You are on Team Gold Shoes if you prefer gold footwear, and vice versa. Any shade of gold or silver counts, be it bright sci-fi silver or muted gold, in any style of footwear. Note: if you prefer pewter footwear, you’re sitting this one out on the bench because pewter is often as gold as it is silver. If you prefer rose gold footwear, you bat for Team Gold Shoes.

I love sci-fi silver footwear as much as gold footwear. I have silver and gold trimmed footwear, and would welcome a pair of gold shoes into my wardrobe. I am less fond of pewter because it’s not as bright and light as a clear silver or gold. Although I love pewter footwear on others.

So I’m sitting this one out on the bench with patat frites. That’s the Dutch version of French fries, served in a cone with a dollop of mayonnaise. When it’s fresh and hot, it really hits the spot. 

Over to you. Are you Team Gold Shoes or Team Silver Shoes? No batting for both teams, but by all means join me on the bench. There is plenty of frites! 

The point of being by the pool, lake or beach is to soak up the sun with sunscreen, relax under an umbrella, or swim. In these instances, you’ll wear your swimsuit sans cover-up. But there are times in these settings when you’ll probably want to partially cover up your bod and suit. Like when you’re walking to and from the car, visiting the restroom, grabbing a bite to eat, chasing toddlers, playing beach bats, strolling along the beach, when it feels a little breezy, or when you’ve just had enough of exposing lots of skin.

Here are thirteen ways to cover up your swimsuit: 

1. Tunic Button-Down Shirt: You’re after an oversized woven shirt in a lightweight cotton, cotton blend, or gauze that’s roomy, fast-drying, and easy to launder. I would not recommend a silk cover-up because of the laundry commitment. These short shirtdresses from the Gap have been great beach cover-ups for some of my clients this season. 
2. Kaftan: Quite the easy, glam option, both in long and short versions. Here are some guidelines to help you put together the beachwear kaftan look. 
3. Wrap: Wraps come in all sorts of fabrications and sizes, covering the bottom half of your suit. Solid, patterned, long, short, cotton or spandex-rich. Crochet and mesh versions are lovely too. 
4. Pareo: These types of wraps that halter round the neck provide a fun ’70s flashback. They can also double duty as a normal wrap.
5. Clamdiggers: Great in denim or cotton. Denim cut-offs are a personal favourite to wear with my swimsuit. 
6. Shorts: So many options! Denim short shorts, board shorts, regular cotton shorts like the boyfriend style from the gap, skorts, viscose pull-on styles or knitted harem pants. Sport your swimsuit on top, or add a tank, tee, or beach-friendly top. 
7. Casual Dress: Again, so many options. From sporty styles that are fast drying and gear-like, to bohemian maxi dresses and little roomy cotton numbers. Think lightweight wovens and crochet fabrications. Or something like this unusual cover-up dress from Miraclesuit. 
8. Romper or Jumpsuit: Not the practical solution if you’re heading to the restroom, but so fun. Think long or short versions. 
9. Baggy Drawstring Pants: You’re after linen, or something gauzy, cotton-rich or even crochet. Wide legged and very drapey. Wear it over your swimsuit with a denim jacket. 
10. Full Skirt: I vote keep it flared and woven. So tropical! But knitted versions with wide foldover waistbands are just as popular with my clients. Wear the skirt over your swimsuit just like that. 
11. Tunic Pull-on Shirt: These can be knitted or woven, roomy or fitted, and are in a pull-on style. The hemlines are often high-low and the fabric fairly transparent. Sometimes they are mesh or crochet. 
12. Rashguard Tee: These formfitting tees that match your swimsuit are worn on top, with or without a pair of shorts or skirt. Quite sporty, both in long and shorter sleeves. 
13. Denim Jacket: A weird idea to some, but I LOVE to wear my denim jacket over the top of my swimsuit when feeling a little chilly. I find the look comfortable and alluring.  

Beaches also get quite cool as the sun goes down. On most Cape Town beaches the wind starts blowing later in the day and it’s really cold. You often need much more than a lightweight cover-up. A hoodie, pair of jeans and windbreaker are much more effective. But when it’s warm, I like wraps, tunic button-down shirts, a denim jacket, a drapey top, clamdiggers or baggy shorts. I don’t wear them all together, but at different times during our time at the beach. I love the idea of a beach-y jumpsuit, and would probably go that route next time round. 

Over to you. How do you cover up your swimsuit?

Shoes are the final touch that can make or break the flattering impact of an outfit. They add extra pop, lengthen the leg line if that’s your figure flattering priority, and set the mood of the ensemble. I’ve written many posts on footwear, and of course will continue to do so. After all, most of us love shoes. Here is a summary of what I regard to be the most important points, all in one place for easy access. 

Conventionally Flattering Footwear 

There are four basic ways to create flattering footwear proportions. These concepts eliminate feelings of dumpiness and stumpiness by lengthening the leg line. You can apply them all at once or in combinations. 

1. Wear low contrast footwear: A low contrast between the colour of your footwear and the colour of your skin, hosiery, jeans, or trousers will lengthen the leg line. That’s why wearing “nude for you” shoes on bare legs is so popular. Personally I prefer to go with gold, silver, cream or pale snakeskin footwear as a low contrast option against my own skin because those options are a little brighter than nude. 
2. Wear low vamped footwear: Footwear with a low vamp, like pumps or ballet flats, reveal the top of the foot and naturally elongate the leg line.
3. Wear heels: Extra height lengthens the leg line. That said, I do not believe that wearing high heels is a prerequisite for looking stylish. Wearing flats or very low heels can look just as fab, if not better. It really depends on your personal style.
4. Wear pointy toes:  Pointy toe footwear in general extends the leg line even further.

Once you understand how to use footwear to create flattering proportions, you are well on your way to trouble shooting problem outfits. Suddenly, guidelines on how to wear flat oxfords, booties with skirts and dresses, shoes with midi skirts or cuffed/rolled pants, and how to create a long leg line with cropped pants begin to make sense. 

Unconventional Combinations

That said, there is often more to an outfit than conventional figure flattery. These days, it looks as if almost anything goes in the style world because the most creative and over the top street style outfits are applauded for being cutting edge and directional. It’s extremely trendy to create irregular outfit juxtapositions, and one way of creating an interesting juxtaposition is by wearing unexpected footwear with an outfit. So guidelines on how to create flattering footwear proportions sometimes fly straight out the window.

For example, wearing high vamped footwear with skirts and dresses can be fab. Wearing high contrast boots and oxfords with shorts can look great. Sporting socks with pumps, and sassy sneakers with just about anything can be stylish options. But I still maintain that you need to get a handle on conventional footwear flattery before you can bend the so-called rules in clever ways and still feel like you’re wearing an attractive outfit. 

Size & Fit

Toe cleavage is inevitable when you wear low vamped footwear and have long toes. I wouldn’t worry about it! Tailored knee-high boots must fit correctly on the calf, unless they are intentionally slouchy. Calf-length boots are often easier to fit than taller boots, especially when you have a small or large calf measurement. Heel slippage in boots needn’t be a bad thing, and shopping for wide sized footwear is not the only solution for wide feet. You can successfully alter footwear, so don’t give up when a shoe or boot almost fits because a little shoe doctoring might do the trick. And there is heel hope for flats fashionistas when you follow these guidelines. 

I’ve generally found that feet with smaller bone structure look best in daintier footwear, whereas feet with larger bone structure pull off chunky styles to perfection. This is by no means a rule, and “refined chunky” footwear — the best of both worlds — does exist. I have dainty feet and ankles, and as much as I love the look of chunky footwear, it bosses me around. My feet and ankles drown in those styles and I can’t fill them out. But I do wear chunky boots with big soles as long as they have a refined element to them.

Color & Pattern

This is not a rule, but one highly effective way to pull together an outfit is to frame it by repeating your hair colour in your footwear. I bookend the colour of my hair and shoes very frequently, which is why you’ll often see me wear light coloured shoes, or patterns that are white, taupe or cream-rich. The eye naturally travels up and down the body, picking up the symmetry in the repeated colours and interpreting it as an attractive combination.

On the other hand, you can also treat shoes as a standalone item, making a statement and creating an effect that is quite the opposite of repetition. For example, wearing this grey dress with red shoes makes the shoes a statement piece.

Finally, shoes do NOT have to be solid or neutral. My favourite footwear is patterned, and these guidelines  will help you match printed shoes in outfits. Don’t be frightened to pattern mix! And non-neutral shoes, brights and pastels can be bookended with other parts of your outfit to create a pulled together look. 

Feel free to post your footwear challenges in the comments section. Between my clients and my own feet, I am very familiar with this fussy part of the body and promise that we can find solutions.

Are you looking for a new way to wear your fragrance this Summer? In this short video, Annie from Refinery29 tests a scented nail polish that scents your fingertips with the well-known CK One fragrance. Is this something you would try?

Lately I’ve seen graphic black-and-white nail prints pop up everywhere. This illustrated “boxed-in” French manicure reminds me a lot of a Mondrian painting. And you’ll definitely need a steady hand to recreate this black-and-white Proenza nail print at home.

From 3D accents and twists on black, to metallics, oxblood and full-on black is back, Harper’s Bazaar lists the best Fall 2013 nail trends to try right now.

Fab Links from Our Members

Caro thought that Joy voiced an interesting take on the difference between a curated wardrobe and actual minimalism over at Of Stranger Sensibilities.

If your jeans are a little snug, yet you’d like to save them from the donate pile, Carole suggests you take a look at these three ways to stretch your jeans. Extra tip from forum member Vildy: “when taken out of the washer you can pull with all your might and stretch both the waistband and the upper area”.

Angie recently discovered The Style Scout and noticed that in 2013 almost anything goes. The crazier and more unexpected the outfit combination and hairstyle, the more creatively stylish it is perceived.

Vildy has been reading many style articles describing how the late Margaret Thatcher combined “power with femininity”, and found this article on the style evolution of the air stewardess in the Mad Men era quite the direct contrast. “I remember all these changes”, she adds, “they seemed totally reasonable to me at the time. Fun! Glam! Mod! but now they all feel rather tawdry.”