Heidi Merrick Summer 2014

Once in while, something jolts me into thinking about how Californian I am. Brief daydreams about moving to New York, driving along Highway 1, suburban shopping malls, the memory of scraping ice off of my car with a flip flop during my year spent in Chicago, a childhood full of showering off sand after entire days spent at the beach — all of these make me realize how my location, for the most part, has been (beautifully) one left coast note. So I can relate to Heidi Merrick's designs.

She's the daughter of a renowned surfboard shaper, and her collections are inflected with a native-Californian accent (insert 'like' here). Gauzy blouses have a Mexicali vibe and vegan leather bikini bottoms and pencil skirts add a bit of urban edge to beachy, nautical striped shirts and glamorous, grown-up halter dresses. Not too dressed-up, they're perfect for wearing to the beach or hitting the city streets. Very LA. Of course, no one's going to sue you if you wear them east of Silverlake, so why not translate a bit of West Coast style to wherever?