Box Shorts Are Tendy This Summer

Photo: Shein

Boxer shorts are trendy this summer, and they're super stylish! Comfortable and flattering for many body types. Certainly, they look more like shorts than underwear. Their vibe reminds me of culottes, which is a cross between shorts and a skirt, some call culottes a split skirt.

Photo: J Crew

Tight shorts are seldom complimentary and neither are bloomers. Boxer shorts show just the right amount of skin, and the flair-out of the legs is not only fashionable but also cool in boiling temperatures.

The boxer shorts' band flatters the waist, and they look preppy paired with a sweater. I love the buttons on the image above on the left, but this detail will date the shorts by making them look the most like their underwear inspiration.

Like other apparel, you can find boxer shorts at different price points, fabrics, colors, and patterns. Go inexpensive to get in on the fad. Cotton is popular! So are vertical stripes. Yet, I'd avoid box-short sets. Generally, short sets are popular for children (I wore them up until age 12). For adults, it's too matchy-matchy.

Photos: J Crew (left) and Amazon (right)

Crisp, clean, and shapely, this summer trend looks classic and has the potential to last beyond 2024. 

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Shoes For Paws

Photo: Rover - which is linked - gives you 15 best dog boots to buy.

In winter the local news in Manhattan sometimes airs stories warning the public of the harm salt used to melt snow on sidewalks can do to their dog's paws, so it is not unusual to see a few dogs wearing boots. But now I see it also in August and September. Shoes on dogs have definitely caught on with pet owners this summer, and it's understandable.

Photo: Rover

As great as New York City is, the sidewalks and subways can be very, very dirty. In response, I'm one of those annoying people who ask guests to remove their shoes in my apartment. I buy extra houseshoes to offer visitors who'd prefer not to walk around in their socks, but few folks let on that they mind the "sockhop." when entering my place. My guests who accept my houseshoes get to take them home as a gift after their visit. I think if you're forward enough to ask people to remove their shoes in your home, giving them footwear is a thoughtful gesture. You won't catch them off-guard with holes in their socks, plus you want your guests to feel taken care of and comfortable in your house. You can buy inexpensive hospital booties at the dollar stores to have a supply on hand.

Photo: here

It turns out that people who study germs think removing our shoes inside our homes is ideal! Studies have found shoes bring an astonishing amount of poop bacteria into New York City buildings, so I don't think we who live here are defacto germophobes. We just have common sense.

If [still] a pet owner, I suppose I'd extend these findings to my dog's paws in cold and warm weather. More and more, it seems like a good idea in a high-traffic city for several reasons! 

Photo: Amazon

Think of it this way: When popcorn drops on your rug while watching a movie, you don't have to worry about picking it up to eat it! Moreover, Fido is in the habit of licking his paws. Yes, it's true he also licks his own butt -- but IMHO spreading germs is a numbers game, so let's limit him right there to spreading his own bacteria throughout your home! For sure, think about keeping the other bacteria from God-knows-where-and-God-knows-what out of your living space. The idea is not to avoid common household germs but all the foreign germs we don't want to know about!😳

Sidewalks also get hot and at times there's broken glass or sharp objects to potentially cut paws. 

In a pinch, I've read ... you can outfit your dog's paws with 4 rubber balloons. but more permanent shoes made for dogs are relatively affordable. Some are for dryness and others for warmth. Here are tips on training your dog to wear them.

Please weigh in: If you bring your dog to a major city with lots of foot traffic, the sources of germs, would you adorn him with cute little shoes?

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A Relaxed Oversized Fit For 2023

Photo: Esquire magazine

If you wonder what's in store for Spring/Summer 2023 ... designers, runways, and magazine covers are embracing a relaxed oversized fit in fashion, and to be honest I'm not on board with it from head to toe. Hey with this trend's yard of extra fabric, you'll only get one outfit in a suitcase.😁

Uniqlo Spring/Summer Collection

Frankly, I dislike wearing a lot of layers, bulk, or weight. Not only do I like fitted tops, bottoms, and outerwear but I'm also a matchy, matchy gal. Not a tight fit, loose is not the same as oversized.

Right - Refinery 29, , middle - Gucci, left - Editorial List

That said, there's usually a way to adopt aspects of a trend into your wardrobe if you wish. For me, it will not be with an oversized pair of trousers, but a relaxed oversized shirt paired with slender jeans or leggings is super stylish. Baggy pants just aren't me. If I oversized both the top and bottom halves, I'd feel swallowed up by my clothes. When passing, people might yell out, hey is anybody in there!?! Or do you need a rescue? A rope to climb out of the suit that captured and is holding you hostage?!😂

Thankfully in our modern day, everybody doesn't have to adhere to one, inflexible standard, and people can embrace their own style. 

Baggy, um slouchy is coming our way! Do you like oversized clothes?

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The 2023 Pantone color of the year Is Viva Magenta

Every December Pantone studies fashion, art, music, home decor, and the internet to predict the color of the coming year. The 2023 Pantone color of the year, Viva Magenta, is bold and a sibling of crimson. It's a hybrid hue that is a balance between warm and cool, which makes it very wearable on a range of skin tones. I love it both as a main or pop of color!

Chanel always launches their classic flap bag in Pantone's color of the year, but unlike black with gold hardware, the flap bag in a color never holds its value on the resale market, and the bags after ongoing price hikes are super expensive.

Despite liking the double-flap bag in viva magenta, nowadays it would take my fairy godmother for me to consider acquiring the classic bag in any color. Here's one listed on Fashionphile, the resale market that still costs far too much!

As reported in the New York Times according to color scientists, technically magenta doesn't exist. No wavelength of light corresponds to it. Magenta is just an area where blue fades into red.

For sure, I won't get tired of this color, and I predict unlike the colors of other years, viva magenta will stick around indefinitely. It's too pretty and too wearable to leave after 2023 goes.

Viva magenta is the color of the leather skirt, not the sweater which is more pink than crimson, and as you can see the internet can vary the color on color swatches. We need to see it LIVE!

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Trend Alert: Chunky Necklaces

Matthew Williams for Givenchy

While researching upcoming jewelry trends, I stumbled upon another craze predicted to come our way in 2022: Chunky Necklaces, but to be fair, chunky necklaces were also predicted to be a fad in 2020 as I reported here, so where have today's fashion editors been? I can only guess that with everybody staying home during COVID the trend got delayed until now. I also think regardless of what year it is, a chunky necklace is always timeless as a statement piece.🙂

It's a great reason to do a roundup of several beautiful and very wearable Chunky Necklaces designed by Givenchy's American creative director, Mathew Williams.

Photos courtesy of The New York Times of Givenchy during Paris Fashion Week.

Associates say Mr. Williams is calm, nice, and collaborative ... always asking his crew what they think of new designs. Many people who have worked with him say he really cares about the work, the design and is a bit of a Renaissance man who brings his interests of art and science to the worktable. He researches fabrics, materials, and their origins.

The left photo is from Saks and the right photo is from Givenchy

The left photo is from Mantle magazine and the right photo is from Neiman Marcus.

The left and right necklaces are available at Neiman Marcus. Many of the Givenchy necklaces come in silver, gold, or 2-tone.

Mr. Williams judges fashion by whether or not he would wear it. This American brings a touch of European urbanism to the House of Givenchy. The chunky padlock necklace is his creation. Givenchy's newest Creative Director "likes the idea that fashion can give us some sense of escape, beauty and ''imagination of the future,'' yet he also embraces ''tradition ... warmth, comfort, ease ... security ... (out of) knowing there's so much chaos around us.'' His work is also practical and accessible, with a trace of softness -- all of which are sure to become his signature at Givenchy. What I love about the chunky necklaces is there's something clean about them, and you would wear them off the runway as the design isn't over-the-top, excessive, or ridiculous. The top necklace is gorgeous! With Matthew Williams at the helm, Givenchy is the fashion house to watch!

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Although I don't go out of my way to dress trendy nowadays, I still follow what's new and in vogue and if I happen to have a piece in my closet which becomes a fad, I'll make an effort to wear it. You?

Two of several styles fashion editors tell us will become big this spring are (1) outfits consisting of 2 pieces exposing a bare midriff or waist; and (2) matchy-matchy outfits. Now I've always been somewhat of a matchy-matchy dresser stopping short of buying shoes and purses cut out of the exact same pattern as my dress. In the 1960s women often bought shoes and handbags that matched 100% in the exact leather and color; or fabric, texture, and pattern as one another ... so everything old becomes new again!

I think I could pull off a matchy-matchy top, trousers and blazer in the same solid color, it's when you wear patterns you must be careful not to overdo it. It can look juvenile. I also don't mind a little peek of a waist as it's not too revealing, especially in a warm climate.

Vintage matching shoes and bag

What are your thoughts on either fashion trend?

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Next year these slacks will look so dated in my humble opinion. Droopy crotches, oh my! All photos from The Style Insider

Yes, it's true: After you know your personal style, you're not always trendy. As it turns out, I have zero interest in what fashion editors and influencers tell us will be popular this year, namely Slouchy Pants.

The trendy reinvented wide-legged trousers consist of too much fabric for my liking. Can we call them oversized? Baggy?? Or sloppy??? Years ago in the 1970s, they were dubbed stovepipe pants. Harlem pants were the early 20th century's variation.

Even at 5' 7 1/4," in height, this yards-of-cloth trouser style would appear to wear me in lieu of me wearing the trousers. Not to mention, I'd rake up and clean the streets of New York City without pay.😄

For sure just like the ankle-length dresses of Summer 2021, it's a fashion fad I'll skip and continue wearing my leggings and "skinny" jeans. As a matter of fact, the style of pants I usually wear are slender, i.e., tapered ankles, not really skinny jeans. So in recent years, I don't embrace the skinny jeans look either, choosing comfort over discomfort. You get the idea. 

What's fabulous about our current era is conformity is out! How sensible ... as no single style flatters all heights, shapes, or sizes. Every style is accepted, and you can dress like you! The fashion that makes you feel your best, or like a million bucks is in! So here's to everybody's unique fashion plate style.😎

Readers, how do you feel about slouchy pants? Can they ever be lightweight? How do you pack them in a suitcase? Oy vey: let's discuss the need for ironing?!

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