Fourth of July Weekend is coming up and when you were younger that might have meant throwing on some well-worn overalls and red, white and blue hair ribbons.  However, for this weekend with family and friends or even a special someone you shouldn’t have to resort to your childhood classics.  Instead spend the 4th in some sophisticated summer attire, whether that means cuddling close under the sparkling lights with a significant other or spending the entire day at the beach with family and friends.  This day calls for some strategic outfit planning and here are some of my picks for staying cool yet festive while celebrating Independence Day.

1. Denim Espadrilles (Restricted R-Betty-$50). For high style comfort, perfect for a backyard picnic.

2. Red Wrap Dress (Topshop-$75). This red cotton wrap dress adds the perfect amount of festive 4th of July color without necessarily screaming red, white, and blue!

3. Polka Dot Bikini (JCrew, net-a-porter.com-top $36, bottoms $35), You can’t go wrong with this tasteful bathing suit. With a hint of the 50s and old Hollywood glamour this bikini might be more of an attention-getter than the fireworks.

4. Nautical Pearls (Old Navy-$11),This arm candy is perfect for beach fun if you aren’t going to be finding yourself in the waves. The mix of nautical stripes and pearls can’t be more perfect.

5. Sparkling Silver Headband (Nordstrom-$48). Inspired by the glittering sparklers and fireworks in the sky, why not add a touch of glimmer to your own outfit with this glittering headband.

Along with your perfect 4th of July attire don’t forget these other key items at home!

-SPF for a day by the beach or pool

-A cozy blanket for the nighttime fireworks

-Just kick back and relax, this time is all about being with loved ones and having fun!

A woman in menswear – now, isn’t there something sexy about that? Long button-ups, low-rise fitted trousers, boyish oxfords… I’ve been seeing this look being rocked by fashion models both on the runway and off-duty (ah, street style, you inspiring thing). Paul Smith’s 2011 collection, for one, has got it down. Check it out for yourself – it’s pretty clean.

And off-duty, high-fashion models Freja Beha Erichsen and Agyness Deyn are rocking this androgynous look pretty “snazzily,” too. They’re two of my favorite boyish-femme models, sporting tight black pants, T-shirts, and black leather jackets – which seem to make up the framework of this look. (Don’t you think Agyness’ short, spunky blonde hair is way adorable?)

And the good thing about this look is that the pieces aren’t too difficult to find. If all else fails, there’s always the option of stealing something from your guy friend’s/boyfriend’s closet.

Good luck ladies! May the inspiration of La Garconne be with you.

Do you love Scarlett Johansson's classy yet casual style? Take a look at the five looks I replicated below for a lot less buck!

Look 1: A Classy Afternoon

SJ1 by erikamoreno

Look 2: Out In Black & Denim

SJ2 by erikamoreno

Look 3: Plaid and a Fedora

SJ3 by erikamoreno

Look 4: Dress Me Up

SJ4 by erikamoreno

Look 5: A Mix of Dressy and Casual

(center picture)

SJ5 by erikamoreno

Give it a try yourself!

Even if you're not big into nail art, it can be a really fun, playful way to be understatedly festive. I mean if LC (concerned with image much?) isn't too cool to get into the spirit of the holidays, than I don't think anyone else is licensed to be. Moreover, it can look really intricate and professional without much effort involved and no tools needed other than 3 nail polish colors (presumably red, white, and blue for this upcoming weekend), a toothpick, and some patience.

Helpful tip: If you happen to have a friend nearby, see if you can borrow them for a quick second to help with the striping of your non-dominant hand, just for consistency's sake.

Pre-prep: shape your nails as desired- round tips, square tips, weird Fergie/Gaga/Rihanna spike tips, whatever floats your figurative boat. Follow this with a thorough filing and buffing (don't stress, though, if you don't happen to have one of those buffery things the mall kiosk people are always trying to buff you with) and then you're ready to get started.

Some people choose to do the flag design on every one of their nails, some on only their thumbs because there's more surface area and thus more of a canvas to work with, and my personal preference is when people do just their ring finger  - either way it's totally up to you.

1. Paint a thin layer of red as the base layer (if you need a nail strengthener or base coat do that first) & let it dry completely.

2. Paint 1/4 of your nail with the blue polish (covering over the red). You may need to do 2 coats of blue if it's not a thick, matte blue. Let that dry completely.

3. Take your toothpick and dip it in the white, then use it to create the stripes of your flag vertically from top to bottom over the red. Use the same to make white dots on the blue 1/4 of your nail to be the stars.

4. Let it dry completely and then do one top coat of clear polish and you're done! 

The trick with this is to keep each layer as thin as possible so you don't end up with a gunky mess that won't set. One really helpful instructional vid I found was from Julieg713's channel here.

Being 4’11 never bothered me all too much when I was younger, but as soon as people started mistaking me for being five or seven years younger than what my actual age was, I started to become irritated, offended, and self-conscious of something I absolutely cannot control. I’ve gone as far as yelling at a flight attendant because he asked my mom if It was okay if I sat by the emergency window because people under 15 are eligible to move. I was so furious, that writing this is making me boil inside again! As a woman and human being, you want respect from people but it is hard to be respected when you are 19 but often confused as a 14 year old. My mom always reminds me that this is a good thing, “you won’t be complaining about this when you are 35 and people think you are 25” and so on. I understand this completely, but it is annoying when you are trying to make a name for yourself and people look down on you because they think you are a child. I think, well, I am not dressed like a child nor do I act like one (unless I just recently watched a Disney movie). But people like to generalize and not ask questions, but assume instead. There’s really you cannot do anything about it, and even though I’ll never really get over it I tell myself three things: one, It does not matter what other people think of you because you know your potential and your life. Two, take it as a challenge to prove people wrong. Three, guys and girls generally prefer shorter girls!

As for our fashion struggles, there are so many things that are manufactured for girls taller than 5’5, so we have to constantly modify or sit out of certain trends because they do not flatter our small figure. Generally the rules are, avoid wearing many bright colors because it’ll make us look juvenile (go figure). Whenever purchasing jeans try to get ankle jeans and it’ll save you a trip to the tailor, or just get them hemmed to your comfort. You could also roll your jeans up to below your calfs to give them a “the boyfriend” jean look. With large earrings, try to buy some that won’t go past your jawline, and limit any other accessories (this goes with any large jewelry in fact). One of summers biggest trends are the maxi skirts. I’ve had friends my heights tell me they are avoiding this trend because there is no way they could ever pull it off. But in fact, that’s just false! I have found that sheer maxi skirts really make this look accessible for shorter girls. Since this is the biggest trend of the summer I have included my favorite sheer maxi skirts to try out! Remember, confidence is key. You can wear anything just as long as your confidence allows it. I know it’s tough out there in the land of giants, but we have to work with what we were given.

Left to right: Sand Layered Maxi Skirt, Topshop, $80; Cut-Out See-Through Black Skirt, $19.99, Papayaclothing.com;
Antipodium Haughty Culture Maxi Skirt in Silk Georgette, asos.com, $214.63