Sydney-based Kim-Marie documents her outfits on her blog Kimba Likes and Instagram account with the same name. Kim-Marie’s style is casual and cheerful with quirky and arty touches. She loves colour, has a penchant for conversational prints and pattern mixing, and sports a fab red ‘do that is an integral part of her style.

Pastels mixed with brights makes for a fab Summery look. Kim-Marie is wearing a dropped-waist pinafore dress with eclectic geometric print. The midi dress has fun side-entry pockets and the pink background perfectly matches the pink tee underneath. Pattern mixing with the stripes is right up our blogger’s alley, and creates extra visual interest. Kim-Marie’s pale pink sneakers are also a good match with both the dress and tee. Bookending the low-contrast footwear with the frock elongates the leg line. Rose quartz necklaces, playful drop earrings and polished coral lipstick finish off the look.

Our blogger’s polka dot print mustard dress is the star of the show in this casual Summer dress-over-pants outfit. The V-neck dress with empire waist is flowy and breezy, great for warm temps. The billowy sleeves and flouncy asymmetrical hemline create drama and movement. Pairing the dress with white cropped jeans adds crispness. The perforated detailing on the ballet flats adds subtle texture, while the neutral colour, close to Kim-Marie’s skintone, lengthens the leg line. Dainty silver bracelets, necklace, and earrings are the accessories of choice. Here our blogger is wearing her signature red locks wavy here, and the silver barrettes are the playful finishing touch.

Conversational prints are trademark Kim-Marie, and she has many good ones in her closet! Like these culottes with cheerful botanical print. She’s combined them with a relaxed-fit chambray shirt. Faux-tucking the shirt elongates the leg line from the hip upwards when wearing calf-length culottes. Our blogger’s on-trend white sneakers have fun pink detailing and laces that match her pink socks perfectly. Dainty bracelets, earrings, necklace and barrette add polish. Coral lippy and round sunnies complete the look.

Anne-Marie loves colour but wears neutrals like this lovely navy equally well. Here she is sporting a jumpsuit that looks like a separate top and trousers but is actually one piece. Interesting and different! The top part has a high-low hemline and flattering V-neck and diagonal short sleeves. The flouncy sleeves add fun visual interest, as do the unique side slits on the wide leg pants. Light blue platform sandals with ankle strap bring an extra colour into the mix. A vintage scarf worn as a hairbow and long dangly earrings add a charming ‘60s vibe. Bright pink lippy makes the navy pop.

Aren’t this quirky patterned dress and Kim-Marie’s bright red locks the perfect eye-catching combo! Our blogger is wearing a collared midi fit-and-flare dress in pyschedelic colours that make me smile. The fitted waist accentuates her waistline while the diagonal sleeves also create a structured visual effect. Her unique blue sneakers are laceless with frilly design detail that adds both textural and visual interest. A statement dress like this doesn’t need much jazzing up, so Kim-Marie keeps it simple in the accessories department with some bangle bracelets and angular-shaped sunnies.

This arty casual look built around a skirt with artwork pattern is a fab example of Angie’s Leggings and the Kitchen Sink ensemble. Anne-Marie has paired the statement skirt with a relaxed-fit navy top with scoop neck. Semi-tucking the top creates waist definition and lengthens the leg line. The three buttons on the top together with the buttons on the skirt draw the eye up and down, and create vertical integrity. Cropped black leggings add another layer and extra visual interest. Polished loafers in pale pink are low contrast against our blogger’s skin which elongates the leg line. Silver bracelets and a dainty necklace add subtle bling. Kim-Marie’s bowl cut hairstyle and round sunnies add extra pizzazz.

Let us know what you think of Kim-Marie’s cheerful style, and then head on over to her Instagram account to browse the rest of her fab outfits.

Erin Carpenter is an American model, actress, and dancer who was extremely frustrated when it came to purchasing proper undergarments for her entertainment career. It was especially hard for Carpenter to find hosiery that matched her skin tone. She spent a lot of time and money dying and spray painting tights and shoes for castings and performances because most brands did not produce the right shade of nude to create a great colour match.

Carpenter shared these frustrations with her peers. The lack of nude-for-you undergarment assortments were leaving professional dancers of all races unprepared and uncomfortable to perform. Carpenter fearlessly turned her frustrations into problem-solving solutions by starting a company called Nude Barre, which is the one-stop shop for women of all races to purchase eco-friendly and durable hosiery that matches their skin tone. There are many shades of nude to choose from.

Carpenter says that people assume she made these products only for women of colour. “But some Knicks Dancers were pale and needed lighter colors than the typical ‘suntan.’ They had olive skin, or they were fair with yellow undertones. Those colors didn’t exist”.

Now they do. While most competitors were only offering four to eight shades of nude across a couple of sizes, Nude Barre offers twelve shades and across extended sizes. There are bralettes, fishnet tights, convertible opaque tights, footed opaque tights, and seamless thongs across the shades of nude from an XS to XXL, and there are children’s sizes too. Items like slips, shapewear, girdles and knee-highs are in the pipeline. The items are only available online from the Nude Barre site for now.

There’s a Nudemeter on the site that helps you find the items that best match your skin tone. All you have to do is answer some questions and take a selfie to discover the right nude for you. You can also order swatches if you need to get nude hosiery for large groups of people.

Nude Barre intimates are empowering, as well as practical, durable, affordable, and versatile. You can wear them to dance and perform, or as regular everyday fashion — just like these lovely Nude Barre models above are doing. I don’t wear opaques because I prefer sheer hosiery, but I like to wear dainty fishnets. So I’ll be trying a nude-for-me pair in the Autumn when I need to refresh my hosiery collection.

New initiatives to address systemic racism within the fashion industry, the best sunscreens of 2020, and other style news that made headlines this month.

• Long Tall Sally, the world’s top clothing brand for tall women, is closing.
• Gap reports a $932 million loss after closing 90% of its global stores during the COVID-19 shutdown.
• Aurora James, founder of sustainable accessories brand Brother Vellies, started the 15% pledge campaign after the murder of George Floyd. Goal is to call on major retailers to pledge 15% of their shelf space to black-owned businesses.
• Following criticism over her company’s lack of diversity and treatment of former Black and POC employees, Leandra Medine Cohen announced that she would “step back” from Man Repeller, the site she founded in 2010.
• Harper’s Bazaar appoints Samira Nasr as its first-ever black editor-in-chief.
• The Council of Fashion Designers of America has announced new initiatives to address systemic racism within the fashion industry.
• Actor and eco-fashion advocate Emma Watson is joining the board of Kering, the conglomerate that oversees Gucci, Balenciaga, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta and Alexander McQueen.
• Here are the best sunscreens of 2020 according to consumer reports.
• 11 Honoré has launched an in-house private-label collection.

Fun Fashion Fact

Did you know that sequins became popular in the 1920s, inspired by the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922 in which gold discs were found sewn to the young king’s clothing. Early sequins were made of metal, but by the 1930s lighter weight alternatives made of gelatin were introduced. One drawback: these would melt if your body grew too hot or you got caught in the rain.

Team Shorts reigned supreme in our poll a couple of weeks ago, especially Team Ultra Casual Shorts. Today’s set of outfit ideas is for those who like to keep it very simple and super relaxed over the Summer. The looks have a high longevity factor so you can wear them year after year. 

The outfits showcase neutrals, but feel free to choose any colour palette. It seems odd to wear heels with the outfits because of the extra relaxed integrity. That said, a wedged espadrille might work. If you’re after a bit of height, try incorporating flatforms or chunky sneakers. I’m amazed at how my own chunky white Seinfeld sneakers create height without arching my foot or looking like I’m wearing heels.

1. Statement Birkies

Combine a pair of chino shorts with a semi-tucked fluid tee, and finish off the look with a pair of metallic, pastel, white or bright Birkies. A few things elevate the look here. The tee’s longer, scrunched sleeves and side slits look a little more interesting than a basic short-sleeved tee. The semi-tuck adds structure. The metallic Birkies add unexpected shine and are more substantial than a pair of rubber flip flops. This outfit would be as cute with white shorts.

2. Quintessential Shorts and Tee

Graphic tees are a lot more meaningful if the slogans make a strong statement and evoke a lot of emotion. Combine an emotive graphic tee with a pair of denim shorts, and finish off the look with sneakers. White Birkies work well here too.

3. French Inspired

This is the most classic of the four, and great for Team Stripe. Combine a pair of navy or white shorts with a navy and white striped tee, white sneakers, and Bob’s your uncle. Semi-tuck the tee for a bit of structure, if you like. Casual loafers or sandals can work equally well. Add a denim jacket if you need a third layer.

4. A Little Dressier

The last option is a little dressier, if that’s more your cup of tea. Combine a pair of black Bermuda shorts with a tucked olive shirt. These paper-bag shorts are pleated and have a belt, but that’s not an essential style detail. Fold back the cuffs or scrunch the sleeves of the shirt for textural interest. Add a pair of black sandals, a straw bag, jewellery, watch and eyewear as desired.