Summer Chic: Cropped Linen Blazer

Beating the summer heat is often a challenge, but battling the air conditioning can also factor into one's 'what to wear' dilemma, when dressing for the heat.   Prized for its exceptional coolness in hot weather, linen garments add a freshness to any summer ensemble.*

1.  Target -Merona Cropped Linen Blazer in Red Rave
2.  Crown of Hearts -Ruffled Striped Shirt in Blue
3.  Old Navy -Flat Front Shorts in Navy

A linen blazer in a bright color (1) is a great way to amp up a summer look outdoors, yet still manage to fend off the arctic blast of the AC while inside.  I paired the relaxed look of the linen blazer with a structured, ruffled-placket blouse (2) and a pair of clean-front, cotton shorts  (3) to give my ensemble a casual chic vibe.

1, 2, 3 Chic!

1, 2, 3 Chic!

For today's look, I wanted to balance the feminine ruffles of the blouse with the edginess of what I affectionately call my 'Rocker' sandals; the cuffed shaft, studded band, and decorative buckle in a suede upper, provide the look with an unexpected twist.  The over-sized suede tote helps to ties the entire ensemble together.

How I Styled It?

My 1, 2, 3 Styling for the shirt and shorts were easy:  blue shorts with a blue and white striped shirt, both in cotton. But I really wanted to make this outfit shine, so I headed back to the color wheel.  Believe it or not, primary colors (red, blue and yellow) match, but to keep from looking like a box of crayons, limit color pairings to only two out of the three colors.  Here, the blue on the lower half of the outfit anchors it, while providing a nice contrast to the blazer, thereby allowing the red to stand out.  I went with black accessories as not to compete with my bold red-blue color pairing.  SN

 

 

 

* Excerpt from Wikipedia's page on Linen