Keep Ya Heart Baby Girl

Keep Ya Heart Baby Girl: Summer Youth Style

The sun's up, school's out and young people are filled with a fervid sense of freedom and the anticipation of ice cream, pool parties and long summer days. Today's social environment continues to demonstrate the importance and influence of young people; they are activists, entrepreneurs, artists, and fashion icons. Despite the tumultuous environment that we live in, young people maintain a sense of hope, optimism and determination that inspire us to keep pushing forward. This May, inspired by the summer vibes of Anderson .Paak's song, Parking Lot, I set out to create looks that reflect the passion, flare, and summer joy of young girls. Modeled by my sister, Maya (@mayaboyd_), these looks serve as a little reminder to all young ladies: keep ya edge and keep ya heart baby girl, keep ya heart.

Pretty in Pink

I love this outfit because it demonstrates the effectiveness of monochrome looks. It used to be a bit of a faux pas to match too much. Now, intentional emphasis on a singular color or print can create a fun and bold statement, and that is exactly what I wanted to do by pairing the hot pink satin set with the hot pink satin flats.

This set is particularly unique because the top is a vest which allows for versatility and layering. In this look, I chose to have Maya wear the vest as a shirt, buttoned all the way up, but imagine a crisp white oxford shirt contrasted with the soft pink shorts and the vest loosely draped on top. There are a number of outfit possibilities.

Details: vest/shorts set, thrifted; shoes, Zara; scarf, BP by Nordstrom; backpack, Target

A Lesson in Print-Mixing

My painting professor taught me that when you're working on a piece, you won't know if you've "over-painted the piece" until you over-paint the piece; in other words, you can't tell if you've done the most until you've done the most. Often, the same goes for putting outfits together with different prints, it's a process of trial and error. Now it's true that some people have a gift; they can put articles of clothing together that you would never think worked together and come up with the flyest outfit you've ever seen. I, on the other hand, have to be a lot more calculated when it comes to print-mixing. I look at pattern, shape, color, weight...a whole lot of *insert poop emoji here*. So, I'm going to breakdown my method for putting this outfit together.

I started building the outfit with the skirt as the foundation. The print and colors of the skirt are really beautiful and allow for a lot of versatility in pairings. The polka dot top came next. I wanted to balance out the busyness of the floral pattern on the skirt; the polka dots are spacious in comparison to the flowers, and the black circles match the undertone of the skirt.

The chartreuse (my favorite color!) sandals are complementary to the periwinkle blue flowers and add a really bold contrast to the overall look. I spiced up the sandals by adding sheer sparkly socks, a fun new trend. The gray socks also highlight the gray tones in the skirt. (Check out this Vogue article, 7 Cool Ways to Wear Socks with Sandals This Summer).

Finally, I completed accessorizing the outfit with the periwinkle purse - the blue matches the flowers perfectly and the gold accents on the bag complement the chartreuse sandals.

Details: top, Zara; skirt, Zara, sandals, Urban Outfitters; socks, Nordstrom; purse, Kate Spade, watch, Fossil

Fly Gal

This third look was a lot of fun. The dress served as the foundation; it has a satin sheen to it, and a lot of colors to work with. I layered the dress with the pink, ruffle-sleeved top to highlight the pink flowers in the dress.

Since the fabric of the dress shines like a metallic, the silver platform oxfords were a no brainer. Similar to the previous outfit, I added the printed socks to elevate the look and make it a little more playful. The cobalt blue accent on the socks is bold enough to draw attention without taking away from the overall look. Finally, I finished with an oversized white tote bag, with a scalloped top, to complement the ruffles on the shirt.

Details: dress, unknown; top; Forever 21; shoes, Zara; socks, Nordstrom; bag, unknown.

La Fille des Fleurs

I love this outfit because it's playful yet still very chic, and a combination of some very simple elements. However, put together in the right way, basic pieces can create some really special looks. The foundation of this outfit was the top (it's actually a body suit!), and from there, I added the skirt (I love how the flowers are defined at the edge of the skirt!). The top and skirt are a strong duo because they both balance out and complement each other: the lightness of the top is balanced out by the dense, busy texture of the skirt, and the busyness of the skirt also complements the movement in the top. The floral print in both the top and skirt suggest cohesion without matching too literally.

Young people are often very active, so while I could've paired a nice sandal with this look (one great option would be the satin flat in the Pretty in Pink look), I wanted to switch it up a bit by adding a sneaker. The New Balance sneakers add an important element to the look: weight; as discussed earlier, the top half of this 'fit is light and flowy, while the chunky sneakers adds a different dimension. The addition of the sneakers is strengthened by the color match - the yellow laces and white sole of the shoe highlight the colors of the top, bringing the outfit full circle.

Finally, Maya is wearing some gold stacked bracelets to counterbalance the asymmetry of the top, and a simple over-the-shoulder bag with gold accents to match the bracelets and gold tone of the shirt.

Details: top, Zara; skirt, thrifted; shoes, New Balance; bracelets, Alex & Ani; bag, unknown

...And that concludes my first set of summer youth looks! I hope you enjoyed them, please hit me up with any questions or comments, and check out the full photoshoot gallery in the Styling tab of my site. Stay tuned for my next entry!

#outfitoftheday #accessories #fashion #summerstyle #Zara