coolsummer

Pretty in Pink: This Summer Has it all

Pink looks great any time of year but there's just something about the heat and lushness of summer that really makes it pop and somehow more fun to wear. This summer the designers haven't let us down and have come up with all kinds fashion fun done up in every shade from pale champagne to neon to deep fuschia. Of course we don't recommend wearing them all at once (lest you look like a wayward Barbie) but we've compiled a pretty mix of pink dresses, shoes, handbags, and jewelry in the gallery below to keep your girly side rolling this summer in whatever way you see fit.

Gallery: Pretty in Pink Summer Essentials

Tags: cool summer, CoolSummer, pink, summer

Shoes That Say 'Summer' With Every Step

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Shoes

Barbecues, family reunions, birthday parties on the lawn, and weddings galore are part of what makes summer so much fun for fashion lovers. This year, as in every year, summer shoes are out in force -- but is your collection complete? If you're missing something, and don't have the perfect pair of peep toe pumps, booties, and gladiator sandals, we've got some suggestions to get you inspired. Of course there are so many shoes we could only show you a few, so feel free to share your favorite summer kicks with us in the comments.

Gallery: Beautiful Shoes for A Cool Summer

Tags: cool summer, CoolSummer, shoes, summer

David Yurman's Eyewear Collection

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

I can recall my dad purchasing David Yurman pieces for my mom for special occasions throughout the years. I always appreciated the mix of metals, tasteful use of precious stones, and simple elegance never realizing his line expanded past women's jewelry into watches, fragrance, and now, sunglasses. Yurman's Eyewear Collection continues his timeless expressions into designs for both men and women adding an extra oomph to regular shades using 18K gold, sterling silver, tortoise, citrine and black onyx accents.

Debuted in 2008, David Yurman's Eyewear Collection incorporates classic cable, buckles and stones into the women's line while the men's sunglasses feature Zeiss lenses in custom colors and coatings. The prices range from $325 to $695 with high-end signature options available in solid gold with pavè diamond accents for quite a bit more. Peruse the gallery below to choose your unique shades for the summer.

Gallery: Eyewear by David Yurman

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Tags: cool summer, CoolSummer, david yurman, david yurman eyewear, DavidYurman, DavidYurmanEyewear, eyewear, eyewear collection, EyewearCollection, shades, sunglasses

Sparkling Shiraz, Anyone?

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Spirits, Wine

Nothing says summer like a nice cool glass of something sparkly. Well, now you can make anything bubbly!

The SodaStream is a DIY home carbonating machine with no electrical parts, nothing too tricky or messy, and a small splurge price of around $100. The Fountain Jet Start-Up Kit, with which I had the pleasure of experimenting, is currently on sale for $89.99 (normally $139.99) -- and it's perfect for both you and your dad for Father's Day.

How it works: You get the lightweight Fountain Jet, two BPA-free bottles, and a 110-liter Carbonator which makes approximately 110 liters of seltzer. You can select from a number of flavors for sparkling water, or buy their syrups in all kinds of varieties: cola, diet cola, root beer, orange soda, diet grapefruit, tonic, and more.

You put cold water in the bottle, then the bottle and the Carbonator in the Fountain Jet, and press the button on the top to infuse the water with seltzer. Like sparkling water? You're done. If you want soda pop, you add syrup -- which I can honestly recommend; it truly tastes like root beer, cola, or whatever it says -- and you have soda pop!

Not only is it fun to make yourself, but their syrups have no high-fructose corn syrup or aspartame, and you're also doing the planet a favor by not adding cans and bottles to landfills -- and the servings come out to pennies-per-glass.

So what's luxurious about this? You can use it on anything -- turn your whites and even reds to sparkling cocktails or make the most alcoholic gin and tonic ever (by mixing a little tonic syrup into sparkling gin). Look through the gallery to see, and click here to shop for a SodaStream.

Gallery: Carbonating Alcohol with the SodaStream

The first of the non-traditional fixings

Tags: alcohol, booze, carbonated, carbonation, cool summer, CoolSummer, fathers day, FathersDay, sparkling, wine

Handpainted Umbrellas for the Garden

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

One of the reasons I love working from home is the fact that I can step outside and enjoy the beautiful summer weather whenever the mood strikes me, and you can bet my patio furniture sees plenty of use. To that end I would love to get one of these Handpainted Garden Umbrellas to sit under once the heat of July and August hits -- they're so artistic and beautiful in earthy tones of parchment, sage, and mahogany. And if you're into evening parties you can get them with a light up under the canopy. $1,599 - $1,999

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Tags: cool summer, CoolSummer, garden, handpainted, outdoors, patio, umbrella, umbrellas, yard

Chiffon Rose Clutch, Handbag of the Day

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

Mary Norton's Chiffon Rose Clutch is not a bag that can probably go with you through all four seasons, but it's so darling it seems worthy as a late spring, summer, and perhaps early fall investment. It's flouncy, feminine energy would go perfectly with everything from jeans to summer evening gowns, and it seems especially appropriate for weddings. Made of "frothy silk chiffon" the bag features a clip closure, 7" chain strap, a single pocket on the inside and a silk lining. And it's probably smaller than you think, measuring only 7" x 6" x 2". $995

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Tags: bag, bags, chiffon, clutch, cool summer, CoolSummer, handbag, handbag of the day, HandbagOfTheDay, handbags, mary norton, MaryNorton, rose

Gladiators: This Season's Sandal

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

If you haven't seen the gladiator sandal yet most likely you've been living under a rock. Whether it was inspired by 'Troy' and 'Gladiator' a few years ago or just a fashion waiting to be resurrected from a distant past the strap-covered sandal is a huge hit. No matter the color, high-heeled or flat, metallic or matte, the gladiator is the sandal of the season. Above is a High-Leg Gladiator from Ash fro $266. Other offerings from Farfetch bring multiple designers' views of this iconic shoe to one accessible place. Peruse the gallery to see the possibilities.

Gallery: Unique Gladiator Sandals

Antik Batik - Bead-embellished Gladiators

K. Jacques - Python-Efect Leather Gladiators

See by Chloe - Patent and Suede Gladiators

See by Chloe - Wide Strap Leather Gladiators

Larare - Annika Leather and Suede Gladiators

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Tags: ash, chloe, cool summer, CoolSummer, farfetch, gladiator, gladiator sandals, GladiatorSandals

Seeing Through a Mystery Boutique in Berlin

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Lux Tips

"Look into the window and guess what this store sells," said Henrik Tidefjärd, who runs Berlinagenten, a tour company focused on urban insider experiences in Berlin.

We were standing in the Mitte in trendy East Berlin, and although I'm a maestro in the art of parting with my money at retail, I was pretty much stumped.

The only object in the window display was a bike, so that was my first guess, but no. Beyond that, I could see a couple of comfortable black leather couches, some wooden cabinets, a mannequin head and a sign that said The Whitest Boy Alive. (Sorry about the glare in the picture there, it was a cloudy day. Check out the gallery below if you want to see what other evidence I had to consider.)

A shopper I am, but a detective I am not. I gave up, and Henrick pointed out the telling clue on the mannequin head: glasses. We were standing at the Berlin home of ic! Berlin the trendy high-end German glasses manufacturer. (I see Berlin, get it?) A further clue that I'd missed was a sheet of stamped metal propped in the window, as the company manufactures its incredibly lightweight glasses without screws. (Screwless-spring-hinge-insert-system, says the company's quirky literature -- as best as I can piece it together from it, the whole enterprise got started in 1996.) ic Berlin! regularly wins design awards for its hand-crafted eyewear, which are all made in the city, and run in the $400-$600 price range.

Just a few blocks down Henrik led me to another store whose product I was able to figure out immediately: Mykita. In 2003, there was apparently a great schism between the five founders of ic! Berlin, and two, Philipp Haffmans and Harald Gottschling went on to found Mykita, which also hand-creates lightweight glasses without screws. Find either company's screwless specs at their East Berlin locations, through fine opticians or, in the case of Mykita at a second retail store just opened in Vienna.

Gallery: Glasses Made in Berlin

Tags: berlin, cool summer, coolsummer, sunglasses

Grande Lakes Resort Offers Adventure Course

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

The Grande Lakes Orlando Florida resort, which includes both a Ritz-Carlton and a Marriott hotel, as a new offering to tempt adventurers of all ages. The Grande Lakes Orlando Adventure Course is a large multi-level structure consisting of poles, cables, and platforms laced with 25 traversing and climbing elements. The course is suitable for adults and children over the age of 10. Adventurers can choose their level of challenge climbing from 15 to 55 feet in the air and navigating through a course with 600-foot zip lines and a 40-foot giant swing. Packages vary in price from open sessions with up to 30 guests which cost $60 per adult to private adventures in which up to eight people can enjoy the course with one-on-one coaching for $850 for two hours.

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Tags: adventure course, AdventureCourse, cool summer, CoolSummer, florida, grande lakes, GrandeLakes, orlando

Hotel Missoni Edinburgh Plans June Opening

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Luxury Travel & Hotels

After many years of planning, Hotel Missoni Edinburgh is set to open in June, and is now accepting online bookings. The 136-room hotel is a collaboration of Rosita Missoni, one of the brand's founders, and The Rezidor Hotel Group. The hotel's palette is officially described as black and white, with splashes of color throughout, but as you'd expect from Missoni, the overall effect is more exuberant rather than restrained -- it's about layers of patterns and textures, in rich colors and in black and white too.(See lobby photo above.)

If this sounds chaotic, overall, design lines are kept modern and simple, which should balance out the effusive use of pattern and color. Still, I'm not sure I'd want to pack anything other than basic black in my suitcase without the aid of a stylist, lest I clash with the hotel!

In any event, black wardrobe works just fine to attend Edinburgh's Fringe Festival, the largest arts festival in the world which goes off August 7th-31st-- always a late summer highlight. With its central location, Hotel Missoni should make a fine base of operations for the festival, and as of now, still has rooms available.

Next up for the Hotel Missoni brand? A property in Kuwait, slated to open in Fall 2009.

Gallery: Hotel Missoni Edinburgh

A Different View of Hotel MIssoni Bathroom

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Tags: coolsummer, design, designer, edinburgh, hotel, hotels, missoni

Luxe Swimwear Cover-Ups at Bergdorf's

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

Summer approaches and swimwear beckons to be donned on the deck, around the pool and on the beach. Any swimsuit can become a stylish outfit when a fashionable cover-up is slipped over its outline. Colorful patterns, bright pigments, and plain white and black accent a myriad of styles. Whether short or long, tunic or fitted today's cover-ups are sassy, glamorous and capture the very essence of summer. The gallery below flirts with the various designer options available this season at Bergdorf's.

Gallery: Bergdorf's Colorful Cover-Ups

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Tags: bergdorf goodman, BergdorfGoodman, cool summer, CoolSummer, cover ups, CoverUps, swimwear

The Latest Luxury Cocktails

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Spirits

The weather's heating up and we need ways to cool down. Why not make an extra special cocktail concoction for your front porch? We got these herbal and floral recipes from three of NYC's hottest restaurants -- Counter, Harbour, and Yerba Buena (above).

We'll provide the list of ingredients, and you can be creative with your pours!

Some of these recipes call for creative (and totally brilliant) infusions of various alcohols. Not sure how to infuse? Check out this guide -- but be sure to plan ahead; while they are definitely easy, infusions can take up to two weeks.

Ready to start mixing? Recipes for cool summer cocktails are in the gallery below!

Gallery: Cool Summer Cocktails from New York City

Harbour - 290 Hudson Street - 212.989.6410

Counter - 105 First Avenue - 212.982.5870

Yerba Buena - 23 Avenue A - 212.529.2919

Tags: cocktails, cool summer, CoolSummer, counter, entertainment-awards, hamptons, harbour, nyc, yerba buena

White is In: Memorial Day Inspired Women's Wear

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

Memorial Day weekend has passed and with that the old adage states that white can be worn again. Whether or not today's fashionistas subscribe to that statement is up for debate but for the conservative person this is the accepted truth. Plus, it seems designers enjoy producing new creations in shades of vanilla this time of year. These accessories and apparel items are a collection from Farfetch which gathers unique pieces from ten cities, twenty boutiques and two hundred designers. In celebration of summer the gallery below shares whimsical and wicked white options to accent your wardrobe.

Gallery: White Wardrobe

JOHN ISAAC - Crocodile strap skull watch

JEEPERS PEEPERS - Thick rim oversized sunglasses

YVES SAINT LAURENT - Two-tone mock-croc bag

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Tags: cool summer, CoolSummer, farfetch, white, womens accessories, womens clothing, womens wear, WomensAccessories, WomensClothing, WomensWear

Cool Summer: Does Thread Count, Count?

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Lux Tips

Now that Memorial Day has passed, and it's unofficially, officially summer, it's time to think about switching bed linens from winter coziness to summer crispness. If you're going to freshen your linen closet, the folks that make the fine linens at SFERRA have a message for you: stop obsessing about thread count.

Most of us use thread count -- that is, the number of threads per square inch of fabric -- as a proxy for quality. And it is definitely important -- just go to any good linen department and give the samples of different thread count a good stroke and scrunch. But it's not the only thing that matters, nor is it what matters most: the quality of the fiber matters more. (You could have a sheet of densely woven straw, for example, and you wouldn't want to sleep on it.) Egyptian cotton is most used in luxury linens because it produces a long fiber, or staple, which means it's easier to spin into smooth, fine yarn.

After that, the weave that's used influences the feel of the sheet. For summer consider linen, a loose weave of long flax fibers, like SFERRA's Classico line fitted queen sheet for $210, king flat sheet for $315. Or go with percale, a tight uniform cotton weave that results in a matte look and a smooth, crisp feel. For example, pictured here is SFERRA's Sereno line, fitted queen sheet for $410, king duvet for $1,080. But okay, just because you're not obsessing about thread count doesn't mean you have to forget it entirely: the Sereno line has a very luxey thread count of 800.

Learn more about SFERRA's "Lose Count" campaign by friending the company on Facebook.

Tags: bedroom, cool summer, CoolSummer, cotton, decor, linen, linens, sheets

D&G Men's Swimwear

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

When it comes to swimwear from D&G, don't expect long lengths and Hawaiian flowers. If anything their line leans toward the shorter end of things. Black sleek material adorned with its signature label their choices span the range from brief (and I mean really brief) to mid-thigh trunks. A shy man should probably opt for Tommy Bahama or Theory if they hope bright colors and longer styles will improve their look -- Dolce and Gabbana is for the bold, the fit and the confident. Pick through the options in the gallery below to find your D&G swimwear style -- or if you're not of the male persuasion, just enjoy the gallery. (These are the D&G Square-Cut Trunks for $315)

Gallery: D&G Men's Swimwear