Moody

Where summer is concerned, most people have a tendency to lean towards the brighter end of the spectrum. It is the norm to see saturated orange and cerulean blue clashing against each other, and this is the pretty much the only time of year when canary yellow can be allowed to fly alongside flamingo pink. Gray is about the farthest color from peoples' minds. I mean, think about it; just how many gray bikinis have you seen in your life? I personally can't recall a single one. And I suppose it does make sense. After all, who wants to adorn themselves with the color of winter skies when blue summer ones are so plentiful? If you think about it, though, gray would be perfect for summer. It's casual, and comes in almost as wide an array of fabrics as white. It blends in unobtrusively with other colors, and so would not hinder the impact of your summer brights. And, most importantly, it's easy to wear. I guarantee that you can find a gray that is suitable to your skin tone, be it pale pearl or stormy charcoal. So why not?

Patrick Robinson seems to agree with me wholeheartedly. In his collection for Target, gray is the central color. This pretty little number is $24.99 on their website. I love how the skinny yoke and the silver loop belt anchor the free flowing fabric. If you're interested, go to the Target stores; they have a much bigger selection of Patrick Robinson than on the website, and it is all very reasonably priced.

With an up-to-there hemline, sweet little gathers along the sleeves and neckline, and a big, splashy sailboat print, you don't need much else to declare to the world that it is, indeed, summertime. $29.50 from Delia's.
So did you guys know that Steve Madden actually makes some really cute dresses? Because I totally thought he just stuck to the pretty but kind of slutty, moderately priced shoes territory. Well anyways, I really, really like this gray-and-black color block dress. Maye it's the satin sash, maybe it's the flat pleats, I don't know, but something about the baby doll shape with spaghetti straps just seems really easygoing and pretty and utterly perfect for summer parties. $174 on the website.

I like how these kind of look like mens' trousers, what with the pleats and angled belt loops and serious gray color. But with the covered button closure and the ones cinching the side, it takes on a more playful, girlish air that is very suitable for various summertime hijinks and romps and so forth. These are $38 by Roxy via the Nordstrom website.

And now I have to go write an English paper. Ugh, I don't care about Great Expectations! I just want to write about what colors I'm planning on wearing this summer. Does that not have as much literary merit? No? Damn it.

Maddy

(Oh, and I'm back a lot sooner than I thought I would be, for several school-related false alarms. Anyhow, here I am! Did you miss me?)