Recently in Beach! Category

Here's cute, but sensible looking bikini from Lisa Marie Fernandez, the Genevieve Cropped Bikini, $275.  It looks like one you could actually swim in without having it fall off, that's always a bonus.  Lisa Marie Fernandez is a stylist who went into swimwear design, she says "the suits fit really well and give everybody cleavage!"  The line is inspired by the sleek athletic look of scuba gear and is made with a luxe version of neoprene that had never been used for swimwear before.

Her line has been well received and gets written up frequently in magazines...

You can find it at Barney's Net-a-porter, Kirna Zabete and Scoop.

Fergie is on the cover of Allure's July issue looking pretty good... it looks like she's lost the weight she had to gain for that movie...  Anyway, I was looking at this and thinking, wait, I know that swimsuit!  It's none other than J. Crew's Seaside Seersucker.  (who said seersucker was for geeks?) And, it's on sale right now!

Seaside Seersucker Underwire French Top, regular price $46, on sale now for $29.99. And Seaside Seersucker Bikini, regular price $42, on sale for $29.40. They come in papaya (as seen on Fergie), dark charcoal and bright sun.

J. Crew's "Jersey Lomellina" swimwear collection is made with a refined Italian jersey fabric and perfectly finished seams. A special typle of swim fabric - - Nylon/Black Xtra Life Lycra® spandex gives the pieces a rich luminescent appearance and allows them to keep their shape longer.

It comes in several styles to mix and match tops and bottoms and 3 styles of one piece suits.  I like this top with its gathered design.

Jersey Lomellina Kauai Halter Top, $58. Shown here in dark slate.

And the Jersey Lomellina Hipster with Flower, $56.

They also have a plain version with a little bit more coverage and without the flower for the same price, here.

If anyone is lucky enough to be going to the Caribbean this Winter, here are some great leather sandals from J. Crew's cruise collection.

Satin Rosette Metallic Capri Sandals, made in Italy, $78.

How perfect to wear with a little cotton dress for a casual beachside dinner.

And here's where I'd like to bring my sandals:

Jumby Bay, Antigua

Cap Juluca, Anguilla

La Samanna, St. Martin (French side)

Eden Rock, St. Barths

Unfortunately, I'm not going this year...

Now that we're into the heat of the summer (yes, even though it's still spring) it's even more important to remember your sunscreen!  Being very fair, I use SPF 40 on my face all year round.  I totally believe that the sun causes premature aging of the skin... you ever see those older, super tan women whose faces look like raisins?  Uggh.  That needs to be avoided!

I LOVE Clinique's Super City Block Oil-Free Daily Face Protector SPF 40.  It's very light and doesn't clump up under base like some SPFs do.  And, it's cheap - only $16.50 for 1.4 fl. oz. I've tried more expensive options but have never liked them as much as this.

When going to the beach or if I'm going to be outside for a long time, I like to protect the sensitive eye area even more, so then I also use Clarins Sun Eye Contour Care Ultra Protection SPF 30. You can use it all around the eye and and the plant based formula helps prevent lines and wrinkles. It's $25.50 for 0.7 fl. oz.

For the body, I've always loved Lancome's formulas. They are light and non-greasy (I HATE greasy SPF). They used to make a spray-on lotion that was fabulous, but it's been discontinued. But this one is good too, Sôleil Expert Sun Care SPF 25 Face & Body Lotion With Pure Vitamin E. It bothers me that they say you can use it on your face and body. I want to put something that is only for the face on my face! So I just use this for the body. It's reasonably priced at $29.50 for 5 fl. oz.

I love cool beach towels, so here's a great find that doesn't cost a fortune.  These Missoni 40 x 70" beach towels are 100% cotton and made in Italy.

They're at Neiman Marcus. $134 - $188. There are also some other designs at Pioneer Linens. $149 - $168.

Yesterday I mentioned the Hermes Beach Towel as the ultimate beach towel... well start saving now, they've gone up to $510!  A few years ago (ok maybe more than a few - around yr. 2000) they were $400.  I had a beautiful penguin one, but it got left at an old boyfriend's beach house.  Woe is me.  :-(

Their online selection isn't that good, but here are a few that they sell online.  They have many more at the stores, especially the Madison Ave boutique.

Aren't they beautiful! And the quality of the cotton is superb, it's really thick and the towel has nice hemmed edges and is a decent size of 36 x 60". I love the seahorses...want it!

Louis Vuitton's Spring 2008 collections are out.  They're featuring some spring-y colors and designs.

Freesia Platform Sandal $740.  I love the wood heel and platform! I love walking on shoes like this, I even like the "clomp, clomp, clomp" noise they make when you walk on a hard floor, and how you feel sort of like a geisha. (does anyone else know what I mean?)

Monogram Inclusion Ring $215.  I don't usually like pink at all, but this would be fun to wear and would be okay to add a little color to an outfit.

Cadenas Key Holder $325. I just love this keychain... a bit pricey, but it's so cute with the lock and key and convenient with a clasp and a key ring.

Last, the Monogram Tisse Beach Towel. $425 Other than Hermes, this has got to be the ultimate beach towel! An homage to the classic LV trunk.