{ the jaunty magpie }

The heat was on in the parched deserts of Nevada -- but as they say, it's a dry heat. Even after living in Arizona for over twelve years, this Bird has no idea why that statement somehow makes 100-degree heat more acceptible to the senses, but I guess any platitude will do when you feel the heat of asphalt radiating through one's shoes. Egads, it was hot. And returning to the slightly less solar-surface heat of the Pacific Northwest, this Birdie's got one thing to say: Ladies, for Jaunty's sake, cover it up. I don't care if you've got legs that go on for days or a figure like Giselle -- wearing your bikini or one piece like it's wardrobe du jour, even on vacation, is about as un-Jaunty as it gets. Find a fashionable coverup and do as the garment says and cover-up. Maybe it was the Las Vegas attitude of what happens stays there and all sins somehow get swept under their BeDazzled rug, but the Skin Show was tacky-tacky. And it's not Vegas' fault -- I've seen plenty of guilty parties in other vacation spots who wear their swimwear around for the whole day, running into a grocery store like a lost beauty pageant contestant looking for a wayward sash and a rhinestone crown. 

Maybe after living in a state where it's expected you'll get a bout of skin cancer at some point, and then moving to a state where the sun rarely comes out, you grow accustomed to being mindful of that burning orb in the sky, but there's just something far more Jaunty about getting just a hint of one's swimwear beneath a fashionable coverup. And "coverup" doesn't mean a big towel wrapped around three times like a terrycloth toga, or a little wisp of polyester mesh circa 1982. The coverups that have been catching my Jaunty eye are clothing items that can double as summer dresses or tops. Plus, let's face it, bathing suit/bikini shopping can be torture. Isn't it more fun to find something gauzy, sparkly or colorful to drape over one's form and help accentuate the parts we like, and still feel like we're on summer vacation? 

So, here's to staying in a summer-stylish Mood, while keepin' it classy and covered-up. No excuses -- there's plenty of lovely styles for all shapes, forms and aesthetics: {1} Pucci pink printed metallic wool-silk coverup from Bluefly, {2} embellished halter dress in black and gold from Newport News, {3} Roberta Roller Rabbit Gwen Sarong from Piperlime, {4} DKNY Deck Stripe bandeau coverup from Nordstrom, {5} Moon Moth Coverup from Anthropologie, {6} Marc by Marc Jacobs bandeau coverup from Piperlime, {7} California Poppy Coverup from Anthropologie, {8} Kenneth Cole Reaction coverup from Macys


Jaunty Fine Print: photos from online retailers Anthropologie, Macys, Nordstrom, Bluefly, Newport News and Piperlime