fine prints

Last week in the Hamptons, under a very very hot noonday sun, those that weren't on the beach or lounging round a pool, but rather in town, were moving very slowly, if at all. The day felt languid.. Southern. We could have been in Mississippi. So it was apt that the town was called South, rather than East, or even West, Hampton. (Hey! There's no Northampton, I just realised. Except in England, of course).

I know I've been banging on and on about white, because that's all I felt like wearing this season on Long Island, so that's what my eye was drawn to. Still is. I'm also still really into the shades of turquoise and blue, so you can expect more of that, too. (And Stephanie, I promise to post a shot of my swimsuit with the turquoise lining that I shot just for you!) But I did see, (as I expected to see in London but didn't), lots o' prints. Fine retro patterns. Big bold tropical splashes. I'm not sure why this trend has taken off in NY but not here. Probably because it's more compatible with hot sunny weather, which we've pretty much given up any hope of ever seeing again. (So much for global warming: anyone remember that threat? I'm thinking of stopping my obsessive recycling regime, if it will mean adding a few degrees to the UK annual temperatures).

What about where you are? Are prints popular, and if so, are they tiny, or big?

Two very different brunettes, two very different looks. The shots were taken within minutes (and yards) from one another. Which one is more you? And why? I know which one is more me, but I'm not saying til you do.

re: source (babe on a bike)

You remember Kari ('sunshine', 18 August)? My fashion savvy blog-friend, Sophie, of modediktat, said that the Sartorialist 'would be envious that you've found the perfect Summer babe on a bike instead of him. Hehe...' I did offer to send it to him, but he hasn't replied just yet : )

She also wondered if Kari's dress was a Melissa Odabash tunic dress. Good guess, Sophie, but it's actually Cejon, and a it's technically not a dress, but swim cover up (she was on her way to the beach when I ran into her - not literally - in town). She said it's quite sheer in bright light, in case anyone's ordering it online. Guess I just caught the sunshine going in the right direction.

Kari's just got a few more precious days of Hampton sun, before heading back to the Big Apple, so Kari, if you're reading this, have a glorious time & swim a bit for me. It's cool & blustery here in London, but I'm not giving up on summer just yet.

patterns emerging

Not everyone in the Hamptons was wearing white. There were also sighting of bold patterns, in deep, bold colours, often with black. Here are a few examples, again in Southampton. I really liked the way the top girl was moving at a fast clip down the street. I never saw her face: she gave me the slip. But I like that little knot in her shirt, presumably to change the shape of the top, and I love the detailing. And Pucci prints, in my mind, like classic Indian motifs, will never lose their cache.



My husband, Mr. Dot, has been saying that I'm writing too much, and veering too far off street style. (There's no point in telling him to get his own blog: he wears the trousers in our family - even when I'm wearing them, literally, he's still the boss.) It's ironic that he should feel I write too much, because coincidentally, he feels I talk too much, too (even more ironic when you consider that he never hears anything I've said: I've read that men literally don't hear women because our voices are too high. And yet they tend to find high voiced women more attractive than deep voiced women, who they respect more. So we've got a world where men are sleeping with women they never listen to, or respect. Big surprise there).



So I've decided to split my blogs and make one with all kinds of photos. I'll let you know when that's up & running, possibly tomorrow. I might go on & on & on, or I might simply post photos & let the picture tell the story. But as long as I don't tell him the link, it will just be our little secret, and I can be my own boss. In my own little virtual world.

too hot to shop

After yesterday's posting, I really didn't want to put a new shot up and knock Kari out of the top slot (it's not just that she's pretty, girls, it's that she's REALLY NICE: I always feel beauty comes from within, and style, as I said to Kari, is an extension of our soul, in a way). And I know that, like following Woody Allen in his heyday at a stand-up comedy show, Kari is a hard act to follow.

SO, I'm giving you today a shot that I took minutes later (or earlier) on the same day: two girls in an empty Southampton shop. (Everyone else was presumably at the beach). I was very moved by Nini's post yesterday, that she's on a shopping 'freeze' (apt term), to save for a trip home to Vietnam. I know we'll all shop again, but in keeping with today's climate (both financially and literally), and since altho I've got lots of great style shots with colour but am still in an all white mood, I'm going to just post this, and then dive into the pool (in my white turquoise lined eyelet string bikini), as we leave in only TWO DAYS : (



(Note in the top shot, I didn't realise but the white girl's reflection is in the mirror on the left. And in the close-up shot, she is literally pulling her own face off, from the sheer boredom).

sunshine

It's not like all people are wearing this week on the end of Long Island is white, but it's finally a heat wave, baby, and that's all I'm wearing! As my niece Scarlett said: we love white (in bedding, as clothes, as pjs) because it's so cosy, so comfy (her two favourite words).

Met Kari in Southampton and she's just the nicest girl. I think this is the perfect summer look: white cotton lace, white flip flops, sunglasses, and a blue bicycle. I asked if she was a model (no), works in the industry (uh, no).. you'll never guess what she is: a psychologist! I don't know why that blew me away: she could have just as easily said 'brain surgeon' or 'astronaut'. It made me realise that even little old me, who thought I was above pigeon-holing people, made assumptions about her simply because she's blonde & beautiful. And she's not just brainy: she seems to have real insight into people. She's just absolutely, perfectly lovely in every way.

Sorry for the lame title, it must be the sun, my brain's starting to melt. So many great photos, so little time... it's another perfect summer day & I've gotta go swim. More later! xoxo

hampton summer classic: raspberry blonde

Ali, Southampton, NY

It's funny, just at the moment I was about to post this, Sophie from modediktat commented on yesterday's post (about favourite colours) that she also likes 'raspberry'. I was trying to think of the word to describe this luscious colour that Ali is wearing and that's what came to mind: raspberry gelato.



Ali is just the most gorgeous girl, in the classic Hamptons sense: a stunning, blonde, all-American, really really nice girl. I took a bunch of shots and couldn't believe she wasn't a model: she just gave me a perfect shot, every time, in really lovely, creative poses. (And, for Coco, I've snuck in another window self-portrait : )

AND she sent me an email like the very next day thanking me for shooting her. Good manners never go out of style.

cool pool blue

Ladies Who Lunch, circa 2009. Southampton. (Tamara, Tris, and Sarah May).

Along with white, black, and grey, 'pool blue' (I've just coined that)- a kind of true, cool, pure blue, sometimes paired with pure aqua, is currently my favourite colour this summer. (Actually, black, white and grey aren't really colours, so that pushes it to my number one Favourite Colour slot. What's YOUR favourite colour this summer?