The dog days of summer are the perfect time to hang out on a screened porch. But in Alexandria, Virginia, so are April and October, so Convene Architecture designed this screened porch to act more like a three-season family room!

Dressing in the summer can be a real pain, especially if you are not a sundress girl—which I am not. I really wish it wasn’t the case, but it is. Of course, I wear a ton of Tibi, but sometimes I just need really casual options. I think a lot of our clients do as well.

Somewhere in the last two years, “trad girlfriend” became an aesthetic — the linen aprons, the sourdough, the soft-spoken devotion to running someone else’s household before there’s a ring involved. As a family law attorney, I keep meeting women on the other side of this arrangement — some who chose it deliberately, some who just slowly stopped working and never quite noticed the ground shift under them. The law has the same answer for both. It doesn’t care whether you posted about it: you have no rights.

Even though we just unpacked our final shipment of Tibi Summer, we also just unpacked our first delivery of Tibi fall. This is the first of three fall deliveries and it always starts with what Tibi calls the fundamentals–pieces that you know work, help you feel like yourself, but also help you wear more creative pieces because they make the rest of your outfit feel grounded. Tibi would call these the WOFs or the Without Fails, and as a Tibi loyalist, I couldn’t agree more.

Some trends come and go. Others have a way of making a space feel timeless. One of our favorite design elements right now is the return of the table lamp. There's something undeniably inviting about the soft glow of a lamp nestled among flowers, linens, and fine china. It instantly makes a tablescape feel layered and intentional, adding depth in a way that overhead lighting simply can't.

It’s hard to believe the Fourth of July holiday is past and we are headed for yet another summer sale markdown. I always feel like July 4th is really the true start of summer. We still have tons of great warm-weather items on sale, and the prices keep getting better. All sale clothing is now marked at 50 percent off, both in-store and online. Shoes and handbags are 60 percent off as well.

As I walk downhill along a familiar winding path through the woods toward the water's edge, the canopy slowly opens, and the weight of the forest gives way to the enveloping blue of the night. It is a blue that defies description, a color beyond language, and one that has always been a tonic for my soul.

There's a piece of jewelry in almost everyone's collection that's been waiting a little too long for some attention — a loose stone, a clasp that's seen better days, a ring that no longer fits quite right. At Mystique Jewelers, we believe those pieces deserve to be worn, not tucked away in a drawer. That's why our Master Goldsmith is here in Old Town Alexandria, ready to bring your favorites back to life.