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The Pool is Open! Looking Good, from the Streets to the Beach

Now that summer has arrived, masks are coming off. What can you wear to feel special again? Swimsuits are a sign of good times ahead, eliciting memories of the ocean, vacations and resorts — essentially, a time people feel like they can escape. Wherever you find yourself, we encourage you to dig your toes in the sand, be you and enjoy your summer.

Along with myself, Looking Good’s Terance Coffee, body image activist Lindsay Rae and Avis Carter of JC Cover Me and Fashazon TV have tips to guide you back to the beach and the streets with confidence.

The C-Word

Lindsay Rae proudly wears a size 20 as she talks about the C-word: confidence.

“We hear people say the only way to be ready for the beach is if their body is in a specific shape that tends to be slender, tan and flawless,” which is impossible for all to achieve, she said.

Rae spreads her mission by telling people that the only thing it takes to enjoy summer from the beach to the streets is “a bathing suit and a body.” And SPF. Acknowledge and release the parts of your body that you struggle with, like stretch marks, scars or cellulite. “You don’t need to cover your body in order to feel safe when you go out,” Rae said.

On trending colors, Rae sees neutrals, yellow, pink and orange as swim essentials that work for everyone.

She advises her clientele to try a high-waisted black bottom as a flattering must-have for every woman’s summer kit. With the waistband hitting at one-and-a-half to two inches above the belly button, this style is a classic 1950s/1960s vintage silhouette.

Accessorize to make your style all your own with belts, fun glasses, big hats and sandals. As for SPF, Rae said, “Supergoop is our favorite. When we use sunscreen, we set the example for our kids that SPF is cool.”

Rae’s work revolves around stripping down societal standards of beauty as she guides women to overcome body insecurity and reclaim their self-worth. As a professional photographer, she uses tricks of the industry to disassemble negative thought patterns derived from the beauty propaganda we are all faced with. Find Lindsay Rae at bodyimageactivist.com or thebodyimageactivist on Instagram.

Wrap with Versatility

Avis Carter is a multi-faceted entrepreneur who created a line of head wraps and jewelry called JC Cover Me, is the producer of Fashazon TV on ZondraTV and has a book that is soon to be released.

Growing up as an African-American woman, Carter’s family believed in covering up. As she got older, she still covers up, which is why she shares the versatility of a wrap today. “You have to have fun with your fashion. Fashion is how you carry yourself throughout life. Wraps are your glam accessory for style,” Carter said.

A wrap allows your look to be transformed, and Carter recommends yellow as a powerful color choice for any style. Carter demonstrates the many chic styles that can be created with her wraps on Looking Good and her other platforms.

Carter is about to release her book, “If Not Him, Then For Whom,” a woman’s journey through love, marriage, tragedy and triumph. In this intensely personal memoir, she shares about the loss of her husband and how that experience taught her the hard lesson to “appreciate people while you are with them.”

Find Avis Carter at fashazon.com, jccoverme. com and on Facebook.

You’re Looking Good, Just As You Are

Your inner you matters! Looking Good hosts Daniella Platt and Terance Coffee help to guide you back to the beach and the streets with style.

Wear your swimsuit three ways. Men’s swimsuits are made with fabric that is useful for both the ocean and athleisure. Women can wear a one-piece swimsuit beyond the beach with short or pants to go out, or pop on a blazer for work or a meeting.

Embrace happy colors. Spread joy with colorful shades like aqua, orange and yellow. Color stimulates the brain, causing people to smile which elicits dopamine and other happy molecules.

Your body is your temple. “Even if you put on some pounds during COVID, it’s okay,” Coffee said. “Be patient with your body. Love yourself first.” Try wearing a cover up if you need a gateway back to the beach and focus on being confident and in the moment.

To hear more from Lindsay Rae and to see Avis Carter demonstrate wrapping techniques, tune into the lifestyle and fashion talk-show, Looking Good with Daniella & T. Coffee on ezway.tv or lookinggoodwithdaniellaandtcoffee.com. You can also find other episodes for inspiring stories from creatives who do it all, despite it all.

Daniella Platt is a creative producer and fashion lifestyle brand strategist at Looking Good YAYA Communications. If you have an idea you want to create, a message to get out, or an event/product to promote, reach out to her. Find her best-selling book, classes and connect at daniella.today.