US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton poses with French President Nicholas Sarkozy
in her signature pantsuit and kitten heel combo.

Fashion critic Tim Gunn slammed Hillary Clinton on Lopez Tonight this week saying that due to her affinity for pantsuits he "think[s] she's confused about her gender". This is not the first time the television host has teased the US Secretary of State's monotonous wardrobe choices, but this time it got me thinking: is Hillary actually doing women a disservice by dressing like a man in her powerful position?

If pants are truly how the lady rolls, then okay—personal style is of the utmost importance. But if she is choosing a menswear-filled wardrobe to assert herself as a woman of authority, than that's saying something, isn't it?

 The new Spanx Wrap & Go Shaper for the gym.

Admittedly, it's been a long time since I stepped foot in a gym. I gave up my membership years ago in favour of a yoga studio (which I've also been embarrassingly absent from these days).

What I do remember most about my classic fitness on the elliptical, though, are the outfits. Hot-to-trot gals strutted around the weight room in spandex pants and barely-there bra tops, often with their hair perfectly pulled back and their faces far too polished to be makeup-free. Rather than feel embarrassed by my usual ribbed tank-meets-cut-off sweat shorts get-up, I always felt embarrassed for them instead. I mean, it's understandable to want to show off your hard work, but could your clothes get any tighter? Oh yes they can. And they just did.

The Row's $39,000 crocodile backpack.

Yesterday I went on a purse finding mission. I wore the same French Connection black leather bag for 3 straight years, through the seasons, until it shred into bits, and since then I've adopted my boyfriend's black canvas sling bag (his "travel bag", ahem, murse). While I love it, I'm getting the distinct impression that he wants it back (he told me), so there I went into the heart of sale season looking for a bargain bag.

Today I sit empty handed.

Since bras and boobs have been such a hot topic on this blog lately, I've been looking forward to your thoughts on Madonna's new foray into lingerie for tweens.

The legendary pop star and her daughter Lola have recently expanded their Material Girl clothing line to include intimates, body products, makeup, and party dresses. Among the intimates is a push up bra… err, pardon me, the "Mega Bump Push Up" bra.

As I type, my back is a glowing shade of pink. In my infinite wisdom this weekend I lathered up with sunscreen post-shower and decided that I would ask one of my friends to coat my back once we got down to the cottage dock. I forgot (obviously) and am now suffering the consequences.

This is not the first time I've fried my back - out of sight, out of mind, I suppose. And there are other major culprits you should bear in mind while applying sunscreen during these steamy summer months:

The last few days of scorching temps have been great for people watching. I think it's so interesting to see how others cope with the heat and how they dress to bear it. Some have shocked me in their long denim pants and closed toed shoes; others have made me flinch with their nearly-naked looks; but truth be told, many have impressed me. I've seen quite a few inventive ways to beat the heat, from long airy linens à la Middle East to my new favourite: hand fans.

Unlike some of my friends who've been slammed with upwards of 8 weddings this summer (no joke), I've got four on the calendar. However with one down and three to go, I'm having late on-set wardrobe panic. Normally I don't sweat too hard over what to wear to events, and weddings in particular since everyone's eyeing the bride anyhow, but these three remaining fêtes have very specific needs.

I first took note of red and pink's magical combination when Flare's fashion director (and my style icon) Elizabeth Cabral paired the two colours with gold Doc Martens at Paris Fashion Week. Something about the punchy combo spoke to me, and since I've been noticing it more and more.

Hot enough for you? Apparently global warming decided to kick it into high gear this summer and as a result I've been pumping the AC, which I normally detest. This weekend, however, I couldn't very well hang indoors - I mean sure, it's sticky, but it's also sunny and I loooove me some sun. So I hit up a patio with some friends in the coolest tube top and skirt combo I could come up with.

Turns out another lovely lady had the same idea—in fact she even had the same tube top. The big difference? While I sweat through my strapless bra, there she sat, nipples out, livin' it up in.

Now before I come off like a prude, I'm really not. I often skip out on a bra and there's no day like a scorcher to do it, but there are a few key rules I always obey:

 
Lauren Conrad's multi-coloured dip-dyed locks.

I am desperately in love with colour right now. It started with a yellow and pink aztec rug for my new apartment, and has since carried over into a bright red bracelet, pink lace dress, and most recently a fabulous pair of cobalt blue suede pumps.

The only place this colour fetish has yet to reach is my hair. It appears, however, as if I'm the only one. Celebs are crazy for coloured hair this season and I'm not just talking about blonde and red—Hollywood is hitting up the rainbow for its latest hues.