FASHION
DRESS £80, MINT VELVET
AT DE GRUCHY
JERSEY
GRANITE
FLIP-FLOP
EARRINGS
£48, AQUA
Look too for specifi c patterns. Florals, of course, are
going to be a good option, but aim for a smaller ditsy print
than massive in-your-face blooms. Another pattern giving
us a nod to the past glory days of the hippie trend is paisley.
Often seen as a vintage print, it’s making a comeback. Etro
is nailing it with their ready to wear collection, bursting
with the most Cali style ruffl e dresses and
paisley patterns in fl oaty, chiff on fabrics. On
the high street, Free People are synonymous
with Cali/ skater girl chic. Th eir cute kimono
style cover ups, fl oaty sleeves and tassel details
are the sorts of things you imagine wearing in
Malibu, or while sipping a fresh juice whilst
roaming around Santa Monica. Cool logos of
California and skate or surf culture hotspots are
great on a t-shirt or sweater and prints evoking
the sea and beach life are perfect too. Michael
Kors may be off ering some hot pink knitwear,
but it’s surfer print gives a nod to the west
coast life, so if you’re looking for something a
little higher end but still on trend, then that
could be just the thing. However, if you want
to keep things plain and simple, a cute cotton
or linen cami, especially one with tortoise-shell
or wooden buttons, is a fuss free way to rock
the trend. Paired with some cool denim and
beachy style accessories, it can help you rock
ASHLEY WILLIAMS
the simplistic Cali girl cool without too much
trouble. And after all, the California look is about being
not so put together.
Denim is big too. Super cute and stylish fl ares give off a
70s Farrah Fawcett LA streetwear feel. A denim waistcoat
or jacket over a fl oaty fl oral muted tone maxi dress is an
easy look to achieve and is fairly subtle. Cali style is about
the feeling of summer days and freedom, so relaxed, faded
denim is the way to go here, rather than crisper dark indigo
colours and skinny jeans. For Cali denim, look instead
for frayed edges, straight cut jeans, patchwork details and
embroidery. By all means rock the double denim, but
again, make sure it’s not too structured.
If you’re not sure about going for the head to toe Cali
look, accessories will probably do you well. A simple
30
pair of Ray-Ban’s work better than
over-sized movie star black frames.
A backpack looks instantly hippie
chic but is practical too. Plus, there’s
one must have jewellery accessory that everyone is obsessed
over which is perfect for this trend. If you haven’t gotten
yourself a shell necklace or some sort of shell jewellery yet,
where have you been? Yes, it seems a bit 90s, because let’s
face it, that’s when they were last popular, but now they are
everywhere and available at every price point.
For shoes, think cool ankle boots and summer style Vans.
Looking polished and put together isn’t massively essential
for this trend to work, in fact, wearing your beat-up canvas
pumps will work great. Channel the free spiritedness with
a lack a structure and conformity and you’re pretty much
good to go. California is about eff ortless cool with a hint of
quirk. So, go and soak up the ocean vibes (and hopefully
some sun) and release your inner surfer chick.