We had occasion to be in the water this past weekend, and we were reminded of a critically important element in any woman’s summer wardrobe:  The Cover-Up. It is a mitigator of bumps here and lumps there, an all-purpose weapon for beach, pool or hot tub.

In short, the cover-up is our BFF.

Its entire job description is to make us look casually chic while wearing a swimsuit, which is challenging on multiple levels. It must be pretty wet or dry. It must rise to the complexities of beach breezes (more…)

We’ve been on a Michelle Obama fashion de-tox because we were just exhausted trying to figure out who made her every dress, skirt, shoes, belts, jewelry and on and on.

But we’re breaking the fast to mention that at a Food Bank event yesterday in D.C., Mrs. O. had on a very cool pair of sneakers, at right, that turned out to be by Lanvin and a similar style (which aren’t even as cool as hers) costs $540 at Barneys.

Uhhm, we’re good with Michelle’s mix-and-match philosophy most of the time, but sometimes pairing a cute little J.Crew cardigan (it’s on sale for $100) with wildly overpriced sneakers may not be exactly the fashion statement the First Lady wants to project.

Maybe we’re just jealous. But if we were going to spend $540 on a pair of shoes, we’d go for these blue suede Miu Miu platform sandals for $595 (below left), or these Brian Atwood starlette printed pumps (below right) for $600, or

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The Style Insider is having a little tantrum. We seem to be yearning for a Bermuda-shorts kind of life, for days filled with beaches and golf courses and cocktails. Wouldn’t that be nice? So we’re shopping.

When we say Bermuda shorts, what we mean is plaid. We don’t want wimpy little normal shorts. We want shorts that look like they’re on a holiday, like they’re taking a vacation from their normal little (more…)

We are loving little cardigans right now. Partly because First Lady Michelle Obama is such a fan; seeing her wear them so often makes us remember how cute they are. (She’s wearing her favorite cropped Azzedine Alaia black cardigan here during her visit to Europe. Photo from New York Magazine.)And partly because this time of year is notorious for buildings not getting the a/c quite right. You go to work and it’s cold at your desk, but by the afternoon you’re hot and bothered (and not in the good way).

So we’ve dropped by a bunch of our favorite stores to check on their cardigan supplies. Our only sweater rule, besides the fact that they must be irresistible, is that they be appropriate for work. We chose (more…)

You may know Liya Kabede from fashion magazine covers or runway shows.

Perhaps you’ve heard that she was a goodwill ambassador for the World Health Organization, working to bring attention to health issues in developing countries. She started her own foundation in 2006 to add to that support. 

But if you’re into trendy kiddie clothing, you probably know Kabede through her Lemlem (that means “flourish” or “to bloom” in

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You’ve probably seen all the news footage and photos from the Obamas’ trip to London, but we wanted to offer a quick run-down of the clothes she’s worn on this high-profile trip:

The first couple left for the G20 Summit in London earlier this week, and Mrs. O wore a Chanel-like knee-length white coat with black trim by Thakoon, one of her favorite designers. The silk tulle coat was made to look like tweed, according to Style.com. Underneath the coat, no one could get much of a view of her black Michael Kors dress.

Michelle did a quick change on Air Force 1 and emerged in London in a brilliant chartreuse sheath dress by Jason Wu (one of the young (more…)

Perhaps you were already a bit of a gym rat, and if so, we applaud. But maybe you’ve only recently been inspired by the ruckus over Michelle Obama’s totally toned arms. You wouldn’t be alone — a New York Times story Friday allowed as how the First Lady’s buffness is stimulating economy for personal trainers right now. That inaugural gown, those Vogue and People covers, those Narciso Rodriguez sheath dresses are having their effect.

“I want Michelle Obama arms,” Julie Eich told her trainer on the Upper East Side of Manhattan two weeks ago, said the Times story.

Michelle Obama official White House portrait, above, by Joyce N. Boghosian

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