If you could name five wardrobe items that you cannot live without in the summer?

Obviously, no two wardrobes are the same, however there are some things that every girl and woman could benefit from this time of year, fashion wise.

Summer is the season we want to wear as little (or at least breathable) clothing as possible, but as you know, no outfit is complete without its accessories. After all, every single detail counts.

Whether you’re going for resort chic, island vibes or sporty casual, there are several accessories that are important for surviving the season.

Summer Essential #1: A fun crossbody bag

Summer may be a great time to be wearing bright colors, but how often can you get away with neon? Doesn’t exactly fit in with the office environment, does it? Vibrant hues are much easier to work with on a daily basis when it’s on a crossbody bag, like a PU Leather Crossbody from AMOG. Bags like these then serve as a pop of color on an outfit of muted shades, though it also works to streamline an ensemble with matching or similar tones. Wear it out to a club or to the office, a brightly colored crossbody is absolutely necessary this season.

Summer Essential #2: Comfy yet sophisticated slides

Flip flops are always the easy choice when you’re feeling blah about your outfit and just need something no-fuss to slip you feet into. No hate towards the humble flip flop, but it doesn’t do much to elevate an ensemble. For something equally as breathable, just as comfy and way more stylish, best to go for slides. And we’re not talking about the furry slipper kind or the designer ones that are often seen on celebrities when they’re at the airport that look like they were taken from a hotel pool or spa. The summer essential we had in mind are almost like elegant slippers, if you will. You want a pair of shoes that will match easily with a tank and jeans, a tee and culottes, and a shirt dress, like sleek Korean Sandals from KW. Who knew that sophisticated and comfy could work in the same sentence?

Summer Essential #3: A functional, carryall tote

Summer is all about traveling, beach trips and weekend excursions, and when you’re away from home, it’s important to have a bag that will fit everything that you need. There are loads of tote bags you can choose from, and you want to pick one that’s sturdy and spacious enough to hold more than just your wallet and phone, such as a water bottle, sunscreen, a sunglasses case, and other stuff you might need to bring with you. It might be worth getting a tote like a Travel Tote from Victoria’s Secret, which is big enough to fit a towel, flip flops and a swimsuit if you’re headed to a resort.

Summer Essential #4: Crisp white sneakers that go with everything

There’s nothing quite as versatile as white sneakers. Even nontraditional brides are opting to wear white kicks with their wedding dress, thus you can wear white sneakers with pretty much everything. Don’t believe me? Take a look at Springfield Walker White Sneakers from Wilton.
With the exception of black tie gowns, there’s nothing you can’t wear with this, from playsuits and midi dresses to a tee with denim cutoffs. They have this fresh and minimalistic look that make them a must-have for the summer.

Summer Essential #5: The right sunglasses for your face shape

Last but definitely not least, sunglasses complete this list of essentials. There are hundreds of styles out there, and unfortunately, they haven’t been made to suit every face shape, unless you’ve been blessed with an oval face as it works with everything. It’s up to you to do research on the best styles for you. For example, anyone with a heart or square shaped face would look best in round or cat-eye frames, like Cool Sunglasses from MFSunnies. Round faces, on the other hand, would look best with wide, rectangular shades. As for oval face shapes, oversized is the way to go.

Did your essentials match ours? Let us know in the comments below if you have any other summer accessories that you can’t live without!

(INSTAGRAM // iamhearte)

It’s no secret that celebrities like Heart Evangelista lead a lavish lifestyle. About a month ago, the Pinay sweetheart was branded as one of the real life Crazy Rich Asians, featured in a Harper’s Bazaar segment that had her hanging out and discussing fashion with author Kevin Kwan, among other affluent style icons that fit the bill. Ah, the front row seats at NYFW, the personalized fittings with couture designers. If only we were Crazy Rich Asians, am I right?

While we may not be able to live as opulently as they can, we can certainly mimic their style. Although most of us can’t afford designer labels, there are a few notes we can take from Heart: our very own beautiful, talented, Crazy Rich Asian.

Steal Her Style: How to Dress Like Heart Evangelista

1) Say “no” to skinny jeans

(INSTAGRAM // iamhearte)

Skinny jeans don’t seem to be part of her style repertoire, and we totally get it. Instead of pairing her eccentric feather blouse with second-skin denim, she opts for the boyfriend fit, indicating that you don’t need to showcase every curve and crevice of your body to dress it up. Looser pant silhouettes, like High waist cropped boyfriend jeans and Retro flared jeans can be just as easily incorporated into a sophisticated outfit, so take it easy on your skinny jeans.

2) Embrace the midi

(INSTAGRAM // iamhearte)

Although you’ll see that she wears a mini or knee length skirt every now and then, the majority of her snaps feature the midi hem. Whether it’s a dress or skirt, it’s clear that she’s fond all things midi, and who can blame her? It’s elegant without being overly formal, it’s the least offensive of the hemlines, and it’s easier to walk in compared to minis and maxis. Plus, it’s the perfect length to show off her shoes, and as you might have noticed, she has an exquisite heel collection.

3) Don’t forget your handbag

(INSTAGRAM// iamhearte)

If there’s one item that you should really be investing in, it’s a handbag. Clothes and shoes will experience the inevitable wear and tear, but the one accessory that will potentially last your whole life is a handbag. Looking through her photos, Heart never forgets to show off her bag of the day. Her sense of fashion is impeccable, from her makeup all the way down to her choice of purse. They say that shoes really make an outfit, but the right handbag bring an entire ensemble to the next level.

4) Have a wide range of blazers

(INSTAGRAM // iamhearte)

The fit, the collar and the tailoring—there’s nothing in your wardrobe that polishes an ensemble quite like a blazer. Heart is all for them blazers evidently, and she’s not just limiting them to the classic black staple. Other than this checkered piece above, she’s been seen wearing items in bold colors as well as muted tones, such as pastels. In fact, she’s yet to be seen in a black blazer, at least on Instagram, that is. Of course, with that many blazers in her collection, there’s no doubt that she does have at least one in black hanging in her closet.

5) Always wear heels

(INSTAGRAM // iamhearte)

Who would have thought that a PAWS t-shirt could be dressed up like this? Heart makes everything possible style-wise, and with this kind of outfit, she’s showing everyone that you can wear almost anything with heels. Yes, heels can be pretty uncomfortable, but when you wear them as often as Heart does, they won’t bother you as much. Also, heels just makes everything look better. Switch that midi with distressed jeans and she would still look oh-so-chic.

6) Make sure your hair always looks good

(INSTAGRAM // iamhearte)

If you look through her Instagram, one of the other things that’s consistent in her posts is how sleek her hair is, including this photo above. The fact that she looks this good while having her morning coffee on the weekend is unfair. It’s rare for most to look this put together on their day off, but a simple ponytail or bun can make all the difference in your appearance.  Even though she is in a slip, she still looks put together.

So there you have it. You may not be a Crazy Rich Asian like Heart, but you might be able to look it by following in her fashion footsteps!

You’ve got your favorite sundress on with some new wedges, an adorable bow headband and a few gold bangles. Now all you have to do is pick the right handbag. Hmm. Do you go for red bucket purse, that sparkly gold cross-body, or a standard black tote?

The handbag might be one of the more difficult decisions when it comes to styling your outfit. Although shoes arguably are the most important element in an ensemble, your options of footwear are not as limited by your clothes as it would be for your handbag.

To help you figure out the right outfit and bag combo, we thought we’d look to the stars (figuratively), taking a closer look at the handbag style choices by Selena Gomez.

(INSTAGRAM // selenagomez)

With several of her latest Insta snaps featuring outfits complete with a handbag, we thought that the “Back to You” singer, PUMA brand ambassador and 13 Reasons Why series producer would be the perfect celebrity to help you with your accessorizing needs.

For starters…

1. Determine the purpose of your bag

It’s pretty clear what kind of value a handbag has on our ensemble, adding a stylistic element to your look as well as carrying the stuff you need to go about your day. But what I mean by purpose is more specific—what do you need to put in your bag? Are you heading to the office and need to bring your laptop? Use a tailored messenger bag. Only need a little bag to carry your phone, credit card and lipstick? Grab a cute cross-body purse. Thinking of going shopping after brunch with the ladies? Go with the tote.

2. Consider the color

There are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to the color of your handbag. Often, people will choose one that matches the dominant hue in the outfit, but a bag is a great way to introduce a pop of color, or at least bring out one of the less prevalent shades on your clothes.

If you are going to wear some kind of print on your body, you’re best going with a solid colored bag, preferably matching it with one of the less frequent colors on your print (or going with a bright pop of color if the print is in black and white or other neutrals). For example, an outfit featuring this Boho asymmetrical printed maxi skirt would do great with a navy blue purse.

If you feel like using a more eccentric handbag, keep the rest of your outfit simple. For Selena, an all black outfit should be offset with a purse that has a combination of solid-colored parts and prints, which goes seamlessly well with the rest of her ensemble of varying textures. Even though her look is composed of neutrals, the bag she selected is definitely a statement piece.

(INSTAGRAM // selenagomez)

3. Choose an appropriate size

When it comes to casual wear, almost any sized bag works. Some days, a big shoulder bag seems necessary, while others, the essentials all fit in a wallet sized purse. Unless the clutch or cross-body bag has got sparkles, jewels, or generally metallic (thus matches better with occasion wear), you’re free to pick whatever size handbag you want. Excluding work totes, the general rule of thumb is that bigger handbags are, the better they are for casual ensembles. So if you’ve got on our High waist yoga leggings, one option you’ve got is a hobo bag.

To finish her underwear as outerwear look, Selena goes for a mid size tailored leather bag with little rhinestone detailing.

( INSTAGRAM // selenagomez)

4. Be smart about the style

As we’ve touched upon in the third tip, design elements determine the appropriateness of it with your chosen attire. We know that cocktail dresses and gowns like the Sleeveless sequin evening maxi dress are better off with sparkly clutches. Leather bags are quite versatile that they can be paired with your work wardrobe and weekend wear, but in terms of shape, tailored, rectangular shoulder bags are suited for smart casual outfits. Anything more free-form or outside of the conventional work tote shape are best for casual looks. Donning a waist bag over her shoulders, Selena’s bag of choice in this Insta upload shows us that you can definitely play around with how you wear your accessories.

(INSTAGRAM // selenagomez)

5. Match the material

Material is also a factor when picking the right bag. The majority of your bags are probably made of leather, which is one of the few types of bags that can be used across attires. But if you feel like using your crochet purse or perhaps a woven bag, you should reserve either for summery clothing. They’re also great for beach days when you’ve got on a Bohemian floral print one-piece swimsuit, white denim shorts and a floppy hat.

With these tips in mind, you’ll always be choosing the right handbag for your outfit, no matter what outfit you’re wearing.