So we’re on the cusp of summer and you’ve got the perfectly worn-in denim shorts, floppy straw hat and fringe sandals at the ready. But what about your make-up? The same cosmetics that got you through the past six months certainly need to be updated for the beach and BBQ season ahead. What are we feeling? Sun-splashed skin with luminous highlights marked by a smidgen of electric color placed in all the right spots. Leave it to Laura Mercier to deliver just this, the ultimate palette for a golden dream summer.

Called the Folklore Collection, Mercier’s harmonious range consists of shadows, powders and creams inspired by the “cultures of South and Central American civilizations.” For Mercier, these references transform into a South of the Border-muse with enviable bronze skin and eyes that pop with color and shimmer. Even the product textures echo these references; the Baked Blush Bronze looks like adobe clay just as the Illuminating Eye Colours are embossed with an Aztec-print surface. So pretty, they almost make you not want to swipe them with your brush and mess them up.

The Folklore Collection is available at Beautique’s Laura Mercier online shop.

Traditionally, resort wear — those warm weather collections that bridge the fashion time-line between fall and spring – hit the store shelves sometime during the holiday season. The initial idea behind these mini lines was to offer up brand new wardrobe options to the wealthy, jet-set crowd who jaunts off to tropical getaways in the middle of winter (which explains their original, and now dated name, cruise wear). But how many of us actually live this type of luxurious life? Maison Scotch must get this, which is why we’re so keen on their just-released Resort collection. Perusing a fresh batch of vacation-ready pieces when we are actually contemplating vacation? What a concept!

Resort fashions available now really just makes them summer clothes and frankly, we’re all for that. Every year, we’ve seen most of the spring collections by January — even earlier if a designer showed during one of the major Fashion Weeks. So it’s refreshing to get a load of some new clothes that don’t have the word “fall” attached to them. (Really! We’re just getting into the summer swing, the last thing we want to think about is autumn.) Maison Scotch’s latest gear is an extension of their spring range: tie-dyed separates and safari-inspired wares, tropical photo-print tees, and denim pieces that look like you’ve been swimming in them and then set them out on the porch to dry in the sun. They’ll fit in any place the summer may take you, whether that spot is Cape Town, Cape Cod or Cape May. And if you do happen to take a warm weather vacation in the midst of winter, they’ll work then, too.

(all images courtesy Scotch & Soda)

For the past two days, images from the Met gala’s red carpet have been filtering through our Instagram and Facebook feeds in a never-ending stream of cringe-inducing PR moments. The theme this year, “Punk: Chaos to Couture“, was in keeping with the Met’s latest costume exhibition which claims to be a study of punk rock style and its influence on high fashion. Us RockSnobs© rolled our eyes at the celebrities and their embarrassingly misguided “punk rock” looks (except Madonna, who clearly ruled the night) and then snorted when we read some of their comments. Anyone who has ever been part of any subculture (whether you were a hippie or mod in ’60s, a goth in the ’80s, or a ’90s skate rat) will understand the /headdesk reactions many of us had to these lame attempts at appropriating an aesthetic that they clearly knew nothing about.

We haven’t been to the Met yet so we can’t comment on the actual exhibit (though the reviews are in and they are not good), but after taking in the train wreck that was the gala’s red carpet (Our eyes! They burn!), we needed an antidote. Luckily, all we had to do was dig through our DVD bin and pull out a tried and true favorite, 1979′s Rock ‘n’ Roll High School.

Here we have the ever adorable P.J. Soles cast as Riff Randall, a mischievous and lovable high school nymph who also happens to be die-hard Ramones fan. All Riff wants in life is to write music for her favorite band (and possibly get into Joey’s very tight jeans). But her taste in tunes and strong-willed ways make her a target for Vince Lombardi High’s rock music-hating principal, Miss Togar. Riff is, however, popular with her peers (think Ferris Bueller with frizzy blonde pig tails) and with the student body standing firmly behind her, she takes over the school to save it from the tone-deaf tyrants in charge.

If Rock ‘n’ Roll High School sounds like a silly movie, then you are right. It’s silly for sure, but also surprisingly smart. And sexy. And genuinely funny. It’s all this without resorting to the usual high school-film stereotypes like jocks v. math geeks, cool kid v. nerds, and that tiresome mean girls cliché.

Of course, one of the perks to the film is getting to see the Ramones not only perform but flex a little comedic muscle. But the reason it is worth repeat viewings is P.J. Soles. She absolutely lights up the screen whenever she appears. Literally bouncing through scenes wearing an assortment of brightly hued satin outfits, striped socks and Converse (?), dressed by costumer Jack Buehler, Riff is a down-to-earth teenage superhero with a more accurately punk wardrobe than anything on that Met carpet.

Sure Riff’s threads are more new wave than punk, just as most of the Ramones-loving Lombardi ladies dress like hot disco mamas in their leotard tops and high-waisted jeans. But remember, new wave grew from punk and Rock ‘n’ Roll High School is, save for the boob tube in class thing, an accurate portrayal of how young people dressed in 1979. And you can be sure that there isn’t a single Marc Jacobs mesh dress in the entire flick. Thank god.

According to the brand statement from designer Amy Hsiung, the summer collection from Addison was inspired by the “floaty frocks of the 1970′s”. And while we can see the essence of that era, most notably in the filmy maxi dresses and vaguely psychedelic prints, nothing here looks even remotely retro. And that’s a good thing!

As we’ve mentioned before, fashion designers have been tapping the 1970s endlessly throughout the past few years — and then some — and frankly, it can get tiresome, even for those of us who count the era’s style as one of our favorites. But Addison’s citrus hues, fabrication and fits of these pieces add up to one refreshing take on well-tread territory. The two-tone ‘Lemay’ fishtail dress is cut from very thin t-shirt knit. The ‘Tivy’ tank’s minimal design gets elevated with the peek-a-boo neckline trim. Look closely at that kaleidoscopic tie-dye-like print — it’s actually a very abstract, and totally boss, floral pattern. Interestingly, the hologram print ‘Emmet’ blouse and rolled jean shorts combo recalls not the original 1970′s but rather, the 70′s-via-90′s aesthetic. And it’s our favorite look of the lot. Go figure.

Images from Addison on Facebook

The Jets “Crush on You”

The Jets are a family musical group from the mid-west who had a string of hit songs throughout the mid to late-80s. Following in the footsteps of co-ed sibling bands before them like the Sylvers and the DeFrancos, the original line-up was comprised of eight brothers and sisters from the Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Wolfgramm clan. (There were a total 17 kids in the family.) The Jets’ energetic, synthesized rock & pop harmonies personified the era’s mainstream dance club sound and they are best known for their second single, ‘Crush on You’ which was a worldwide smash hit in 1986.

About the Look

Sisters Moana and Elizabeth shared lead vocal duties on ‘Crush on You’ and so it is their wardrobe that is front and center (though it’s clear that the other band members coordinate just as well). The riotous mix of acid trip hues and tight graphic prints is like, so totally 80s; we can’t help but think of 1980s Teen magazines and vintage Caboodles cases while watching this clip. The slouch tops worn with mini skirts over leggings were the quintessential youth fashion ideals of the day (thanks to Madonna) but in the Jets’ capable teenybop hands, the clothes become much more innocent and, eh, perky.