Now that spring has started, planning for the summer has commenced as well. So I thought I make a little post about some fun summer preparation like summer fashion, music and some summer projects I have in mind.
Hot Fashion
As I much I love fashion and seeing what is trendy and hot on the runways, I generally don't spend vast amounts of money on seasonal wardrobes. Even if you do have the money, there is nothing better than finding a great bargin. Old Navy is a great store for the wardrobe basics, I had a couple tank tops from there that I wore with a lot of outfits and some great shorts. But this year I wanted to buy everything in the whole store, especially the bright coloured maxi dresses and cute embellished flip-flops. I didn't empty my bank account but I did get some cute essentials. I found that I was strangely drawn to colour orange, which isn't one of my favourite colours. My new orange bikini with the rope pattern actually reminds of Hermes and YSL patterns and my sparkly flip-flops are great mixture of glam & boho. I got a scarf to add to my collection which super soft and light weight, perfect for the cool summer evenings. The flower print dress can be worn on a casual summer lunch or dressed up for a great summer wedding. Dark denim Diva shorts are a great basic for any summer wardrobe but I do have one issue with the bottoms that Old Navy has. Being a petite girl with ample curves and small back I generally have a harder time with pants. The size 10 shorts fit good on my legs and back, though across the front they were slighty tight and had a small gap in the back. The size 12 were a bit looser of my legs, fit great in the front but had a considerable gap in the back. But in the end I went I choose comfort of fashion/vanity. Overall a great store for some summer shopping.
Summer Playlist
I am a music junkie, I listen to almost everything (although there generally isn't a lot rap music in my library). Here are some my picks for summer music:
Victoria Duffield "Shut Up And Dance - Single" - She was one of the top 6 on YTV's Next Star and several years later she has come out with a couple catchy dance singles. Although heavily auto tuned shut up and dance is great summer dance song and is making waves on Canadian radio stations. Also check out her single "Fever" from Next Star and no it isn't the Peggy Lee song. She actually wrote with Mariana's Trench front man Josh Ramsey who was one of the judges for the competition.
Plugin Stereo " The Patience EP" - I found Plugin Stereo while searching youtube videos for Cady Groves, who ironically sings a duet on this album. This soft indie record is perfect for listening to during a rainy day and sitting down with a book. My personal favourite is one slightly upbeat number "I Blame You" about a girl he just can't seem to forget. And the duet with Cady Groves "Oh Darling" is so sweet and cute I squeeze if I could.
Kimberly Cole " U Make Me Wanna & Arrow through My Heart- Singles" - Kimberly Cole has been one of my favourite female artist for a while now. Her latest singles with house DJ Eddie Amador are closer to European dance/house music with a lot more bells & whistles than average North American dance track. At first I wasn't sure if I would like these tracks but after listening to them a couple times I loved them. I found that with Kimberly Cole I usually have to listen to the tracks a couple times before I get into them and then I love them. She is the artist if I see she had something new out, I usually don't hesitate to purchase her music. Also check out her EP's Nitty Gritty & Superstar and her debut album Bad Girls Club.
Cady Groves "This Little Girl EP" - Last fall I found the song "This Little Girl" by Cady Groves through JustJared.com when it was posted because Blake Shelton made a cameo in the music video. The title track is a great teach a man a lesson song with the lyrics like "This little girl is capable of murder cause you hurt her" and "your not the only one walking around with a loaded gun". The EP is up beat mix of pop/dance/a little rock with other songs like "We're the Sh!t" & "Ugly". The one thing that I was disappointed about was that one of the four songs was a cover of Adele "Someone Like You", which a hard song to do justice too and everyone seems to covering of her songs these days. Cady Groves voice doesn't quite have soulful flow - with her voice being a bit on the nasal side - that Adele effortlessly has. But other than that it's a great EP of summer songs
Brock Zanrosso "Prelude EP" - Also another former Next Star contestant (but different season) the Prelude EP sounds like if Adam Lambert and OneRepublic had a love child. My personal favourite is Perfect Storm, a Adam Lambert style dance song about being attracted to someone who is dangerous but you can't stay away. Also The Only One is a great OneRepublic style song where he sings to his love that he can't fight her battles and inner demons for, only she can do it.
My Darkest Days "Sick & Twisted Affair" - The sophomore release from the Canadian rock band who is responsible for Porn Star Dancing, this album has a darker feel than their self titled debut. Their single Casual Sex, which is self explanatory with lyrics " We're wild under the covers, crazy for each other". There are similar songs like the title track "Sick & Twisted Affair" and "Nature of the Beast". A good amount of the tracks are based on cheating/heartbreak but they are still great songs like "Stutter" and "Love Crime"
The Pretty Reckless "Hit Me Like A Man EP" - Gossip Girls Taylor Momsen's alternative rock band is hitting the mark yet again with their new EP. It features three new songs and two live tracks from their previous release Light Me Up (which I also recommend). The three new songs are the title track "Hit Me Like a Man" a sexy song about pain & pleasure with the lyrics "hit me like man, love me like woman". Then "Under Water" is about not letting the bad things get you down and " Cold Blooded" about not trusting the cold blooded/slimy people which had sort of blues feel.
Cherri Bomb "Stark EP" - They've been called a modern day version of the Runaways, expect they actually can sing. Not sure how old they are but they are between the ages of 14 -16 and they play all their own instruments and have an amazing stage presence. Their debut EP has 5 songs with 2 cover songs, "Let It Go" by the Pretenders and "The Pretender" by the Foo Fighters. I would have to say Let It Go is my favourite track even though it's a cover. I've played the song about 70 times since I bought the album a few days ago. I also love the song "Already Dead" a great angry song not being able to forgive a former lover with the lyrics "And now your words can't kill what, what's already dead". The other two songs "Spin" and "Mirror, Mirror" are also great songs. Finally female rock band that actually can rock!
Tiaan Williams "Gonna Be On Top" Single - This is a song that isn't relatively new but I just recently discovered it and I love it. A mix of dance and rock this song is actually the theme song for Australia's Next Top Model since their fifth cycle the video also features the girls from that same cycle.
Summer Projects
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| Clockwise from left: My closet, Cosmo Article, Michael's Photo Boxes |
Since my senior year of high school I have been fixing up my room from a random technicolor nightmare of a child's room. I painted my walls, got a new desk, new storage and more grown up decor. I have one more problem area to attack and that is my closet. Apparently when my parents first bought the house apparently my closet had one rack but my dad changed it around because as a kid you need more storage. But I then I became a bit of clotheshorse, shoe obsessed., and a handbag hoarder. And after doing some spring I may have a little bit of organization fever. I am hoping to put one and a half racks and move them around so their is more space in between racks and get rid of the boxy shelves. I would love to be able to put some drawers in my closet and put all my clothes in my closet but I am aware of how little space I have. I found this article in one of my old Cosmopolitan and the "Every Girls Guide to Life" by Maria Menounos has some great tips. Also a great storage option is photo boxes from Michael's that I got on sale a couple weeks ago. Basically they are cardboard boxes with dividers for the dates, and little inserts on the front for labels. With the exception of the one blue it was just overstock with only black left. But that just means I get to have some fun decorating them!
What are your summer plans and some of your favourite things about summer?
Love & Gamour,
Carlita Petita
