girl crush (Charlotte Gainsbourg)

“Style for me is a casual way of putting something on. It’s not thought out but needs to suit your way of life. Now I like wearing the same sweater over and over again, then taking it off when it’s smelly.”

Progeny of the sexually charged and perpetually cool Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, it’s no wonder Charlotte Gainsbourg has become an icon herself. She is an inspired actress (Melancholia anyone?), a quirky songstress, and muse to Nicolas Ghesquière of Balenciaga, with a genuineness and raw beauty that belies her celebrity. Charlotte epitomizes unfussy style with her loose messy hair and propensity for easy layered menswear, consistently looking as if she just woke and threw on whatever (to fortuitous effect).

the look

|ABOVE| Equipment signature blouse, Current/Elliot the roller jeans, Brave Beltworks fibble belt, Acne clover boots, Klorane dry shampoo

(summer) essentials

Each spring, I eagerly await the first hints of summer, usually marked by how many days in a row I can get away with bare legs and no jacket. Despite all my giddy (and premature) summer shopping, I still find myself woefully unprepared when the first hot summer day hits – my skin is pasty, I can barely string together a decent look, and damn it, I need a pedicure.

Thankfully I have my old standbys – the essential items I return to, year after year, regardless of what’s on trend this season. These include (but are not limited to): the infinitely wearable loose-fit racerback tank, the one-in-every-color fitted v-neck tee, the casual summer shoe, the staple high-waisted cuffed short, the perfect hot-red nail polish for a pedicure, tan and tone (in a bottle), a flouncy pleated mini skirt, and the classy alternative to flippy floppies; see my picks below.

|ABOVE, from top left| Soludos espadrilles; Mossimo Supply Co. short sleeve pocket vee tee; L’Oreal Paris sublime bronze; Sparkle & Fade neon mini; T by Alexander Wang classic tank with pocket; ASOS belted shorts; Sam Edelman gigi; L’Oreal Paris in 430 apple of my eye

loud mouth (five red lipsticks)

It’s ironic that red lipsticks should be the bastion of sluts everywhere, when if one were to act on any of the indiscretions a red lip suggests, they would end up with Kool-aid mouth, which is ultimately, not cool. No, red lips are better suited to the tease – striking, yes, but she is going home alone.

Maybe it’s to offset my short boyish hair, or I’m finally settling into my femininity, but a red lip has become my go-to look for the past year or so. Below, five of my favorites – from wine-red to coral, each shade has its own personality (though unfortunately, each of these personalities is high maintenance). The trick? A good pencil and a lip brush. Which is your favorite?

|ABOVE| L’Oréal saucy sangria, Giorgio Armani 400, Nars heat wave, Clarins clementine, YSL rouge pur 152