don’t let wilting zinnias ruin your garden—here’s how to save them fast

Gardening

Don’t Let Wilting Zinnias Ruin Your Garden—Here’s How to Save Them Fast

Drescription

When your zinnias droop, it puts a dent in your garden decor. Zinnias are usually reliable and easy to care for, blooming all summer long with single and double flowers in bright, bold colors. But if flowers sag atop the stems, you have a case of wilt.

Here are six reasons why zinnias wil,t with solutions to restore your patch to top form.

Overwatering

Too much water causes zinnias to turn brown and soggy. Flower heads droop, and plants may topple over. Fungal diseases may appear as brown or water-soaked spots on leaves. Root rot can set in, causing plant loss.

Solution: Let overwatered plants dry out completely, then resume a reduced watering schedule. Remove soggy leaves and flower heads to encourage new, healthy growth. Avoid overwatering by testing the soil before watering. Plant zinnias where they'll receive full sun and amend the soil to improve drainage.

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Underwatering

Without sufficient water, leaves and stems turn pale, then brown and crispy, and shrivel up. Plants may fail to bloom or produce small flowers. The entire plant takes on a wilted look and, if left too long, will dry up and die.

Solution: During extended periods of hot, dry weather, water deeply once a week or more often as needed. Zinnias are drought-tolerant once established but perform best in consistently moist, well-draining soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches. Plan to provide an inch of water weekly, especially during blooming.

Aphids

These tiny parasitic pests multiply rapidly, puncturing leaves and stems to feed on plant liquid. When aphids target your zinnias, plants become stunted with curling, wilted foliage that drops prematurely. Infestations interrupt photosynthesis and can lead to plant loss. Aphids leave behind a sweet substance called 'honeydew' that attracts ants. If you see ants on your zinnias, check for aphids.

Solution: Get rid of aphids with a strong spray from your garden hose or apply insecticidal soap or neem oil. Inspect plants regularly, especially during hot, dry weather. Companion plant with marigolds, garlic, and chives. Avoid over-fertilizing and encourage beneficial predators like lady beetles and lacewings.

Stalk Borers

When your zinnias seem to wilt down overnight, the culprit is likely a stalk borer. Common borers are larvae of small brown moths. They tunnel into plant stems, causing sudden wilt, deformities, and eventual plant loss. Larvae hatch in spring, feeding on grasses, then moving on to larger plants like your zinnias as they mature. The gray caterpillars grow up to 1 1/2-inches long.

Solution: Prevention is key because once a borer is inside the stem, treatment is ineffective. Remove affected stems, and bag or burn them. Keep your zinnia bed and surrounding areas free of weeds and grasses. Clean up garden debris at the end of the season. BT (Bacillus thurengienses) is a biological control that destroys caterpillars and can be used as pre-treatment.

Alternaria Blight

Alternaria zinneae is a fungal disease that manifests as reddish brown leaf spots with gray centers on both upper and lower surfaces. As the lesions increase, leaves turn brown, and the entire plant darkens and wilts. Spots can girdle plant stems and appear on flower petals.

Solution: Prevention is the most effective approach. Watch for signs in mid-summer and autumn. If disease sets in, pull plants and bury or burn them to avoid future contamination. Rotate your zinnia bed and avoid overhead watering. Look for resistant varieties and pretreat seeds in a hot water bath for 30 minutes. Protect plants with copper-based fungicides.

Heat Stress

Heat stress occurs when temperatures remain consistently hot, causing leaf curl, scorching, and wilting. Plants may cease blooming or produce small flowers.

Solution: Zinnias bounce back quickly with corrective treatment. Avoid overcrowding. Large plants need 18 inches of space, while most dwarf varieties need 12 inches for adequate air circulation. Water deeply at ground level in the morning or evening. Mulch plants to cool the soil and provide some afternoon shade.

How to Keep Your Zinnias From Wilting

Plant zinnias in full sun in well-draining soil.

Aim for an inch of water each week, but prepare to adjust your watering schedule during heavy rains or periods of drought.

Water deeply at ground level during cooler parts of the day.

Check regularly for signs of pests or disease and treat preventively when necessary.

My New Cut and Color. Help.

In my 20’s I dressed like a hipster clown, and generally the reaction was ‘only you could pull that off.’ But I really think that I did. Were my parents mortified when, at my brothers college graduation, I mixed a red sequin tube top with an oversized camo shirt (tied in a cute knot) and a knee length, home-made, preppy blue and white polka dot skirt? YES. Years later they copped to being embarrassed. And maybe that one was too far, but generally I took risks, was super on-trend, and gave zero effs because I had no money. I couldn’t experiment too much artistically in my tiny apartment, so I put all that creative expression onto my body. My story isn’t unique – you are more creative and risky when you don’t need to look very professional. The higher up you get in a career the more you want to be taken seriously, which means dressing less ‘totally unhinged’ and more controlled. Don’t get me wrong, I like ‘my style’ but I’m going through a bit of a mid-blog crisis, and after years of playing it kinda safe with hair/makeup/fashion I’m ready to be more creative. For a while there was a voice in the back of my mind that said ‘sure, thats awesome, but YOU can’t pull that off anymore‘ both in beauty and fashion… But you guys, I SHUT THAT LADY UP. If you are confident enough you can do anything, right? RIGHT??? But today is not about my style revolution in general – it’s focused solely on my blonde locks. It’s very important. I’ve been too long with the same ‘do and it’s time for a change. My New York hair and makeup artist Agata Helena first told me it was time. I’m collaborating with Kristin Ess to help design her studio, while she re-designs my hair. Because if there is anyone in the world I would trust to do the whole shebang (the cut, and color, and style of my hair) it’s her. I don’t think that she is necessarily taking clients (girlfriend is busy with red carpets and product lines at Target) so this was an OPPORTUNITY I was not going to say ‘no’ to, but more importantly not one on which I was going to waste getting a good version of what I’ve kinda had FOREVER. She could give me something new. Cutting Edge. Forward. No pressure, Kristin. Here’s where I started being photographed regularly, but long-ish blonde hair has been on my head since college. Emily Henderson Hair Cut Before Grid 1 Over the years I’ve gone blonder and learned how to put on makeup properly (excuse me while I fire Sara for putting that 2012 photo in that collage, despite my approval) but generally I’ve done the SJP in SITC meets LA with sometimes a little too RHOOC. So many letters, not enough change. If you really want to know, my hair is naturally curly, and it’s fine (as in, not full) but with good texture (so I’m told). It’s naturally very blonde, but if I don’t highlight regularly it looks dull. I have fair skin and zero eyebrows or lashes – before spray tanning existed I was mistaken for an albino quite often in middle and high school. I’m that fair. So the blonde hair has just gotten blonder while spray tans keep me from becoming all one pale color, and generally I’ve felt that it’s a good thing. Emily Henderson Hair Cut Before Grid 2 Above is where we are right now – well, actually it’s shorter than that. I like it. I’m not saying that in a narcissistic way – she is just a nice looking blonde lady. But lately I’ve been so inspired by both young and older women taking more risks and the voice in my head is now saying ‘GO FOR IT.’ Emily Henderson Rue Remember when I did this shoot above for Rue? I LOVED it then and still do now, and you know why? Because it’s more editorial. It took some risks, but I still looked like me. Then I thought to myself, my job is editorial – I tell visual stories for a living, so why shouldn’t my hair follow suit? I know you might be thinking what Brian also suggested, which is ‘why not experiment with hairstyles and not cuts and colors?’ Indeed. But it’s mostly because the ends of my hair are thin and I just need a haircut to keep it healthy, and while long hair will never be ‘out’ I do think this mid-length hair is very happening, and as an all-of-a-sudden-super-edgy-lady I obviously need to be in on that action. Plus… bangs. My hair appointment is Monday. Kristin is VERY opinionated and she sent through lots of styles she thinks will look good one me. First up? The shaggy with curtain bangs: Emily Henderson Hair Cut Shaggy With Bangs2 Now it’s hard not to love that look. Also because they are all such stunning models. I definitely want bangs, that is one thing that I don’t need your help on. But is the rest of the hair wavy, or curly, or is it blunt or layered? I know that Kristin has opinions and I’m personally loving the blunt look, but I’m not convinced it will work on my fine hair. The below gets my heart pounding in both excitement and FEAR: Emily Henderson Hair Cut Short Lob With Bangs Those girls are so cool. That hair is so beautiful, feminine, French, and forward. The key to that for me is keeping the texture super messy and even frizzy (I recently have been using Kristin’s texture spray, and it really does give it this effortless frizz that looks modern and less real housewives). It’s neither straight nor curly. I mean, it’s prefect. But let me tell you a story: One of my best friends, 7 years ago when she was 33, impulsively went from a long ‘Zoey Deschanel with bangs’ style to a cut similar to the bottom right (above). Now it could be because it wasn’t trendy at the time, or maybe it was an off cut, but she admittedly looked 10 years older INSTANTLY. Her commercial agent who reps ‘edgier’ actors told her that she had to get extensions ASAP or he wasn’t going to be able to book her. He said she instantly looked like a Texan soccer mom (obviously no offense to Texan soccer moms, but she wasn’t a mom yet … although she is from Texas). Her husband agreed. She agreed. Even I agreed. She got extensions, went back to looking 26, but it was a terrifying lesson. Does long hair always make you look younger? I’m currently in the ‘I don’t think so’ camp, but for years I felt that way. As a blonde with larger boobs and two kids, I’m super scared that I will look more suburban when my goal here is to look more fashion forward. I will say that I’m willing to put in more time on my makeup and fashion, which some of these hairstyles require. As if now is the time in my life when I need to spend more time on my looks (because as a mom of two small children I have SO much leisure time). The following is the riskiest of all, and the one that most people are pushing me towards – based on fashion and my particular texture. Emily Henderson Hair Cut Curly With Bangs1 Curly with bangs is a thing right now that I’m seeing amongst the hippest of folks. Pretty sure that last sentence disqualifies me from joining this group. That top left photo is what I want, I LOVE it, I’m just terrified that I’ll look like this: Eae51e3e862011cca26189385835dcd0 Yes. that is me photoshopped into Meg Ryan’s hair in Harry Met Sally, and if you are terrified imagine how scared I am. WAIT, imagine how scared BRIAN IS. That dude would be effing terrified if he read this post. Will medium length curly hair with curly bangs make me look like an 80s mom??? Follow up – is 80s mom a cool look right now? I mean there was ‘norm-core’ and now ‘meno-core’ with mom-jeans and oversized button-ups flowing from the runways, so maybe ‘early 80s mom’ (you know, with a 70s bent) is exactly what I want to be. Then we have a question of color. Do I keep the same natural blonde look or go blonder? I mean, when in Rome … Or should I say Norway … Emily Henderson Hair Cut Blonder I don’t think I can go platinum, but I could amp it up a bit – although that would take more maintenance, but if it looked THAT much better then maybe I should? Or I could do the opposite, something I’ve never considered ’til right now – the BRONDE. Emily Henderson Hair Cut Bronde Typically this means brunette with blonder highlights, and it’s probably the #1 request in LA right now. Justin Anderson, who I recently went to for color (who I LOVE and is good friend’s with Kristin), said it’s the only request he gets, even with extremely brunette women. They all want to look sunkissed. For me that would be Kristin putting in darker undertones so that my highlights could stand out. I will always be blonde around my face, but I wouldn’t mind some deeper tones too… So Sara, upon my request, which I realize now was a masochistic one, photoshopped my face onto some of these hairstyles. Enjoy: 2x2 Square Grid 2500 Pixels With all that is happening in the world, I sure am grateful/ashamed that this is what is properly occupying the ‘worry’ portion of my brain. Head to insta-story to see my hair right now and what it looks like with extensions (which I’ve currently been rocking), as well as what it would look like if I cut it. Obviously the question is WHAT DO I DO? Bangs? Lobb? Darker? None of the above truly show what it would look like on me, but if you had to pick one or a couple for me what might you suggest? Monday is the day – and while it’s just hair, now that I’m writing this post it’s all of a sudden too soon. I don’t want to be safe, but I also really don’t want to regret it. Dear world, Help. Your consistently normal blonde, with fine but textured hair, who wants to look fashion forward but is afraid of looking dated and older, Emily Henderson

15 Pro Tips for Traveling With Makeup

Going on vacation is all fun and games until you get to the packing portion of the trip. At that point, it quickly becomes a game of “What can I bring?” and “What must I sadly leave behind?” Traveling with makeup is particularly challenging, especially with TSA’s rules on liquid sizes and the propensity for your most prized products to break or leak. You’ve also got to think about things like climate variation and how your skin might react while also trying to keep your regimen somewhat normal so your skin doesn’t freak. With practice and planning, though, you can get really good at editing down all your beauty essentials without over or under-packing. To help you cover all the bases when it comes to traveling with makeup, we asked experts to share their best tips. 01 of 15 Invest in a Great Makeup Case First thing’s first: You’ve got to have a great place to store your beauty loot when traveling with makeup. Look for a bag that’s big enough to house all your essentials, is leak-proof, keeps you organized, and is easy to clean, advises Sydney Morgan, beauty content creator. The Calpak Medium Clear Cosmetics Case is a great pick. 02 of 15 Choose Cosmetics Bags That Serve Double Duty If chosen well, your makeup bag can be so much more. "Some can double as small clutch or evening purse in a pinch," says Anne McAlpin, packing expert at PackItUp.com. "I love the 'free' ones from cosmetic specials like Clinique and Lancôme. Bright colored bags make it easy to find your makeup in your bag." 03 of 15 Put Makeup Brushes & Tools in Their Own Bag Makeup brushes are an investment, so it only makes sense to look after them well. “I keep my tools in a dedicated case,” notes Jenny Patinkin, professional makeup artist and founder of Jenny Patinkin Eco-Luxe Beauty Tools. This helps protect the bristles and keeps things more sanitary, too. To save even more space, choose a makeup bag that has a compartment you can dedicate specifically to tools and brushes. 04 of 15 Keep a Few Items in Your Purse Lost luggage happens every once in a while, so travel with confidence by having a cosmetic backup plan, says Brittany Lo, a professional makeup artist and founder of Beia. She says, “Always keep two to three essentials with you in your purse, just in case your luggage doesn’t make it or in case you need to reapply before you get the chance to unpack.” For example, a lightweight BB cream or foundation, cream blush, and mascara. When in doubt, identify your “desert island” essentials and pack those. 05 of 15 Opt For Multitasking Makeup Saving space is a must when traveling with makeup, so take advantage of multitasking products. “I do like to steamline when I travel,” notes Patinkin. “[For example], Packing a bronzer that can double as contour, a buildable cheek color, and a buildable foundation for simple daytime application or more dramatic evening looks, one four-pan eyeshadow palette that can be used a lot of different ways, and keeping as few brushes with me as possible.” 06 of 15 Don’t Switch Up Your Routine Too Much It’s tempting to pack all those tiny, travel products since they’re conveniently sized, but switching up your beauty routine too much isn’t ideal. “Your body likes consistency,” notes Matthew Waitesmith, a professional makeup artist with Artis. “If you mostly maintain your same makeup routine while traveling, your body will be less likely to overreact to all the environmental changes involved with travel.” Not to mention, a chill vacation isn’t necessarily a great time to experiment with a tricky new felt liner or foundation formula. You want reliability and ease. 07 of 15 Underfill to Reduce the Risk of Leaks Leaking liquid makeup is not just a big mess—it can mean you lose a lot of your product, too. McAlpin has a little trick that has kept her leak-free. "Only fill liquids three-quarters full, then squeeze out the air and secure the lid. A change in air pressure can cause liquids to expand, creating leaks." By not filling it to the brim, you leave room and reduce the chance of leaks. (But pack it inside a resealable plastic bag just in case!) 08 of 15 Decant Larger Items Whether you’re checking a bag or sticking to a carry-on, it’s wise to consolidate your products to save space and minimize the potential for messes. If any of your liquid products are over 3.4 ounces—the TSA cutoff size—decant them in a travel-size container. Alternatively, buy the travel-sized versions of your faves, Lo suggests. When you run out of the travel-size product, you can refill the packaging with your full-size product. 09 of 15 Protect Delicate Makeup The pain of seeing your favorite powder products broken is real. Avoid the distress by packing delicate items very well. You can do so with a fine bubble wrap (avoid anything too bulky). It also helps to “sandwich” your makeup bag, says Morgan. “Put your makeup bag in the middle of your suitcase with clothes surrounding it,” she says. “This sounds super funny, but it is the best way to keep things from shifting around and breaking. I typically like to put it in the middle with clothes underneath and on all sides. This has helped to avoid breakage.” 10 of 15 Consider the Climate While you don’t want to completely switch up your makeup routine, do take the climate into account. For example, if you’re heading somewhere really humid or plan to splash around in the ocean, swap in some waterproof makeup. Or if it’s going to be dry or hot, pack a face mist that helps set your makeup and keep your skin looking dewy all day. 11 of 15 Bring A Couple “Special Occasion” Items Along with your go-to makeup and skincare products, Waitesmith recommends packing a few makeup items that you associate with special occasions, such as a bold lipstick color or a pretty eyeshadow quad. He says, “You may want to be a bit more extravagant with your makeup colors or intensity to celebrate the special environment—like for a candlelight dinner.” 12 of 15 Pack a Compact Lighted Mirror “The lighting in your hotel or other accommodation mirror is unfamiliar, so it can be hard to judge whether the color or texture of the product you're using feels like it's flattering,” notes Patinkin. She says that a lighted makeup mirror can help squash this issue real fast. Choose one that’s slender and stands up on its own or has suction cups that adhere to a flat surface mirror. 13 of 15 Think Vertical McAlpin swears by hanging-style personal care kits. "Many European and boutique hotels have minimal counter space, so these bags are great for keeping essentials close at hand without items falling off pedestal sinks and breaking on tile floors." 14 of 15 Repurpose Containers Travel-specific containers are great, but you can get creative with what you use. "I use contact lens holders for small amounts of primer, eye moisturizer, etc.," McAlpin says. "Just label it with permanent marker on the lid." 15 of 15 Find Ways to Minimize Liquids If you're traveling carry-on only, your space for liquids is limited. While solid beauty and makeup products have become an important part of travel packing, McAlpin has some other ideas for carrying on her favorites. For fragrance, for instance, you can soak cotton balls with fragrance and pack in small leak-proof containers.

The 4 Active But CUTE Swimsuits I Bought To Play With My Kids On Spring Break (+ Our Favorite Past Swimsuit Posts)

It’s that special time of year (ha) – our tans aren’t on yet (well, they are for some of us LOL) and we usually aren’t as “ready” in all the ways we want to be, but alas swimsuit season is upon and we should feel great regardless. I mean it’s about to be warm and we can be outside as much as we want! Every year we do swimsuits post with different body sizes, preferences, price points, etc – but all driven by what we feel really good in because if you don’t, you won’t wear them. It’s not easy but when you have one you love it makes spring/summer life so much easier and is such a confidence boost. I have some new ones that I bought specifically for our Belize trip which was very, very active (think more spelunking and kayaking than cute beach outfits). So below you’ll find what I bought and wore for those purposes. I wore this rashguard suit no less than 6 times over the 10 days because the Caribbean sun was so hot on my fair flesh and reapplying sunscreen was its own full-time job (and not great for the water). And while the princess sleeves might be too cutesy for a lot of people, I’m telling you – this suit is FLATTERING. I had it in blue stripes (til I burst the zipper after wearing it 20 times) and in rainbow (which is admittedly a bit toddler-esque but I wore it during Pride month a lot). I don’t love the belt they sell with it, but if you are into belted suits that’s an add-on. So I just bought the red and love it. The other two styles had a bra shelf for support and this one didn’t, but I had already bought their matching red bikini top to go underneath it (shown in the photo). It’s a compression suit, meaning that it has 2-3 layers that hold you IN without being uncomfortable (I’m wearing a small). It is very smoothing and shows no little bumps and diminishes pouches if that’s of interest to you (it is for me). Yes, they are so expensive and I wish they weren’t. But I wore this suit snorkeling then to the pool then to lunch then to dinner, with swimshorts or those lightweight jean shorts – I lived in it. And I felt really cute and protected all day. 10/10 (but wish this one had the support shelf, TBD). OK. This is another magical suit from TA3 that frankly, makes your body look really hourglass-y (without the corset back). I wore this A LOT which Brian was thrilled about, LOL. I’m wearing a small and the bust is a bit small, but still fits (these TA3 suits are made for curvier gals to enhance and tuck, and boy do they work). If you have smaller love pillows you might not want this type of constriction nor will it be as figure-flattering. But for curvier ladies, it’s been game-changing. They also have long or short torso options. My only beef with this company is that I want less crazy bright colors. This comes in black which I’m going to buy as well after wearing and loving this one so much in Belize. Oh, and it’s a medium-rise in the leg which is so flattering and doesn’t cut in at all (but is a little bit cheeky in a good way). I would have shot it that way for this post but I had yet to get waxed before my trip, so… This one-piece is also a compression suit from Stylest and I love the square neck and the white stripes. I ended up wearing this one only once because I think I need to size up (this is a small) so I was spilling over the top a lot, and not in a good way. So I wish I had bought the medium instead (and still might). It also cuts in a bit around the thigh (low cut) but I think that’s due to being a bit too small. Ah, the famous Andie Malibu swimsuit. Five of my friends have this suit because it’s so easy to wear, comfortable, supportive (it has a shelf), and looks like a tank top so it is the best “around town on vacation” suit in case you should want to jump in (which we did). I wore this cave tubing, kayaking in the mangroves, and in town a bunch (as well as at the pool/beach). I would love a brighter blue version or stripes on it. It’s definitely my go-to in Portland for the hot tub, too. HUGE fan (and ready for some new colors!) 5 Non-Model Women Tested Summersalt’s Swimsuits – Here Are Their Reviews (And No Photoshopping, Ever) If you want to see the results of the most fun and empowering shoot of all time then click on this one. I love these women so much and was so grateful and proud that we all decided to cheer each other while modeling these really great swimsuits. Not every suit 100% worked for everyone so we give our honest reviews. Unphotoshopped Women Honestly Review Summersalt’s 3 Bestselling Swimsuits This post was our first Summersalt review post where we got to include a couple of our wonderful contributors. Again, always honest and never any photoshopping! Where To Buy ALL The Best Swimsuits (Affordable, Black Owned, AND Size-Inclusive) – Because I’ve Been Heavily Insta-Marketed, Believe Me Not all of our swimsuit posts still have the suits available but we did a post about 27 different swimwear brands that you can shop from if you are looking for some new options! Another Swimsuit Review: This Time On 27 Different Women With Different Bodies & Swimwear Needs This post is one of those that likely a lot of the suits aren’t available but I wanted to include it in this post because we did a reader call out where we asked if anyone had any swimsuit recommendations. They would just need to take a photo of them in their suit, write a little blurb, and then I would of course pay them since I know how vulnerable it can be putting yourself on the internet in a swimsuit. But wow were we blown away by these beautiful women! If you want a feel-good post as we enter swimsuit season, this is a great one. Hope this was helpful on the swimsuit search journey this year.

10 “Emily Henderson-Approved” Spring Blouses

Ihave a big shoot coming up in LA in a couple of weeks and I was tasked to find a wardrobe for a “fun, summer BBQ” which is obviously right up my alley (shooting in Orange County). I need 3-5 looks so I tried on a lot of tops (and a couple of dresses), and these are my favorites FOR SURE. So while I’m out of the country with my fam, here are some cute spring/summer blouses that I really love (just not sure I need ALL of them, but we’ll see). I haven’t really curated outfits yet, just dialing in the top first since that is what you’ll see the most, then I’ll pair it with the right pants/shorts. So if you are underwhelmed by the pants and shoes being the same I get that :) Love this. It’s a solid yes because it’s a good cut, a good color, the embroidery detail is great, and it’s lightweight enough for summer, but still has good structure. The little princess sleeves are so flattering. I can’t tell if I need to size up as it’s pulling a bit in the chest area (wearing a size small), but I love it. The pants are the barrel pants that I LOVE right now (button-fly making them more flattering and the length is perfect). The shoes were from last year and I hadn’t worn them yet (from Beek which is spendy, but I love their shoes so much). Another Sezane number that I thought would look good with white shorts (not these though). I love this top but my only beef with Sezane is that their fabric is often thick (which is great) but also long and with a straight hem, making them hard to 1/2 or even full tuck. This shirt is great on camera and has a lot of detail, but I wish it weren’t so thick so it could tuck better (and I have a short torso so if you have a longer torso you might not need to tuck). I love this blouse – a lot of detail, but still simple and easy to understand on camera I.e. not busy). It’s lightweight, has covered buttons, and that sweet little collar. I guess it’s all out of stock in this color (sorry!) even though I just bought it! Boo! 10/10 I LOVE THIS and just ordered the dress version to see if it could work as well. This blouse is so pretty and flattering and the second I put it on I was like “Oh wow, this is so good”. Extremely airy/lightweight, the colors are so pretty, the neckline so flattering, easy to tuck, pretty sleeve details – just perfect. I tried it with these cute new shorts which I really love (and they come in a lot of colors) but I think I like it with the pants more. I have this blouse in pink from last year which I love, but my only beef is that it’s really oversized intentionally. This is a small (I just ordered an XS to see if that would fit better). The pattern is so pretty and it’s so easy breezy to wear. Madewell did an almost exact knockoff of this shirt in white that is more affordable, but Doen has these pretty patterns. LOVE THIS. I’m wearing this top on spring break a lot because no one does, “I still look nice, but I’m not sticky” like Emerson Fry. Such an easy cut to wear, so lightweight, with beautiful colors and patterns. LOVE. Here is another one that is oversized (only comes in one size, actually) and I think a better summer shirt than for a photo shoot. Comes in a lot of colors and is so easy to wear. Love those shorts, A LOT. I was excited about this, but I think it’s giving safari in a way that I probably don’t want for my BBQ shoot. I love that top though, a lot. It’s a bit thicker (think denim weight) and is easy to tuck (and comes in a couple of other colors). This is a nice, sweet blouse, with cute denim shorts – no one is mad at this outfit, but maybe could be more fun? I’ve been wearing this shirt a ton since I got it – thin, but not too thin, drapey denim with ruffles (that are holding up well after washing/drying a few times FYI). I want it in the short-sleeved version like the white one, too. Those Gap Bermuda shorts are SOLID. I sent all of these to the client so we’ll see what they choose (and I have more to try on). However, if you are in the market for cute spring/summer blouses I really love all of these :)