~~FASHION~~

Urban vs. Chic

By Carolyn, age 16, Dominican Republic

Yes, girls, say it loud! Summer's here - the most awaited season of the year, and the season we all love to dress the hottest!!

Now for summer ... We want to have a break from all the jeans, t-shirts, and coats. I'm not saying we shouldn't wear them, but believe me, you're not gonna want to wear jeans when you see all these cute outfits they have in store for us! Now we all know shorts and sleeveless run the show in the summer, but we sometimes make a big mistake leaving dresses only for special occasions. You can wear them on an everyday basis, so for this season I give you "Urban vs. Chic" - for those who like to dress New York style and for those who like to dress Hollywood style. In the end you will decide what's the best style for you this summer.

I know what you're thinking - urban versus chic, but believe me, sometimes there is no such thing. I didn't recognize it either until the other day. It was color day at school. I saw one girl come in with her Nike Airforce sneakers, skinny jeans, and a graphic tee that matched perfectly with her sneakers, big hoopy earrings, big bangled bracelets, and a long falling pendant that was worn as her necklace. I looked at her and said, "Now that's style." But as I turned around again I saw another girl - very different - light makeup, dressy top, skinny jeans, and sandals. She had her hair blown down, not so big earrings, nice pendant necklace, one single bangled bracelet. So very different from the other one. I was like, "Wait, I like both styles. I dress both styles." Because even though they have similar pieces, they think, feel, and rock the style differently.

Urban

Graphic Tees

Now we all know that for summer our closets come to life with light and lively colors. I mean, come on, it's summer and these seasons are yellow, orange, lime green, fuchsia, light blue - any color that's really eye catching is it, so inspire yourself with these hot choices:

Tees shown are $12.50
Available at www.wetseal.com or your local store.

Classy Dressy Tops

We don't know what to expect in the summer. You always meet new poeple, maybe have a little summer love, a lot of hang outs, movies ... yea, I know. New York girls don't always want to look so girly, but we don't always want to wear tees and shirts; sometimes we want to dress it down and feel a little different. Believe me, I know. Here are the latest in the stores. Use your fashion sense and trend it down New York style.

Tops shown range from $10.00 to $14.99
Available at www.charlotterusse.com (left), www.wetseal.com (right), or your local stores.

Shorts, Skirts & Capris

Shorts are always there to help. Some days we really don't wake up in the mood to wear jeans or skirts. Here come the shorts team to the rescue. Easy to wear. Matches with most everything, and very comfortable. Then, of course, we have the skirts. Always a cute match with everything. Not so comfortable when sweaty, but that can be fixed. (lol) The point is they're so cute and always ready to use.

And last but not least, capris. Oscar de la Renta brought them back in 2003 with his spring collection, and since then they've never gone out of style. They keep on coming in every style - checkered, knee top, low-waisted, etc. Here are some to help you out:

Capris and shorts shown range from $19.99 to $21.50
Available at www.wetseal.com or your local store.

Jeans

Ok, so I said no more jeans, but there these new colored bottoms so cutely match with everything, and they look awesome. See for yourself, and tell me - hot or not?

Jeans shown range from $19.99 to $29.50
Available at www.wetseal.com or your local store.

Dresses

So yea, you don't really see urban girls with dresses on, but sometimes the situation changes your mind, like a date or a family dinner. Come on, you can't go with jeans and a t-shirt. Awkward, right? I thought so too. But it doesn't mean you have to be all dolly either. Here are some casual dresses that might work:

Dresses shown range from $10.00 to $26.99
Available at www.wetseal.com (left), www.charlotterusse.com (right), or your local stores.

Outerwear

Outerwear shown range from $19.50 to $21.99
Available at www.wetseal.com (left), www.papayaclothing.com (right), or your local stores.

Chic

Polos

We all know you probably won't see a Cali girl in a graphic urban tee. You usually see them with Abercrombie polos and tops. Sometimes even casual girls wear them. They actually really look cute, and they go with everything.

Polos shown range from $19.90 to $29.50
Available at www.abercrombie.com (left), www.hollisterco.com (right), or your local stores.

Dressy Tops

As we all know, for chic girls it's all about Dolce, Gucci, Jacobs, etc. You'll never see them with just a nice top on. If they dress classy they go all the way. Hollywood style - that's why they're called fashionistas. Even if they're not going to an event they dress all day, every day like they're superstars.

Tops shown range from $21.50 to $22.80
Available at www.wetseal.com (left), www.forever21.com (right), or your local stores.

More Tops

Yea, I know you don't always want to go out like you're about to walk the red carpet, but make an exception with these nice tops:

Tops shown range from $14.95 to $15.90
Available at www.ae.com (left), www.abercrombie.com (right), or your local store.

Shorts & Capris

Classy shorts are so much different from those regular casual shorts. And it's funny, because you might say, "Ok, but they're just shorts." Well, maybe not everyone has my thought, but they're so different. They have a different cut, a different fit, and are different in so many other ways.

Shorts and capris shown range from $17.80 to $29.99
Available at www.forever21.com (left), www.charlotterusse.com (right), or your local store.