Layer on the sun cream – and the bangles for a great beach look

Style with Carrie McKeown

Flip flops? Check. Swimsuit? Check. That all-important factor 50? Double check.

If you’ve got all the big ticket holiday purchses in the bag, it’s time to give your accessories a thought or two. Lots of us don’t think past our swim wear, but styling a beach look can have hugely glamorous results – and make the transition from lounger to lunch a far more stylish event.

While wearing expensive jewellery to the beach is obviously not the best idea, you can achieve a put together look cheaply and easily by picking up a few pocket-friendly pieces ahead of your departure. Things like  over sized shades or a wide brimmed sun hat will always work while an edgy turban type hair band  or a wicker beach bag for all your essentials  carry summer ’17 style credentials. 

Here are some tips and tricks to ensure smooth sailing when it comes to your beach style:

Layer It on

Suncream isn’t the only thing you need to layer on for a day in the sun,  when it comes to   rings or bracelets, the more the merrier applies while reclining on your lounger. 

A stack of delicate and colourful bangles is the perfect accompaniment to a floaty kimono, while rings on every finger gives off a festival vibe that carries seamlessly through to your summer hols. 

Fancy footwork

Let’s face it, with our climate it’s rare that we get a chance to show off our toes. Make the most of letting your feet fly free by decorating them accordingly with toe rings and pretty ankle bracelets.

Colour me beautiful

Opt for light and feminine metals when choosing your beach accessories  that will glisten in the sunshine. Gold, rose gold or beaded jewels look especially pretty on the beach.

 Don’t forget to give your accessories a rinse with soapy water after your day out to avoid tarnishing and wear and tear from sand and salt water.

The only thing that makes lying beach or pool-side on a sunny day even better, is having a great book to hand to get lost in for an afternoon. 

For all fashionistas with a keen interest in the history of some of the world’s most prolific designers, the newly-released Vogue on Jean Paul Gaultier is sure to bag an important spot in your suitcase. Written by Carolyn Asome, the book provides an inside look at the life of France’s ‘enfant terrible’; fashion’s controversial bad boy. 

Chronicling his rise to superstardom within the fashion world, which began even before his very first show in Paris in 1976, the story of Gaultier is one that steps away from the norm. 

From his thought-provoking artistic choices to his unusual taste in models, the French haute couture and prêt-a-porter designer always shocked and intrigued; which is undoubtedly precisely why artists such as Marilyn Manson and Madonna looked to him to benefit from his creative genius. 

On that note, the very fact that he designed the 80s-icon’s infamous cone bra for her 1990 Blonde Ambition World Tour is enough to make me pick up the book and get stuck in.