Sometimes, being outwardly feminine has less to do with wearing tight, tiny things, and more  to do with the sort of Riviera-style that Sofia Sizzi creates for her label, Giulietta New York.

The SS2012 collection brings an effortless sensibility that sits well with the idea of dressing for comfort, without scrimping on that womanly allure. 

That black columnar dress? It'll go perfect with flat sandals and a tuck-away clutch for an evening stroll to dinner on some far-flung mountainside. 

And that white shift with the mosaic-style border is just the kind of thing to be worn straight from the city to said mountain vacay, no?

I'm beginning to love this Florentine designer's approach to dressing...

NB Images Courtesy Giulietta

Being West Indian means that my idea of 'sandal weather' is tied up with feeling the blistering heat of the sun from as early as 7:00am; getting the remnants of a cold midday breeze in late May always discourages me from baring my toes...

But after months of wearing thick socks, boots and closed shoes, isn't that exactly what one longs to do once colder temperatures recede - bare the toes?

My solution has been to get shoes like Loeffler Randal's 'Annie' wedge, where there's a teeny bit of skin exposure happening - to trick me into thinking it's a full-on sandal - but the sleek closed-toe prevents any stray winds from completely chilling out my feet.

The fact that such a shoe could also be worn with stockings a few months later in the fall sells the whole idea, as well...

NB Image Courtesy Loeffler Randall

Everyone worth their weight in art-world credibility has something to say about Aurel Schmidt's art being about social detritus. Or sexual angst. Or human decay, whether physical or otherwise. And maybe, all of these things are true about the works created by the New York-based, British Columbia-born contemporary artist. 

However, I wonder what the artist herself would say; is she just having a private laugh over this emotive depth attributed to her work? Or is she onto something with her deceptively saccharine, yet grotesque drawings: that within the stinking flotsam-and-jetsam of our lives, there floats some sort of deeper understanding?

I should seek her out and ask what's really at play...

For now, all I know is that I like what I see in Schmidt's work, and that her technical skill is extremely impressive. And that I'm a bit of a fool for snoozing on Exhibition A's limited edition print of her Count the Crows work (above), which is now sold out. 

Meant to benefit RX Art and the Middle Eastern Children's Alliance by by 'sending humanitarian aid, supporting projects for children and educating North American and international communities about the effects of the US foreign policy on children in the region,' Count the Crows stands as a simple, yet intriguing introduction into Schmidt's fantastical universe of 'pretty-mess.'

If you also missed out on this Exhibition A print, perhaps Reveries of a Lost Mask Life , a recent Morel Books publication of works by Schmidt and the poet Franz Wright, will tide you over...

NB Image Courtesy Exhibition A