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5 Ways To Make Summer Last Longer

We’ve got fall on the brain because the truth is, summer fashion is over and the new season is trickling in! But, the good news is you don’t have to put away your sandals and sundresses just yet. Here are 5 ways to make summer last just a little bit longer this year.

1. Add tights!

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Easily transition your favorite print or solid shorts into fall by adding opaque tights underneath! The same goes for your sundresses.

2. Keep your sandals on

Throw on a pair of skinny jeans and a weather appropriate top, but hold on to your sandals!! This transitional look is the best of both worlds. By keeping the main pieces timely for fall, you can totally get away with rocking your open toed shoes. Shop Pulsefashion.com for on-trend fall looks to mix with your sandals!

3. Add an accessory…

like a scarf or knit beanie!! These pieces will instantly transform your look and make it fall-appropriate. You can still rock that sundress or top, just choose a knit accessory to pair with it. Shop blanket scarves at Pulsefashion.com.

4. Throw on a jacket, cardi, vest or blazer

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Who said you can’t wear white after Labor Day?? Continue to rock your best LWD for as long as you want! The key is to layer with a jacket. This could be a knit cardi or sweater, blazer, or even the season’s hottest trend–The Bomber Jacket! Shop Bomber Jackets on Pulse Fashion’s Facebobok page.

5. Choose booties

Last year people were obsessing over the ankle bootie trend and we at Pulse Fashion have good news for you! This look is here to stay. You can pair booties with everything from sundresses to leggings to shorts! By adding this closed toe shoe you are instantly creating a fall transitional look.

Shop fabulous transitional fall looks at Pulsefashion.com!

How to: Wear a military vest

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We are so excited to have brought back this best selling military vest last week during our flash sale. If you ordered one, you should be getting it in the mail soon! In the meantime, check out these easy ways to style it.

Our favorite look is one you can wear sooner than later. Olive looks fantastic with stripes! The good news is a basic stripe dress is not hard to find. It’s a perfect look for a casual everyday style. Just add some fun sandals and cute accessories.

Again with the stripes!! Although it may be a little too warm to rock this look right now, as summer dwindles down pull out your favorite pair of skinny jeans and a basic stripe tee. I love how this look showcases the leopard flats..don’t be afraid to pattern mix!! Stripes work great with leopard.

Don’t forget about plaid!!! Olive military vests pair perfectly with this fun pattern. Another easy, effortless casual look.

We all love our black, don’t we?! This look is a little bit dressier but so simple!! Take a pair of black jeggings or skinny jeans, add a black top or blouse, and throw on a pop of color with a statement necklace or earrings. Also, love the leopard clutch!!

A look for now!! This laid back look is easy to recreate! Simply add a pair of denim shorts and a fun tee. The tucked in look is a must for this!!!

Don’t forget your accessories!! Leopard is the perfect print to add, but really any print scarf will do!! Leave the vest open for maximum visual appeal on the scarf.

Did you miss out on our Reagan Military Vest?? You can order it here!

How to: Keep your summer whites white

With summer in full swing, it’s time to pull out our white skinny jeans, shorts, and tees! But, nothing is worse than discolored whites. Use this simple recipe to put the white back in your whites! The results will have you like 😱😱😱😱😱😱

Step 1: Wash and rinse the fabric as usual. This can be done in a washing machine with HOT water or by hand, whichever you prefer.

Step 2: Mix a bowl large enough to soak the garment in with equal parts vinegar and water. Soak garment.

Step 3: Hang garment in sunlight to dry, DO NOT use a dryer machine. The UV rays help to restore the bright white color.

TIP: If results are not as dramatic as you would like, try the process again but soak in lemon juice and water instead of vinegar. Then, dry outside in the sunlight.

For regular maintenance of white clothes, make sure to wash pure white clothes SEPARATE from any other items! Even light colored clothes will bleed into pure whites. While washing, add ONE of these liquids to your washing machine every time:

1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup white, distilled vinegar
3% hydrogen peroxide

TAKE THE QUIZ: What’s Your Personal Style?

Figuring out our personal style is the best way to stop over-shopping and over-spending! By defining our “signature” look, we can focus on the pieces we will feel good in the longest.

Get out a pen and paper and keep track of the letter of your answer to each question (1-7). This will tell you which of the 5 styles (Classic, Professional, Bohemian, Minimalist, or Whimsical) you are! You can only choose one letter per question.

It’s time to tally up your results!

If you got…

MOSTLY A’s your style is WHIMSICAL

You thrive on bright colors, bold prints, and anything girly. “Whimsical” style types tend to choose puffy skirts and dresses with dainty details. It is playful and appears to be “thrown together” but is actually a thoughtful combination of colors and patterns. If you’re whimsical, you’re usually young at heart and have a lot of fun with putting together looks. While shopping, you’re immediately attracted to bright colors and fun prints. You follow all the trends.

MOSTLY B’s your style is BOHEMIAN

This style type is largely influenced by the fashions of the 1960s and 70s. You are free-spirited, open-minded, and love anything lace, floral, fringe, and bell sleeves! Freedom of motion is a major element of the bohemian style. Rather than tight pieces, bohemian dressers opt for baggy, comfortable clothing made from natural fibers. This may be by way of loose peasant blouses; wide boat-neck shirts; maxi dresses; caftans; or boho skirts, which are also known as hippie or Gypsy skirts. Pieces are usually flared and available in a variety of colors and patterns, although ethic patterns are most common. Romantic touches, like flower patterns and lace, are often included too.

MOSTLY C’s your style is PROFESSIONAL

You are a working-girl who feels most comfortable in a pair of slacks and a collared button down! You pay attention to trends, but only if you can work them into your business chic look. Your dresses are always hitting (at least) the knee and are modest. You rock high heels like no one else because you wear them all the time, no matter the heel height! You love to add spice to your look with fun accessories, but nothing that won’t work well at the office!

MOSTLY D’s your style is CLASSIC

You prefer timeless looks, beautiful, but simple, cuts in clothing, fine natural fabrics, and leather shoes and handbags. Tradition is important to you. You may occasionally become frustrated when you can’t find the exact style of a beloved item of clothing, handbag, or shoe that has worn out. And you frequently keep your fashion accessories and clothing until they are worn, just because much of what you buy does not go out of style. Although you won’t be the flashiest person in a room, you will always look good. A peek in your closet reveals many neutral colors, especially black and frequently navy. You own at least one little black dress and possibly several. You also tend to prefer solid colors, rather than prints. Most of your dresses and skirts fall to the knee.

MOSTLY E’s your style is MINIMALIST

When you open your closet, you see mostly black, with a few neutral colors mixed in. You like clean lines and avant-garde looks. You find inspiration from the runways but don’t want to stand out in loud prints or bright colors. One word to describe this look is: simplicity. Rather than accumulating a bunch of individual pieces, the minimalist approach involves collecting a set of harmonizing items that are optimally adjusted to your lifestyle. The approach requires a close analysis of your daily activities and both your practical and emotional requirements. The final goal is a wardrobe that suits your needs exactly and allows you to quickly put together an outfit for every occasion.

Eliminate hours of frustration trying on styles that are not made for you

Imagine knowing EXACTLY what you are looking for the next time you are out shopping! The days of frustration where we waste our time trying on endless styles that don’t work can be eliminated with a little education about silhouettes and our own personal traits. You may have tried to gain a better understanding in the past and felt overwhelmed, especially with so much conflicting information about body shapes. Not now…It’s time to clear up the confusion!

You may be asking, “Why is it important to know my body shape?” Knowing your body shape is essential in selecting the right styles that look best…for you. Instead of trying to change how we look, we need to accept the body we have and dress to accentuate our best assets, hiding what we don’t want seen.

While doing research, we discovered many different body shape terms, including one called the Lollipop!! Who made that one up?! Don’t fret, because what really matters are the 5 basic body shapes. To make this exercise super easy, each shape is charted on the info-graphic below.

First, identify which shape best matches your figure. Once you know your unique body shape, review your goal, what to avoid, pieces to wear, and where you should focus to achieve a flattering wardrobe tailored just for you! For more inspiration, check out the “Celebrities to Watch” section. A simple Google search will lend tons of outfit ideas for inspiration. Let’s get started…

3 Ds of Patriotic Party Planning

Pulse recently collaborated with For, Like Ever! Event Styling, an event styling company located in St. Louis, Missouri, to learn how to throw the most swoon-worthy patriotic soiree. Make sure to check out all the talented collaborators’ websites who helped make this shoot happen!

Hey there! Ashley & Ashleigh here from For Like, Ever Event Styling! to give you some inside tips on how to add some spark to your patriotic party this Independence Day!

With summer off to an unofficial start, we can’t help but want to host a ton of fun parties, BBQs,and get-togethers of every kind! Anything to keep us outside, enjoying the beautiful weather and soaking up that sun! We have to say though, of all the awesome summer celebrations there are,Fourth of July tops the list. There’s something about the tradition and patriotism that fills the summer air as Independence Day approaches and it just can’t be beat.

It can be overwhelming to think through how to throw the perfect party for the Fourth especially once you hop on Pinterest and are inundated with inspiration. Our advice is to keep things simple, but always add beautiful details. The details we think are most important for a summer party happen to be 3 Ds: decor, dessert, and drinks. Here are our top decor, dessert and drink picks for a fabulously fun Fourth that’s picture perfect!

First: Choose your vibe, then add props. What kind of theme or feeling are you going for? What props or decor pieces will achieve that? For a backyard BBQ, we like using props that are useful so you’ll see that trend throughout our picks for this party.

Decor

Picnic Chic

If you’re having a backyard BBQ, you can’t go wrong with a picnic style vibe. It’s that traditional feel like takes you back to being a kid with a picnic basket and it just feels American! Glam it up a bit with some glitter or sparkles and set the scene for some great photos.

Sparklers

Sparklers, sparklers, sparklers – they’re fun no matter how old you are! Grab some sparklers, put them in a jar and make them a simple decor piece. If you’re setting the table for your party, add them to each place setting as a decor piece that doubles as a party favor, or make them the table centerpiece. No matter when you place them, make sure you light them by the end of the night and take pictures!

Signage

We love adding cute signs to our party scenes! They make great decor pieces, but also great photo props.

Secret

That blue sign is actually a tray from the dollar spot at Target. Yep. We added America the Beautiful on the back side with a paint pen. Now it’s a sign, a photo prop, AND a tray. 🙂

Dessert

Festive cakes

We’ve yet to see a sparkler cake we didn’t totally swoon over. Incorporating fireworks, confetti, and your color scheme into your cakes to adds so much to your party decor, but they double as a menu item!

Mini pies

How stinkin’ cute are these mini pies?! They’re baked in the lids of mason jars and it is officially our new favorite dessert idea! Your guests will think they’re adorable for one, but also they’re great because you can set them out anywhere so they’re a great addition to a summer party.

Cookies

Over the past few years, specialty cookies have really increased in popularity and we dig it. Not to mention they double as decor + party favors! We LOVE these designs by Jeanette at Nettie Betty’s Bakery! Arrows and feathers were perfect for our scene. They even had some sparkle on them. More photo props!

Drinks

Nothing beats a delicious and refreshing summer drink! These are our cocktail picks for a patriotic party.

Salted Watermelon Tequila

Because watermelon is definitely a summer must. This recipe requires the most work, but you can substitute items made from scratch for pre-made ingredients.

Recipe makes 2 quarts:

4 1/2 cups watermelon juice (you can make this with watermelon and a strainer or buy watermelon juice)

2 3/4 cups 100% agave silver tequila (to taste)

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup orange juice

1/8 cup honey + 1/8 cup warm water (mixed together)

Salt the rim

Garnish with watermelon

Serve over ice

Vodka Mint Lemonade

Lemonade is such a classic summer beverage – one that most everyone loves! It’s easy to make especially for a crowd so we took that and kicked it up a notch for this cocktail. Just adding mint and vodka for a nice summertime feeling cocktail.

Recipe makes 1 gallon or 4 quarts:

16 cups lemonade

3 cups vodka (to tast)

Muddled mint leaves

Garnish with limes and mint

Serve over ice

Summer Brew