Dressing for Summer — The Euro Way

It took long enough, didn’t it? 

Summer seemed to come out of the blue this year, and not a minute too soon.The word on the street is that it’s going to be a good one. So far, we agree. Many of our clients say they held off finishing their summer wardrobes because they just weren’t in the mood. We get it. When it’s gloomy and rainy, the last thing we think of is beating the heat with style. And while it seemed to take forever, we made it. The trees are green, the birds are chirping and the summer looks are out in full force all over the place. Finally.

Summer Trends from Paris and Milan

We’re all about bringing the best of Europe to Toronto. And when we chose our 2019 summer collection from all the major (and some minor) houses in the two fashion capitals of the world, what separated what we saw there with a lot of what we see on the streets here is confidence. Here, we tend to use our threads to make some sort of summer statement about ourselves. But not there. They’re already cool. They know they’re already cool. So they dress for comfort.

 

Day-to-day Wear

Light cotton capris or a relaxed summer dress, simple sandals and maybe a sun hat. When you’re walking Avenue Montaigne or Via Montenapoleone, you don’t need much else. And that goes double for anyone heavily made up. In Europe, summer calls for minimal make-up. It gets in the way of the sun.

As for palate, the hot season’s all about neutral. No need to compete with the richness of the summer in the city. Navy, white, red and black dominated in Europe, with some earthy tan and light blue, which appear to be the accent colours of the season.

And try to resist animal prints if you can — from what we can see, they’ll be trending heavily in the fall. Stick to stripes, gingham and geometrics for now.

Special Occasions

Yup, summer’s full of them. And depending on your social circle, you might have one every weekend from now until Labour Day. And wouldn’t it be easier if each of them had a signature look? That’s why we envy bridesmaids. “Here’s a dress. Put it on. Done.” But if you’re not in a wedding party, you have to plan. Again, we look to the Europeans for inspiration. 

Going to a wedding?

Obviously, you don’t want to upstage the bride or the bridesmaids. So we recommend this drape cut dress with a matching sheer silk jacket that doesn’t reveal too much.

Dressing for summer hours at work?

Cotton slacks, a white shirt and a low heel for comfort, as you’ll probably want to take advantage of the sunshine and go for a walk at lunch. We do that a lot, but when you’re in the heart of the world’s greatest city, that’s what you do.

 

En route by plane or train

The on-board A/C is oppressive, but easy to plan for. Denim or jersey pants work. A loose sweater is a must (preferably one that’s easy to take on and off in a seat) and ballet flats or cool trainers.

Final thoughts on dressing for summer

Enjoy it. Take it in. Love the freedom to show your skin. And wear sunscreen.

Bonus:

Stop by the Petra Karthaus store and have a chat with our Fashion Consultants for more creative fashion ideas for this summer. Enjoy our summer sale prices and mention to us this blog to receive an additional 10% off on already reduced "Summer Sale 2019" fashions.

 

FIVE THOUGHTS ABOUT JEWELLERY

On our last buying trip, we took a few hours to visit the Paul Klee exhibit at Milan’s Museum of Culture. Klee was an artist and art theorist who studied how primitive peoples adorned their bodies with jewellery.

This got us thinking about the timelessness of jewellery, and the beautiful, unique journey every piece of jewellery takes from the moment it leaves our store. How many outfits will it improve? How many generations will it pass through? And what will it mean to the person wearing it?

Now that you’re starting to put our winter hats, gloves and jackets away, and you’re more able to show off the jewellery you wear, we thought we’d take a break from talking about our clothes and focus on the accoutrements that tie a look together. 

Here are a few thoughts we have about jewellery:

Jewellery doesn’t have to be expensive to be precious

Coco Chanel understood this all too well. She made a habit of mixing her fine jewellery pieces with costume jewellery. According to her, modest materials could please her as much as silver and gold. Think about that as you build your collection. Sometimes, a $100 piece can complete a high-end look better than a $5,000 one.

You can plan an outfit to match the jewellery

The default order is to put a look together and then accentuate it with jewellery. But sometimes, it’s worth it to go the other way. If a piece in your drawer is calling out to you on a particular day, start there. You might find yourself putting different clothing combinations together and coming up with looks you might not have otherwise.

 

Make room for contemporary and timeless pieces

Just like with clothes, jewellery trends come and go. For example, a few years ago light blue stones were all the rage. Many of our customers jumped on this and picked up some magnificent pieces. But they didn’t get rid of their classic pieces. You can never go wrong with a pair of diamond earrings or a simple silver necklace.

The rules of jewellery are made to be broken

Unlike clothes, which are made to be worn a certain way, you have full creative freedom when it comes to jewellery. Feel like wearing a pinky ring around a neck chain? Go for it. If it makes you feel good, then it’s right for you.

Remember the reasons you bought your jewellery 

You’re probably not going to pass your clothes down to your heirs. But you will pass on your jewellery. It’d be nice to pass it down with the stories behind the pieces. They’ll mean so much more.

Next time you’re here, take a moment to look at the jewellery we have in our display case at the front of the store by the cash desk. And if you have questions about how to buy, how to wear and what to consider, we’re here to help.