LE CATCH

$100, the outnet

Clearly, this is a heat wave-friendly lightweight that you could wear casually, but I love the fact that you could also crank it up a notch like this...

1. Michelle Mason striped silk dress, $100, theoutnet.com
2. Helmut Lang blazer, $460, netaporter.com
3. Joomi Lim studded bracelet, $220, shopbop.com
4. Mary Katrantzou clutch, $462, forwardbyelysewalker.com
5. Pierre Balmain mesh sandals, $450, shopbop.com

More striped dress cuteness.

I was in Greece over the 4th of July weekend to attend the birthday celebration of a close friend. The awesomely decadent affair in Mykonos was bookended by time in Santorini and Athens. I made the trip with my good friend Stephanie, and to say we lived it up would be an understatement, given the amount of Domaine Ott consumed, plus the feta cheese-laden Greek Salad, Greek (full-fat) yogurt, spanakopita, and fried calamari we pretty much ate around the clock. Here, the highlights...

Steph and I did a whirlwind tour of Santorini, and our hotel, Aigialos, a former nunnery built in the 18th century and one of the oldest hotels in Europe, was a great place to start. We had views of the Aegean caldera and some might argue the best sunset in the world. That's the hotel's entrance (it had me at its red door!), above.

Located in the town of Fira, perched high atop the island (approximately 1,000 feet above the sea!), the hotel's rooms are connected by steep but picturesque stairways. I marvelled at the room service guy who climbs these steps all day long bearing heavy trays. Many of Mykonos' narrow cobbled "streets" wind up and down the island, and walking them can amount to a legit workout.

Another epic high altitude sea view.

Ascending and descending Santorini's harrowing cliffs can be facilitated by these vibrantly-accessorized donkeys!

I opted for walking over donkeying, as I had to compensate for all the fried octopus and bread baskets. Plus, one cannot shop while sitting on a donkey. I scored a few quintessentially Greek embroidered tunics, leather sandals, a crazy sexy one-piece bathing suit and volcanic rocks for my boys. (In this snap, I'm wearing a little solar heat-proof floral dress I recently picked up for $39 in New York. You can find it here.)

On arrival in Mykonos, we had the first b-day event seaside. The tables were practically in the water (so cool!) and yet somehow the crashing waves did not splash you. Greece has been around along time, so I guess they have had plenty of time to master such things.

My Mykonos itinerary was filled with swimming, boating and paddle boarding in the salty Aegean Sea, which, by the way, is the perfect temperature. Here, I am about to depart from our hotel's dock to have lunch on a friend's sailboat. (My cover-up is an old Zara, but here's a pretty option from Free People.)

Greek salad number...? It's hard to explain how good it tasted.

It's all about mirrored sunglasses in Greece. They're everywhere you look. I picked these up from a Greek street vendor, but you can find great options from Ray Ban and Topshop. (My embroidered vintage blouse is an oldie but goodie. Here are a few similar ones from Mango, Velvet and Anthropologie.)

Stephanie may just be the most well-traveled person I know. Of course, she parlayed her travel bug into an amazing eponymous cosmetics/travel bag line Stephanie Johnson. (You can also hear about some of her journeys here.) Over the years vacationing together, she has taught me how to pack a week's worth of clothes into a carry-on roller. However, between the two of us, we managed to use every hanger in the hotel room closet!

Celebrating, Mykonos style: hard-core dancing after a late afternoon, several-course, rose wine-steeped lunch. Based on her party-animal body language above, it would be logical for you to assume that Stephanie (far right) is headed off on a complete bender, but in fact she is a serious teetotaler and just high on life. Later, after dancing on a few tables, she made her way to the DJ booth to help spin tunes.

After completing our island adventure, we spent some time in Athens, scaling the Acropolis and seeing the Parthenon. It was truly breath-taking. And a suitably monumental way to wrap up our amazing journey!

$98, topshop

I traveled to Greece over the 4th of July (I will share pix/details of my trip later today!) with my friend Stephanie, who managed to beat Athens' 90-degree heat in a series of cute, wear-everywhere, day-to-night rompers, just like this.

1. Topshop floral romper, $98, topshop.com (also available in petite size)
2. Selima Optique sunglasses, $385, netaporter.com
3. Kelly Wearstler cabachon band ring, $295, shopbop.com
4. Alexander Wang bucket bag, $875, shopbop.com
5. MAC All About Orange Nail Lacquer, $16, nordstrom.com
6. Ancient Greek sandals, $390, modaoperandi.com

$119, club monaco

I am a big believer in the simple white blouse and its forever fresh look. This one is boxy and loose-fitting, with a Chloe-esque vibe--qualities that make it suitable for just about everything on my summer agenda.

1. Club Monaco white cotton top, $119, clubmonaco.com
2. Sheriff & Cherry sunglasses, $115, netaporter.com
3. Liebeskind canvas tote, $195, shopbop.com
4. Ciate nail polish in Cupcake Queen, $15, nordstrom.com
5. Dorothy Perkins laser cut sandal, $79, dorothyperkins.com
6. Current/Elliot washed leather boyfriend pants, $658, netaporter.com

Year after year the fall runways typically feature a plaid print or two, but this go-around presented more than you'd see on an average day in Scotland, thanks to a consensus of designers, including Celine and Rag & Bone. Consequently, come September the streets will be awash in everything checkered, tartan, and houndstooth--and sometimes all in just one outfit! I'm not a big plaid person, but I do enjoy small doses of it, as in a blouse, a scarf, or even a jacket. I rounded up some pics for sartorial inspiration, so we can all start thinking about how to integrate this print into our lineups (I love how Taylor Tomasi Hill, above, accessorizes with a plaid blouse tied grunge-like around her waist), along with a few busy beauties to start wearing now, including a pair of Topshop pants, a button-down Joe's Jeans blouse and an insanely gorgeous lace and plaid Creatures of the Wind skirt.

Photos: Street Style Seconds, Harpers Bazaar, Wayne Tippets, Vogue, Garance Dore, The Nyanzi Report, Le 21eme, Getty Images, Pinterest

$89, warehouse

A throw-on-and-go jersey shift dress executed with a vibrant mash-up of prints is a total score in my book. And it'll win even more hearts with...

1. Warehouse jersey printed shift, $89, warehouse.andotherbrands.com
2. Dannijo silver-plated crystal necklace, $119, theoutnet.com
3. Annabel Ingall tote bag, $398, shopbop.com
4. Dorothy Perkins gladiator jelly sandals, $29, dorothyperkins.com

Vogue recently declared 2013 as the year of the clutch, and the bigger, the better. This is a good thing for me, because I love a roomy bag (and so do my kids, who are intent on making me their sherpa!). Stylist Vanessa Traina, above, flitting to a haute couture show in Paris last week, proves how to pull it off with aplomb. Because a large clutch can be/look rather unwieldy, I gravitate towards sleek and simple ones that I can tuck under my arm, or fold up and tote in my hand, such as this oxblood Clare Vivier, this leopard-spotted Phillip Lim (which features an easy-to-carry handle), this structured red outfit-making Victoria Beckham, and this graphic (yet very inexpensive) New Look.

Photos: Pinterest, Streetfsn

$88, j.crew

This simple utilitarian swing-cut sweater is poised to become integral to my everyday running-around-doing-a-million-things wardrobe. It's sooo good, and it comes in blue too!

1. J.Crew lightweight swing sweater, $88, jcrew.com
2. Ray Ban mirrored aviator sunglasses, $160, piperlime.com
3. Dannijo bracelet, $150, shopbop.com
4. Shashi crystal bracelet, $80, shopbop.com
5. Topshop bowler bag, $70, topshop.com
6. Prada metallic flats, $650, neimanmarcus.com
7. Tory Burch print pants, $250, netaporter.com

In my mind, nothing screams hot weather more than a Hawaiian print. The bright, eye-popping florals are festive, fun and, in a good way, kitschy. And I love how they stand out on a city street. I recently snapped up these cute palm tree-print Old Navy shorts (they look like old-school California surf trunks--perfect for lazy days at the beach!). These print-tastic pieces from Stella McCartney (the dress pictured above), J. Crew and Juicy Couture are also hot.

Photos: Style Spotting, Vogue, Pinterest

$80, topshop

For me, a little swingy mini might just be the coolest (and chicest) way to beat the heat. Chill out in this skirt with...

1. R13 cotton stripe t-shirt, $185, netaporter.com
2. Oliver Peoples mirrored sunglasses, $350, shopbop.com
3. Monki bag, $13, asos.com
4. Sol Sana sandals, $85, shopbop.com
5. Topshop Aztec boucle skirt, $80, topshop.com