout for the perfect pair ever since.

I still don’t like harem pants when the ultra-low crotch point is combined with a low rise. This proportion still looks wrong to me because it creates an overly long-waisted effect. To my eye harem pants look best when the waistbands sit on the natural waist, because this shortens the torso and balances out the low crotch point.

Recently Ted Baker came out with a pair of harem pants that fit the bill. They are woven, silky, high in the waist, very drapy, the perfect length and beautifully made. And so very, very comfortable. Harem pants are an acquired taste so no worries if they aren’t your cup of tea.

I like to wear these pants in both dressy and more casual outfits. The example above is a dressy ensemble with Kate Spade heels and an asymmetrical sequined top. The harem pants make for a nice change when I don’t want to wear a pencil skirt or cigarette pants. If I had the perfect tuxedo jacket I’d have added that into this mix as a cover up.

This is a head-to-toe black outfit, which I will only wear if it’s adequately textured. That way I’ve added depth to the colour, creating attractive visual interest. I have several textures going on here: silky shine on the pants, transparent flowy chiffon and sparkly sequins on the blouse, a plain cotton camisole and cracked patent cut-out leather for the shoes. I also like to wear cream or white near my face when I wear a black top so that it softens the look against my pale skin. Another good reason to wear pearls!

Dare I say that this is one of my favourite outfits of the year. Eighteen months after my initial assessment of harem pants and I’ve come around, so never say never when it comes to fashion and style. My harem pants make me smile and at the end of the day, making a fashion trend work for you is about having fun. Stay tuned for a future post on how I wear them more casually.