Focus on Fashion: Looking Good at the Beach

If I were on the show Survivor, I would not be the girl with the good hair.  This realization stemmed from an honest analysis of my tresses, which are neither straight nor entirely curly, and, when air-dried without any product, achieve an impressive contradictory state of puffiness (on the sides) and flatness (on the top).  It's special.

This week we've been blessed with the opportunity to vacation with my husband's family at the beach, which has put me in a Survivor-like environment (minus the challenges and food deprivation and ruthless strategy).  Actually, it's nothing like being on Survivor, except that a week at the beach lets me experience being dry, then wet, and then dry again about a half-dozen times each day.

So, how can a girl focus on fashion while at the beach?  To wrap up my summer Focus on Fashion series that's been running each Friday during June, let me share how I've been rolling.

1) Wear many hats (literally).  For lack of a better word, there's something so remarkably beach-y about a wide-brimmed sunhat.  This particular hat is massive, which has made it aerodynamic on more than one windy occasion, but it's slouchy nature is charming.  Plus, it keeps the sun out of my eyes and tames wild hair in the process.


When I don't want to wear such a large hat, I choose this fedora, which meets the same objective (sun out of my ultra-sensitive eyes) without the bulk.


Plus, when I wear these hats with sunglasses, I feel covert and incognito like I've enrolled in the Witness Protection Program, except that my kids always still manage to recognize and find me.

2) Don't skimp on sunscreen.  Seriously, slather repeatedly.  We came to the beach armed with a hearty stock of eclectic sprays, lotions, and sticks. Given our level of pigmentation (goodness, we are white folks), we've nearly used it all, breathing the scent of coconut euphorically.


3) Cover up.  I marvel at how normal it is to see women wearing cover-ups in a beach town even when they're not at the beach.  They're cute, purposeful, and can function like a sundress.  No matter how bedraggled I might feel after swimming, a cover-up pulls me together, even if the slightest bit.  How bedraggled can I really be when I'm essentially wearing a dress?


4) Don't fight your hair.  My favorite beach-week hair solution is a cocktail of leave-in conditioner, Moroccan oil, and a small dollop of gel that I scrunch into my hair to reduce snarls, increase shine, and tame frizz, but otherwise this week is the time to Let. It. Go.  Hairdryers and round brushes and flat irons and curling irons can wait.  Beach week is not the week to tame the chaos: just embrace it.



5) Pack (at least) one cute outfit.  This outfit isn't for the pool, or driving, or the moments when you're combing sand our of your kids' hair or picking up wet towels.  No, this outfit is for the evening that you go out to dinner or the night you walk on the boardwalk (where, by all means, I hope you will indulge in a funnel cake.)

Tonight is our family boardwalk outing, and I'm going with a turquoise tank, white skinny capris, and this fun bracelet.


More than anything, vacation provides the time to enjoy the sights and people around you.  And in the midst of caring for kids and mobilizing family activities, there are sweet moments to drop the guard and relax -- something that always is fashionable.

Enjoy other summer Focus on Fashion posts:

Focus on Fashion: Stopping the Boring Shorts and Tee Shirt Slide
Focus on Fashion: Summer Dresses and Belts
Focus on Fashion: The Story of the Lavender Shoes

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1 comment

  1. We are definitely cross border twins Robin! You just described my hair to a tee! I can't stand it! I don't know how I survived before there were straightening irons.

    I'm going to have to try that Moroccan oil!

    Thanks for sharing. I hope you had/are having a lovely vacation.
    xoxo

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