i love vintage style swimwear – there is something so classic about the retro lines and colors. slipping into swimsuit with that vibe always feels so hollywood glamour to me, and i’ll take that over anything that shows a ton of skin any day.

i stumbled across amourouse  on pinterest and just had to share! amourouse is an etsy seller that hand makes lingerie and swimwear – right now it seems to be all swimwear, with these fantastic vintage inspired lines, colors and bows. bonus? the pricing is defintiely reasonable considering they aren’t manufactured in china somewhere. double bonus? they have a 20% off code – JULY20. (and no, they didn’t pay me to write this!)

here are my favorite picks from my new favorite etsy seller, amourouse:

{each image is linked to the product page for amourouse’s swimsuits}

there are so many great pieces on jcrew’s final sale – it is pretty great how everything there goes on sale so quickly! i am loving these pieces – they are great together, great separately and could work themselves nicely into anyone’s wardrobe. i especially love pops of color and mixing polka dots and stripes! keep it clean and classic with a great pair of white jeans and you can pull anything together with a chic-summery edge to it.

no, that must vs. must isn’t a typo. kate middelton was spotted (see what i did there?) in a polka dot topshop dress – a total must! the only problem is that the dress has of course sold out sine the duchess strutted her stuff in it. but today i found a suitable alternative at a nice price point – enter kohl’s. yup, kohl’s. (where, by the way, i’ve spotted other lust vs. musts a la kate middleton).

this is such a cute look and great from office straight to a date! add a little extra sparkles on your wrist or ears, or both, for a more date-friendly look.

one of my goals whenever i’m shopping is to find pieces that can be dressed up or dressed down. a second goal is to make purchases that are all season appropriate. i mean, a $200 wool jcrew skirt is great and all but i can’t wear it when it’s 100 degrees outside.

enter: pencil skirts. while i love a good full skirt, i do love pencil skirts, especially in fun colors, prints and textures. the key here is to just have fun with it! pair florals with stripes, go monochromatic, rock a peplum and a skinny belt – the possibilities are endless. it’s truly a versatile investment! my favorite places for pencil skirts right now are ann taylor and ann taylor loft – but even old navy has some cute jersey knit ones right now!

how will you wear a pencil skirt this season?

whether you are pool side, lake side or beach side, there is no doubt that you need a beach bag come summer. when picking a new beach bag every few seasons, i think about not only function (will i be by the pool or the beach? beach means i need a little more space to carry a few more things) but also style. i always gravitate towards the standard raffia bags, but i am really embracing the fun styles this year that offer a little something extra in their details.

think about the fabric and the lining in your bag, especially if you’ll be on the sand, and of course think about what goes best with your swim suit – you’ll never go wrong if you keep those two things in mind!

the talented mr. ripley is one of my favorite movies – the story line is great, the set and scenes are fantastic and the acting is superb. not to mention the style – it’s laid back but put together in an easy and effortless way. fabrics are light and flowy. there are so many natural colors at play – i really can’t get enough.

the whole movie is great inspiration for early summer, especially when the nights are cooler. the neutral palette gets me every time!

one trend i see popping up a lot lately is layering summer outfits, especially dresses and maxi skirts, with denim vests. denim of all shades and even colors; of all cuts and lengths. and i have to say, i’m kind of into it!

would you wear a denim vest and replicate some of these looks? which is your favorite?

there are these valentino pumps that are running rampant through the fashion blogs – kind of like that classic pave link bracelet from jcrew and michael kors gold watches. every fashion blogger owns these things.

the valentino pumps have, of course being valentino, a hefty price tag. they are also trendy so you may not want to invest close to $900 in a pair. i did my research, after gathering a bunch of inspiration for you, and found a couple of pairs of valentino inspired pumps (one pair is only $40!)

if you are interested in the real deal, you can find them here. if you want something that is inspired, the black and tan valentino pumps are from here and pink ones from here (they have other colors, too!)

{all images linked to sources}

can you wear shorts at work? yes. how do you know if it’s appropriate? length and fit. here’s the key: go for longer lengths and/or looser fit. if you would see a teenager rocking it at the beach or the mall, don’t do it.

pair shorts with a long or 3/4 sleeve top in a cut that doesn’t hug. you can also top it all off with a blazer. bonus points if your blazer and shorts map – it’s like a suit!

here’s a little inspiration. i challenge you to try it!

{all images linked to sources}