Hopenlife Launches Linen Collection

Linen is the perfect fabric for summer occasion. It is lightweight and breathable, yet looks slightly dressy and chic. Hopenlife is a French men's lifestyle brand that was created in 1987. The brand spans three lines: Premium, Lifestyle, and Hipstyle.

The new Hopenlife linen collection revisits the sophistication of linen with a range of shirts, Bermuda shorts, and trousers in the perfect summer colors. The focal piece of the collection is a trouser with the effect of denim. Thus, it allows for a more urban style that is still crafted in linen.

On a side note, linen is an eco friendly fiber. The farming of linen requires neither water nor pesticides. The plant itself detains parts of carbon that spread throughout the atmosphere. Do you love linen in the summer time? You can see each Hopenlife collection at HopenLife.com.

Photos: David Guili, HopenLife

STK Magnum Mondays

STK, a trendy steak house with locations throughout New York, LA, and Vegas has started extending the weekend party through Monday evenings. STK in Meatpacking hosts a new dinner party called Magnum Mondays.

What exactly is Magnum Mondays? Its not your ordinary steak dinner for sure. Whenever you purchase a bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne, it is automatically upgraded to a magnum size. A DJ is spinning beats while everyone dines. 

It was really fun, and STK is always filled with good looking people. We selected Magnum Mondays to celebrate a friend's birthday. I have eaten at STK before and love the food so this is just another reason to make a reservation- highly recommended! 

Fashion Friday: Tonal Color Palette

When I mix colors in an outfit, I often mix colors that are more complimentary then those that are in the same color grouping. For example, I will pair a blue oxford with yellow chinos or a navy cable sweater with a pink polo.  The contrast between the colors makes the outfit pop. 

Tone-on-tone is another popular option. I see most people doing tone-on-tone white or black outfits. I tried doing a more tonal look with color of course.

Instead of pairing, say, a green sweater with this yellow shirt, I selected orange which was much closer to the color palette of the entire shirt. I like the look of a more tonal pairing. Do you wear tone-on-tone outfits?

A Weekend In The Hamptons

The weather has been very unfriendly on the East coast- a fluctuation between very high humidity and thunderstorms and cooler temperatures. Not much sun to say the least. This past weekend, however, the clouds parted and made way for abundant sunshine, the perfect weekend to visit the Hamptons.

The Hamptons is one of the places to be during the summer and summer weekends on the East coast. They are notorious for their beautiful waterfront mansions and effortless, chic sense of style. Dressing for the Hamptons is half of the effort of going!

I visited East Hampton. It is just as you see in picture, a beautiful, small resort town with all the charm to match. The small town is filled with great stores such as Ralph Lauren, Lilly Pulitzer, and Brunello Cucinello. In addition, East Hampton is home to the renowned Main Beach which was gorgeous on Saturday. So what did I wear in the Hamptons? 

I went with an outfit that screamed "Hamptons"- seersucker shorts, pink polo, and cable cashmere sweater. All by Ralph Lauren. I highly recommend escaping the city heat and enjoying the sun while shopping and strolling the beautiful streets or soaking up on the sun on the beaches in the Hamptons. A true summer destination. 

New Music Seminar Held in New York

 

The New Music Seminar kicked off on Sunday and just concluded at the New Yorker Hotel here in Manhattan. Conferences kicked off Monday as Apple's rumors of launching a streaming music service came to an end with the announcement of iTunes Radio. Many music executives discussed Apple's decision, New Music Seminar founder Tom Silverman stated, "We are extremely happy that Apple has chosen to announce the launch of iTunes radio during the NMS. Apple's entry into this burgeoning market brings us another step closer to achieving the 100 billion dollar music business. 

Day 1 highlights included keynotes by notable figures in the industry such as Frank Cooper of PepsoCo, the president of Clear Channel, and Rio Caraff, CEO of VEVO. Additionally, one of my favorite music product companies, Bang & Olufsen, launched under their B&O Play label in conjunction with Danish Band, Mew, their new Sensory Space app. The vice president gave a preview of the new application for smartphones.

Most notable on day 2 was kicked off by the "Building the 100 Billion Dollar Music Business" presentation. The discussion looked at the ever changing trends of the music industry how to generate revenue in the new era of music by featuring a panel of forward thinkers in the industry. Expanding this point, an intensive led Adam Shore of The Daily Swarm identified the growing importance of the relationship between brands' sales and music. He points out that some of the brands that successfully work with music such as Red Bull Music, Converse, and Scion.

Many exciting things have come out of this year's NMS for those who love the music industry. It's an exiting event for the industry. I'm sure will all be interested in using iTunes radio specifically. 

Photos courtesy of Workman Entertainment Public Relations

Summer Cable Knits

Sweaters do not just have to be worn during the fall and winter months. In fact, I think cable knits in brighter tones are the perfect addition to an outfit during the warmer summer months. The cable knit sweater is very classic and embodies that "Hamptons" style. 

How do you wear it in the summer? Tied around your neck of course! One of the easiest yet polished outfits to create is pair colored chinos with a polo, and throwing a contrasting cable knit sweater over your shoulders. It really completes the entire look. The sweater does come in handy inside cold, air conditioned buildings, or during a evening barbecue on the beach. 

My collection is slowly growing one by one. I am starting it with colors that I found match well with an array of different polo and chino colors. Putting the look together:

Summer Destination: Nantucket

Source: Uploaded by user via Jud on Pinterest

The East coast is filled with quaint little towns that are perfect for long, summer weekends. Many famous summer hotspots can be reached within 2-3 hours from New York City, making them the perfect way to escape the city heat.

Located off the cape of Massachusetts, Nantucket is a summer retreat for the affluent in the Northeast. The tiny island's population peaks in the summer season, and is accessible for one of three public ferrys to the island. Nantucket is the quintessential seaside New England town with lighthouses and cobble stone streets dating back many years. 

The town is filled with beautiful homes, fine dinning, shopping, and great hotels. 

Where to Stay: The Wauwinet

The Wauwinet is a luxury inn located on the water with scenic superior accommodations, scenic views,  and beach access. The hotel offers a myriad of complimentary guest services such as kayaks and bicycles and has been cited by Vogue as the best place to "escape the city." Additionally, the in-house restaurant, Toppers, is rated one of the best on the island. Rooms appear to be starting from $775 in July. Wauwinet

Shopping:

Nantucket is filled with many boutiques carrying anything from sunglasses and jewelry to apparel and specialty items. Preppy favorites such as Jack Wills and Vineyard Vines can be found on the island as well as boutiques such as Haberdashery of New England which is home to classic linens, cashmeres, and cottons from Italy. 

Nantucket is definitely on my summer "want to visit" list. I have only heard great things about the island. For me, it appears to be the perfect melange of the relaxed, preppy northeast lifestyle and tradition. I can just picture people wearing nantucket reds riding bikes with baskets down small streets!

If you have traveled to Nantucket, I would love to hear your recommendations and thoughts! 

Source: etsy.com via * BELLA on Pinterest

Summer Hues

Preppy dressing in the summer is all about bright colors and pastel hues. Nothing is easier than pairing a pastel oxford or polo with a pair of crisp, white chinos.

Pair complementary colors together so they stand out. Here, I've even paired gingham with stripes to mix pattern for more interest. This outfit would be perfect for a summer dinner party with its polished look created by the pocket square which brings out the darker blue in the blazer. 

5 Random Monday Thoughts

June is officially underway and so is summer. June is personally one of my favorite months, but it always seems to fly by so quickly. Hopefully it decides to slow down a bit and it filled with great times!

• We just ended a little heat wave here in the Northeast- thankfully its cooled down because running around a city and trying to look good when its nearly 90 is almost impossible!
• Today marks the official start of my summer internship program- pretty nervous!
• I got a lot of good shopping done over the past week. A lot of department stores such as Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, and Saks are having designer sales. Nows the time to stock up on sweaters and winter apparel that has gone on sale!
• You can now turn your instagram photos into cards! Skimbaco is hosting a giveaway with Origrami, the company that makes it possible. It is super cool!
• Getting into summer mode means thinking about vacations- where is everyone headed this summer? Im hoping to get a lot one beach trip in somewhere among my busy intern schedule.

I could use another cup of coffee....happy Monday!

Source: Uploaded by user via Kimberly on Pinterest