LE CATCH

$68, pixie market

This pastel-pretty mini dress is perfect for days hanging around the pool--and tucking into a pair of white jeans and running around town!

1. Pixie Market color-block mini dress, $68, pixiemarket.com
2. Elizabeth and James sunglasses, $190, shopbop.com
3. Pieces tote bag, $76, asos.com
4. Madewell lace-up sandals, $59, madewell.com

I admit, it took me a bit to wrap my head around this summer's new longer Bermuda-style shorts, but now that I actually have a pair I'm totally into them. They manage to be sophisticated and relaxed at the same time. They offer the airiness of a skirt, but the functional ease of pants. With heels, they look especially chic--fresh, modern and dressed up. Here are some options to wrap your head around from Rebecca Minkoff, Alice & Olivia, L'Agence (30% off), and 3.1 Phillip Lim (40% off).

Photo: Damsel in Dior

$180, kate spade saturday

This is how I'd like to pull off effortlessly chic summer style.

1. Kate Spade Saturday dress, $180, saturday.com
2. Kismet by Milka diamond earring, $1276, shopbop.com
3. Anthropologie beaded bag, $58, anthropologie.com
4. Edmundo Castillo sandals, $417, shopbop.com

In my mind, floral-print dresses are as much a part of summer as backyard barbecues and sandy toes. The resort 2015 collections, showing now, are all about florals too. So, I was delighted to come across a mother lode of options at Asos, many of them wedding guest-perfect, all of them under $300. My favorites include this chiffon maxi, this tiered embellished dress, this lace shift, this pleated mini, this retro-sweet neon floral, and this crop top and midi skirt set (pictured below).

Photo: Vogue

$22, old navy

In my mind, you can never have enough beach bags. This roomy $22 tote would be a welcome addition to the stash.

1. Splendid tank top, $65, netaporter.com
2. Ray-Ban sunglasses, $230, shopbop.com
3. Old Navy cotton tote bag, $22, oldnavy.com
4. Saint and Libertine sandals, $195, piperlime.com
5. Gucci silk shorts, $595, netaporter.com

If you, like me, are still pining for this long-sold-out Proenza Schouler pleated metallic skirt, you can take some consolation in this sleek Asos version--for a mere $142. (Oh, and just FYI: there is a pretty pleated non-metallic Proenza dress that's 40% off here.)

$109, pixie market

I could not buy this cute (and insanely priced!) fringed denim tank and skirt set fast enough. I'm planning to wear these pieces separately, too. (P.S. They run small, so order a size up!)

1. Pixie Market denim tank and skirt set, $109, pixiemarket.com
2. Noor Fares 18-karat gold and sapphire studs, $1500, netaporter.com
3. Jerome Dreyfus cross body bag, $575, shopbop.com
4. Joie sandals, $150, piperlime.com

I spent late Saturday afternoon at the kind of children's birthday party where the kids are happily occupied (i.e., pretending to be Star Wars stormtroopers) and perfectly chilled Rombauer is on tap. In other words, the kind of fete that warrants a cute outfit. One friend had on a pretty skirt just like the one, above, that managed to stay cupcake-free till the end.

Matches, the venerable UK-based, designer-rich retailer, recently asked me to share my tried-and-true style rules. (They also photographed me in my sister's New York City apartment in various cute shirts, above.) You can check out the cool feature here--and shop the incredible sale (30 to 50%) going on, too. Some amazing finds include these $350 Gucci suede sandals (you don't see that everyday!), this Peter Pilotto dress, and this Fendi clutch.

This picture is making me think it would be nice to give my strappy sandals a break from time to time this summer. Just throw in some lace-up oxfords to change it up a bit! Especially with a little dress. Options to consider: these cut-out black ones by Loeffler Randall, this perforated beige style by Kate Spade, and these spectator oxfords from Nina and Mercanti Fiorentini (similar to above).

Photo: The Sartorialist