The thing about those last long, lazy days of summer, which is both good and bad, depending on your outlook (and the condition of certain body parts), is that you can’t hide in a feed sack anymore (aka long-sleeved turtleneck sweaters, pants, thigh-high boots, hats, and gloves.) It’s hot. You remove clothing, not put it on. This means that parts of your body (your toes and legs and arms and perhaps your mid sections) are going to be on display. Here are the top 10 mid-summer style tips.

10. Switch to sandals

Get a great pair of sandals that are not only good-looking but comfortable and supportive. This is one of the most basic summer style tips you need to remember.

9. Shorten your hemline

Invest in a short (knee length) dress (and it doesn’t have to be costly) that can be worn alone or with a shrug or shawl or cardigan sweater or jacket when you go out at night or are sitting by a bonfire at the beach. Patterned or floral dresses are lovely in the summer. Wear some color. It’s summertime! The dress can be worn casually or, once again, dressed up with jewelry, shoes, and a more glamorous hairstyle for nighttime events.

8. Get some vitamin D

Allow yourself to get a little sun, just don’t overdo it. Everyone can use a dose of vitamin D. Wear sunscreen religiously, which is one of the summer style tips you should never put on the back burner. Use face products that contain SPF so that your face always has some protection. Back off on the heavy-handed make-up that you wear during the winter months. You don’t need that much. Your natural vitally and zest and a touch of sun on your face can do wonders for your appearance. Let your skin breathe!

7. Buy some capris

Another style tip includes having at least one pair of well-fitting capris (cropped pants) in a neutral color that you can slip on in a hurry and still look good. You won’t be hot and you won’t be exposing more than you want to. Cropped pants look great with sandals, flats, or a wedged heel. In fact, in recent years cropped pants have become rather synonymous with summer and the casual and relaxed (maybe?) atmosphere of the season. This type of pants has been worn for 60 years. They were previously called pedal pushers or clam diggers.

6. Collect some basic tees

Everyone needs a basic but fun t-shirt that you can throw on over a bathing suit, with shorts, jeans, or a long or short skirt. T-shirts are like blue jeans: You can get a lot of mileage out of them, particularly in the summer, and you can dress them up or down. Don’t ever miss this one of the easiest summer style tips.

5. Get into that bathing Suit

Even if you haven’t worn one in a long time, get over it, take the plunge, and buy a bathing suit. It’s already the middle of summer – you’re not getting skinnier before Fall. There are many accommodating and flattering styles out there nowadays including top and bottom combos that you can mix and match until you come up with something that you’re not only comfortable with but actually like. You can pretty much hide, tuck in, conceal and camouflage those parts that give you grief. If you love swimming and frolicking on the beach or by the pool then for heaven’s sake do it.

4. Pamper your feet

Splurge and get a pedicure. Your feet are on display during the summer. It is well worth the time and effort, and your pleasure, to get a professionally pedi. You won’t regret it and you may like the results so much that you become a habitual pedicure. You don’t have to have a foot fetish to appreciate the look of nice, slightly tanned feet with beautiful color on neatly trimmed toenails. (Hey, you can buy fake nails if you’re in a pinch. Glue ‘em on!) Keep up your look with spa products for your feet. In a time pinch? Massage your feet and nails with olive oil. This is a wonderful product from your kitchen. Your nails and feet will shine, and your skin will be smoother and softer.

3. Slather on the moisturizer

Moisturize your skin like a maniac. You should be doing this year-round but especially during the summer when your skin is exposed to sun and water. There are some great skin moisturizers out there that are quite affordable. Some of them make your skin glow, while others make your skin sparkle, and most of them do the basic job of keeping your skin hydrated. There is nothing pretty about dry, creepy, parched skin. You could be wearing the Hope Diamond and no one is going to notice if your skin looks like something from the Day of the Dead.

2. Love an easy hairstyle

If you are in and out of the water a lot, swimming, skiing, snorkeling, tubing (doesn’t matter what your FUN choice is) it’s a big pain to have to wash your hair before you go out at night. So, don’t. Use some spray conditioner, tousle your hair or pull it back and go. Use a diffuser to dry your hair a little, or a lot, if you want to, or don’t do anything at all after you have applied the stay-in conditioner. Messed-up, unkempt hair is quite sexy, and it goes hand and hand with the beach look. Consider wearing a hat. This, too, will hide what you don’t want others to see, and wearing one during the day can protect your hair from the ravages of the sun.

1. Wear a maxi dress

You actually can cover up still look amazing and also stay cool. Slip into one of the gorgeous maxi dresses that you will find everywhere mid-summer. Your arms and shoulders and parts of your back will be exposed, but your legs and mid-section won’t be. (No one will know you haven’t shaved your legs in days.) You can wear it day or night, at the pool, while shopping, when going on. Dress it up or down, accordingly to the time of the day or the occasion. A maxi dress is just like wallpaper: It covers a multitude of sins, but no one will ever suspect that’s what you are doing.

Contributed by Cindi Pearce, Catalogs.com Top 10 Guru