Summer in the City

Boy by Band of Outsiders, Spring 09

Let's create a world without cutoff shorts and jean skirts, without flip flops and bra straps hanging out of too-tight tank tops. I know it's hot out there, but just the act of looking cool should be what's keeping you cool this summer.

Air conditioning exists, and so do cabs. So throw a lightweight blazer over your bare arms and strut down the street in some pumps while trying to hail one. Here are some other Cool Summer Looks, perfect for City Girls.

This image of Ashley Olsen reiterates the look Kirstin Dunst perfects above, though she trades a pump for a strappy sandal. The loose wavy hair relaxes the polish of the blazer in a sort of, "Just got back from the Hamptons" way. Love it. 

Veronica Gledhill of Vogue Magazine understands that though the streets are sweltering, the offices are not. She keeps her layers icy in white and grey. A cool, colorless wardrobe for summer is my absolute favorite, and Veronica is perfect from hair to pump in this monochromatic look. 

LSD, from the Sartorialist

Here Ashley Olsen, again, and famed New York Fashionista Lauren Santo Domingo partake in an exercise of proportionate skin-showing. A 3/4 or pushed up long sleeve on a tight, super mini dress is the way to keep it classy in the summer heat. Keep the look pulled together with a shoe in the same color family and use your accessories to add contrast.