Summer style mix

Effortless, put-together and coastal with a splash of Y2K & a dash of ’70s!

By Allison McCrory / Photos by Kate Treick Photography

***Shopping list***: Retro florals are a favorite this season. This maxi by Olivaceous, $116, channels the lush, colorful, festive spirit of a summer garden party.

Relaxed cuts, soft and dropped waistlines and wide legs — all with a cohesive look — are summer style headliners.

“Overall, everything is leaning toward that effortless but still put-together look,” said Alicia Taylor-Printz, owner of SoBo Boutique on Ninth Avenue in Pensacola. “Customers really want pieces that feel easy to wear but still look styled…for cuts and lengths, relaxed silhouettes are definitely more popular. Maxi and midi dress lengths are still going strong.

“People are choosing comfort and movement over anything too fitted,” she said, adding that tight fits and super-structured cuts are out.

Trouser-style denim is popular and straight-leg and bootcut styles are making a comeback as well. Matching sets achieve a put-together look with ease. Influences of the ’70s and Y2K are showing up in fashion currently.

Have fun with color this season, host to tomato red, butter yellow, soft green, lavender and bright blue. For neutral lovers, cream, soft white and warm brown are trending with brown reigning as the new black, according to Taylor-Printz.

Solids are strong this summer but so are prints like coastal stripes, retro florals and vacation-style patterns.

“Linen is still a big one for summer, along with lighter knits, crochet, satin finishes and some sheer layering for texture,” noted Taylor-Printz.

Accessories and shoes are following the same effortless vibe as clothing. Minimalist sandals, ballet flats and casual sneakers are all trending. Accessories are leaning coastal and feminine with layered gold jewelry, shell details, oversized totes and simple hair pieces like bows and clips.

“Overall, it really comes down to ease,” said Taylor-Printz. “Pieces that feel special but still work for everyday life are what customers are gravitating toward.”

***Shopping list***: What is summer without a pair of denim shorts? This distressed-hem pair by Zenana, $52, will likely team with every top in your closet for years.

***Shopping List:*** This pink embroidered tank by POL is feminine yet cool for the Gulf Coast’s steamy July weather.

Karen Rush

As a certified esthetician, student, ordained metaphysical minister and mother of a bustling, musical 6-year-old daughter, Cantonment resident Karen Rush lives a full life.

“I’m very passionate about women’s spiritual, physical and mental well-being. I teach mother-centered esoteric studies pulling from several theological and Indigenous perspectives as I find them all interconnected,” said Rush. “I’m here to help women remember themselves, especially during major life transitions like motherhood, sudden illness, loss and grief. My service to the community is to hold space for what may feel too heavy to hold alone.”

Rush is growing the outreach and hopes to one day fuse her spiritual and esthetic training.

“I’m currently creating curriculum for our ministry school, which will have online classes. And in the future, I would like to open up a space for our ministry that functions as a beauty and wellness center.”

Area beaches beckon Rush and her daughter when an escape is in order.

“I absolutely love our beaches. I spend any free time at Fort Pickens, Johnson Beach or Big Lagoon State Park.”