Brush up on proper summer fashion etiquette

Tag : Ladies' Camisole

nominated film "Gladiator" reintroduced Americans to the RomanEmpire, a staple of Roman clothing has emerged as a prominentfeature of this year's summer fashion.
"The buzz word in the industry is 'gladiator,' " said SusanCollins, manager of Divine Shoes downtown. "That's a strappy sandalthat includes multiple layers of strapping that go around theankle. You see it on a lot of the movie stars, who set the trends.That's the look this year."
Women can pair gladiators with a
variety of looks, from casual and formal wear to denim. However,just because a certain look is hot and trendy in the fashion worlddoesn't always mean that look will translate to everyday life,
particularly proper etiquette.
In July 2005, a photo of Northwestern University's nationalchampionship women's lacrosse team, taken with President Bushduring a visit to the White House, caused an uproar when the imagerevealed four of the nine women in the front row were wearingflip-flops with their dresses and skirts.
The "flip-flop flap" made
national news, and a front-page headline in the Chicago Tribuneread: "You wore flip-flops to the White House?!"
"People don't dress so much with rules anymore like they used to,but there is still something respectful and honoring about theconsideration of the tone that the host and hostess are setting,"said Collins. "If the host and hostess have put a lot of planningand preparation, not to mention money, to establish a special,memorable event, then I think you honor them by putting your bestfoot forward, and let it be in a fashionable shoe. Save thoseflip-flops for
situations such as the beach."
Chip Dinkins is the director of operations for the restaurantsSaltus River Grill and Plums. He believes when it comes down toproper etiquette concerning summer fashion, one should use theirbest judgment, but it's also about being comfortable.
"Most people that come in (to Saltus) are wearing slacks and nicebuttoned-down shirts," said Dinkins. "Ladies are wearing verytrendy styles. I'm not much of a fashion guy, unfortunately, but Ithink when you go to Saltus, you're looking to dress up a littlebit and wear some of your nicer clothes."
While Dinkins said Saltus' dress code is more business casual, or"urban contemporary" as he put, Plums, by contrast, is "verycasual" and especially
appeals to families.
"We take anybody there with shorts, flip-flops, it doesn't matter,"he said.
Recognizing people want to be comfortable but classy, Collinsmentioned other footwear like thong sandals and wedges that areconsidered more upscale than flip-flops, both in material anddesign, and that match well with summer clothing. Divine Shoes alsooffers upscale men's shoes by Cole Haan.
"You have to think of how the shoe is going to be worn and whereit's going to be worn, how long you're going to be in it, all ofthose things," said
Collins. "A high fashion accessory this summer is also an openboot. It literally is a boot, it has a high heel and open toe, butyou wear it with a short sling dress. They're very big this year."
In terms of clothing, Collins said for women, there are longerlength shorts and capri pants that can be worn with a flowy top ora strappy camisole top with a colorful throw.
"You can wear dressier shorts and have on a more sophisticatedshoe, and it elevates the perception of the outfit," she said."Shorts with a little top now becomes a dressier outfit because ofthe shoes that you're wearing. It sounds repetitive, but in thesummertime, fundamentally, you're looking at things that are goingto be strappy and open. I would also consider fabric contentbecause of cotton and comfort, especially down here."
Martin Goodman is the director of the Small Business
Development Center at University of South Carolina Beaufort's northcampus. He agreed with Collins that the humidity of the Lowcountryaffects the etiquette and business attire of the area, especiallyfor men.
"You're just more comfortable if you're not in a coat and tie inJuly humidity in Beaufort," said Goodman. "In the summertime, itseems that most businesses are certainly not shirt and tie or coatand tie. They're more
casual, with open-collared shirts or nice golf shirts, but I thinkevery business attire will exclude T-shirts, shorts, flip-flops,etc. Women wear either slacks and skirts or dresses that may bemore casual, but not what you would go to the beach in."
With all of the art galleries in Beaufort, Collins said art partiesare a good time "to go trendy and make a statement of your own" bywearing something fancy.
She added there are many opportunities in the Lowcountry to dresscasually, but when you have a chance to dress up, you should go forit.
"It will make you feel more exciting and more diverse," saidCollins. "The demographic here would love to be able to findsomething that's comfortable and fashionable.
"I think that's a good goal. I am confident that you don't have togive up on fashion for comfort."