‘Tis the season for summer vacations. Since we do a lot of traveling, we’ve learned how to minimize packing woes while maximizing the wow factor of our outfits. We found the must-have summer bag that does it all – you can wear it whether traipsing through the city or lounging on the beach. Pair it with any of the 11 other essential summer packing pieces, and you will have countless options to mix and match no matter the destination.

We have you covered with all the travel items you will need. Read our guides and make sure to pack your travel toiletries, beauty must-haves, makeup essentials, bikini, kindle, and tunes to ensure a hassle-free and relaxing getaway.

1. Canvas tote – $170
2. Dress – $46.50
3. T-shirt – $35
4. Converse – $50
5. Sandals – $65
6. Heels – $99
7. Denim shorts – $49.50
8. Henley – $31.60
9. Chambray shirt – $79.50
10. Blazer – $130
11. Chinos – $89.50
12. Floral trousers – $69.50

We are so glad you all liked our 1 shirt, 3 looks madras shirt style guide last Friday. It got such a great response that we decided to create an ongoing 1 product, 3 looks series!

Kristian, an Emerald Closet readers, commented on our facebook wall and asked us to create a 1 product, 3 looks style guide for the ladies this week. She requested ideas for wearing booties, such as the Louboutins Cameron Diaz wears in the movie Bad Teacher.

Well, Kristian, this one is for you and all the other women out there baffled by the bootie and its effect on proportions. We did some recon and realized Diaz is wearing a few different versions of the Louboutin bootie in the movie, so we chose our favorite, the black caged bootie.

We though the caged bootie would be very appropriate, since the caged look can immediately make a look seem a bit harsh. Here we provide 3 looks to help you incorporate the caged bootie trend into your wardrobe.

PS – We understand not everyone can afford Louboutins, so we found an affordable alternative to the designer’s black caged bootie, found here.

Louboutin Caged Bootie – $1595

From Left to Right:
Look 1: Cropped Pants – $310, Top – $450, Necklace – $395, Bracelets – $88
Look 2: Blazer – $130, Denim Shorts – $150, Shirt – $195, Necklace – $295, Clutch – $325
Look 3: Dress – $95, Cardigan – $450, Belt – $14, Earrings – $52, Briefcase – $1300

A NOTE ON PROPORTIONS: Kristian expressed concern with booties creating an unflattering proportion. Booties can definitely cut your leg in the wrong way, making you look stout. However, a rule of thumb is to find booties that hit just at the ankle. They are the most versatile, unlike a bootie that hits, say at the lower shin. Taller booties are less flexible because as soon as you wear bottoms that hit at the knee, it cuts your leg into 3 pieces and makes you look shorter.

Last weekend we were helping a client overhaul his wardrobe. All was going well until we came upon the infamous gingham shirt.

As soon as he saw it, his eyes got wide and he insisted it was too fancy for his casual style. The next twenty minutes consisted of us convincing him it was versatile and showing him the outfits to prove it.

Lucky us, he became a believer and now is a happy owner of a beautiful gingham dress shirt.

It got us thinking, if he is having trouble with the seemingly tame gingham print, there must be other dress shirt patterns that raise even more cause for concern.

Enter, the madras shirt.

Madras is a lightweight cotton that typically takes the form of colorful plaid fabrics. Since these shirts can oftentimes be loud and reserved for summertime, we wanted to find a madras shirt that was versatile and could be worn into the fall.

Below, we present you with the perfect madras shirt to transition into the cooler weather. We also created three looks around the shirt, ranging from fancy to casual. Hopefully this helps you put your mind at ease and inspires you to purchase a madras shirt of your own.

The madras shirt – J.Crew Madras Plaid Shirt – $73

From Left to Right:

Look 1: Trousers – $445, Blazer – $450, Skinny Tie – $16, Wingtip Shoes – $198, Satchel – $52

Look 3: Denim – $150, Fatigue Jacket – $180, Jack Purcell’s – $50