side lines

I never managed to get my paws on the above (past season) J.W Anderson top, but now, Banana Republic (of all people!) comes to the rescue with this super chic and way less expensive derivative. Sold!

three graces london

Found: dreamy dresses that slip from the bedroom to the beach! Thanks to some stylish holidaying Brits, I discovered Three Graces London, an up-and-coming line of nightwear-turned-daywear dresses. Signatures include relaxed, nearly sheer silhouettes rendered in the finest, whisper-light cotton, linen and silk. New Yorker Leandra Cohen, below, proves that these dresses can even pound the city pavement. I'm swooning for this cotton mouselline lovely (on sale, last picture), this striped Victorian-inspired dress, this cotton voile maxi, and this billowy halterneck (second snap below).

Photos: Lucy Williams, Leandra Cohen, Martha Ward

beige beauty

$169, frankie shop

The skin-revealing cut-outs and lace-up shoulders make this a summer day stunner.

1. Frankie Shop cut-out dress, $169, thefrankieshop.com
2. RMS Beauty Lip2Cheek in Beloved, $36, netaporter.com
3.  Joanna Laura Constantine hoop earring set, $243, shopbop.com
4. Oliveve Laine brass ring bag, $298, anthropologie.com
5. Marc Jacobs sandals, $295, shopbop.com

do the polka

Pinstripes, step aside. It's time to polka dot. This perennial print is popping up (again) everywhere, and with good reason: the eye-catching dots are both feminine and fun and endlessly versatile. For a fresh feel, I like mixing mine up with other prints, like camouflage and florals. My polka dots picks include this Robert Rodriguez dress, this J.Crew top, this Reformation skirt, this Fifth Label romper, this Lolli bikini, these Tabitha Simmons slides, this Ganni skirt, and this Realisation wrap dress, pictured above.

sardinian summer

I've decided I want to be Italian in my next life. And I'd like to live on Sardinia, because I feel perfectly at home there! Last week I happily existed on plates of lobster pasta, long swims in the sapphire-colored sea and late-night bedtimes (i.e., activities in which I do not regularly participate in LA!). My seven travel mates--fellow mamma mias--made for one big Italian family. It was La Dolce Vita from start to finish. BTW: Sardinia boasts the highest rate of centenarians in the world (22 centenarians/100,000 inhabitants). Which means I'll be living a l-o-n-g dolce vita next time around! Read on for more deets. (P.S. Cute mini skirt, above, is by March11.)

We stayed at the white-washed Mediterranean-style Hotel Romazzino, perched on a hill overlooking the clear blue waters off Costa Smeralda. The beachside set-up, above, called for lots of lounging around. I tried to counterbalance my lounging/carbo-loading at the hotel's epic outdoor gym, but miserably failed. 

For us, every day in Sardinia was a beach day, but just a different beach! By boat, we sought out the most secluded ones we could find. Our favorites were sprinkled around Cala de Volpe. As we beach hopped and soaked in the sun, I went through several bikinis and dresses a day. My fringed dress is by Love Shack Fancy (I love that it can be buttoned/unbuttoned all the way) and my polka dot suit is from And Other Stories. 

The best Italian aperitif--and my new summer drink: an aperol spritz! So refreshing and light. 

That almost all of us had packed a wrap skirt is a testament to its greatness! Mine is by The Reformation and several years old, but my friends sported some new, just-out versions by Lisa Marie Fernandez, Dolce & Gabbana (on sale!), Milly, The Jetset Diaries, and The Reformation. My tie-trimmed one-piece is Minkpink.

The Med doles out mind-blowing blues!

One day we boated to La Casitta, a small restaurant hidden away on a private, uninhabited island called Santa Maria. After we arrived at the unmarked stone platform dock, above, we were whisked away on a golf cart to the restaurant, a renovated shepherds' home built in the '20s, surrounded by wild gardens. We feasted on fresh-harvested clams, oysters, sea urchins and, yes, lots of pasta. My floral-themed ensemble--a Natalie Martin cover-up and La Reveche bikini--helped me blend in with the scenery!

This stretch-waist, off-the-shoulder Stylekeepers dress served me well post-lunch at Cala de Volpe, where I gorged on the best truffle pizza, fried calamari and bellinis ever (below)! I'll definitely need this dress in my next life!

balloon sleeves

Among all the new trendy fall looks trickling into stores right now, my favorite silhouette is the puff sleeve blouse. This voluminous style feels fresh and feminine, and the airiness reflects next season's oversized '80s vibe. Bonus: these blouses also work now. I'd like to make a big statement in these mostly wallet-friendly pieces by Petersyn (pictured, above), Mango, And Other Stories, Pixie Market, Tibi and Stella McCartney (on sale!). The jeans, above, are by Frame.

summer sweaters

For weeks, I'd been mentally packing for my trip to Sardinia. (Pics/deets to come!) I had my bikinis, caftans, sandals, and dresses lined up. The only thing missing: the do-it-all sweater that goes from the airplane to the air-conditioned hotel. A light-enough knit that I can throw over my shoulders when the evening breeze blows in. Kind of like the perfect transitional sweater that  works overtime from late summer to early fall. So, I did some poking around and found some good candidates, including the Sea eyelet sweater, above, this cropped Spencer Vladimir (on sale!), this patched J.Crew (40% off), this button-trimmed Altuzarra, and this classic Loewe.

Photo: Man Repeller

fall fix

Summering and shopping for fall: I highly recommend it! Yes, party people, today is the start of Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale,* featuring next season pieces at 40 percent off. Topping my fall-perfect list: this Burberry pea coat, this cut-out Topshop dress, these cropped Frame jeans, this Marc Jacobs striped sweater, this cashmere striped hoodie, and this ruffle Tibi shirt. Check it all out here.

**To access the sale now, you need to have a Nordstrom card, which you can register for on the Nordstrom site. The sale items will be available to non-account holders as well in a week.

colorful kicks

Walking around Rome Fuimicino Airport is not glamorous after a red-eye flight from LA. Still, my colorful kicks helped my style game a bit, and inspo was drawn from these pics from Paris' couture shows last week! They look extra chic when teamed with an unexpectedly feminine dress. Crowd-favorites include the suede Eytys trainers, above, and yellow Vans, below. Also cool are these vivid sneaks by Marc Jacobs, Dolce Vita, and Converse.

blazing comeback

With its preponderance in Paris last week, it seems the tried-and-true blazer is blazing back into fashion. Featuring a distinctly long, fitted silhouette, it goes with everything from denim minis to fancy frocks. Plus, it's summer-to-winter wearable! I love these fresh and feminine iterations from Isabel Marant, Veronica Beard, Madewell, Tibi, H&M, and Blaze Milano.