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In the collective imaginary, people connect Miami with life at the beach, I am often questioned with a bit of irony: “Do you guys ever work?”

As a matter of fact, we do, we hustle through appointments, traffic, constructions, and Mon Dieu if we ever have to hit the Palmetto! 

Miami has its sort of city dress code, whether it’s Coral Gables, Brickell or Miami Beach, although I am firmly convinced that uniforms and dress codes imposed by the employee handbooks are a waste of time. I am not promoting a riot, I am just saying that what they are telling you can or not wear, is free for interpretation, and they especially interfere with your own style .  

(image from The Cut/ Youngjun Koo/I'am Koo)

Yesterday I have been talking about swapping seasons in our closets and how, by doing the homework one T shirt at a time, we kill the darlings and recreate a “no clutter with a meaning” condition, piles of hand-me-down clothing and a clear sense of where we are going.

Ideally now we are ready for a summer in the city with the staples, those elements we should all incorporate in the closet to make our outfits current, styled, nonchalant, not too stuffy, not too casual, with the right weight of élan and a little spice of sexiness.

THE SKIRT Just feel that languor of a mid-length skirt that hugs the body, leaves room to strut, hop in the car and still feel feminine with that touch of comfort whether you are a heels or a flats girl.

THE BLAZER You know that blazer that you pull out season after season, stands with the dignity of a Navy uniform and fits immaculate because it’s just well made. 

The perfect blazer is like that one friend you can take at any event, frivolous or boringly academic and (s)he always has the right conversation. Even with scorching temperatures and a simple slip dress, throw a blazer, play the gamine game with ballerinas or go sexy with a pair of sabot and you take it from office to happy hour.

THE PERFECT DRESS everybody has one in mind, maybe in crisp cotton white or black, Vichy checkers or stripes, short enough to be appropriate with flat soles and with strappy heeled sandals or eventually worn as a tunic. Avoid synthetic fabrics at all costs, they are hill-fitting, they tend to mingle with bodily perspiration producing undesired effects, and they shine for the wrong reasons.  

THE IDEAL FLAT SANDAL To say it with Diana Vreeland:

“By flat sole I mean the sole that is heelless sole that creates a walk that is exactly like being barefoot” — Memos The Vogue Years, Diana Vreeland

Do you know those “exquisite shoes […] made to walk […] nakedly in the street” of Capri like Jackie and Lee Radziwill.  

THE OFF-THE-SHOULDER TOP white or blue striped, pink, wrapped around the waist, bell sleeved is the new crop top and, if properly fitted and pressed can easily become the substitute of a white shirt even in the more stuffy work environments.

THE SKINNY SCARF and nothing else is needed.

THE OVER-SIZED PANT I have an obsession with them, I think that they are a statement all you need is a T-shirt and a pair of platforms and the outift is done.

(image from The Cut/ Youngjun Koo/I'am Koo)

MAKE-UP Here I may find some resistance, but I swear by the Italian way: take your beauty routine seriously and reduce make-up to the minimal. In the summer we have the advantage of glowing healthy rosy cheeks and golden suntan, but morning and evening cleansing, hydrating and moisturizing steps are as mandatory as learning the A,B,C in pre-K.

Apply a layer of foundation, BB or CC cream and the right SPF and have concealer, mascara, lipgloss, cheek tint & luminizer work wonders at the traffic light or in the elevator before your first meeting. 

Just two things: don’t be late because you had to put make-up on because it’s so 2004 and wear enough for people to tell you “you look great” even when you haven’t slept all night.

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About Francesca Belluomini

Francesca is a fashion writer, brand consultant and a style buff. Born and raised in Tuscany, Italy, she has been living in Miami long enough not to blink at peacocks crossing the street, yet, too Italian for an American, too American for any Italian.

Her book “The Cheat Sheet of Italian Style” (September 2016) spells the secrets of dressing the Italian way, the quintessential seal of being pulled together with insouciant elegance.  Because Italian style goes beyond frontiers and encompasses all facets of life, she believes anyone can achieve it regardless of age or location, and she’ll convince you too.

Meanwhile, you can head over to chicFB.com to read her cogitations on fashion and style.

In addition, Francesca is a contributor for Social Miami with a column called Style Encounter and a featured-to-be author at Trusted Clothes

Everything else happens on her Instagram profile.