Yesterday, I
tweeted something about it being hard to be “haute and hot. #torontoheatwave.” That pithy little nugget came to me as I was riding home on the subway. In addition to being assaulted by the salty odour of overheated bodies, I was surrounded by a parade of sizzling sartorial meltdowns.
 The top five fashion (and beauty) crimes?
1. Socks and Birkenstocks. (As a former granola-crunching veggie from Vancouver Island, I have a higher-than-normal tolerance for the earthy
sandals, but I draw the line at wearing them with socks.)
2. Mini—bordering on obscene—
shorts. We get it. It’s hot! (Sadly, however, said minis are reserved for the genetically blessed.) See above photo of Brazilian model on
Alexandre Herchcovitch‘s spring/summer runway. She has a "get out of fashion jail free" card.
3. The VPL (visible panty line), VBS (visible bra strap) and TMC (too much cleavage) ratio was disproportionately skewed beyond the occasionally acceptable teen demographic.
4. Furry legs, cracked heels, chipped
polish. Yeesh. (Resorting to infraction #1 is not an option.)
5. Leggings and crop tops. Just wrong. I’m not advocating a “
Royal Ascot diktat” —no bare shoulders or heads or high hemlines—just a little discretion and polished effort. What fashion infractions have you spotted this summer?