People often come to me asking what the new trend is. After working in the fashion industry for 30 years (yes, 30!) and living in this beautiful country, I have to offer this advice: you should always adapt today’s popular trends to the place where you live.

We must fuse fashion with reality. It is one thing to be out walking around in New York City, and quite another walking in Tamarindo. You can simply take your high-fashion city glamor and turn it into more jungle-like couture.

Let’s start with your shoes. High heels? A big no on these roads we navigate in this part of the world. But you can still find your stride and feel tall wearing cool wedges. Sandals are a great option, especially if they are waterproof, because you can rinse out the mud or sand with a hose as soon as you get back to your vacation villa. One of my favorites is the Grendha brand — the perfect mix of fashionable sandal and flip-flop, fancy but also water resistant.

This year the color of summer is saffron, or as some call it, marigold. I really believe it is the perfect color for Costa Rica, symbolic of the rising sun and positive thoughts. Can we call it the pura vida color?

Animal print and camouflage are still ongoing trends, both ideal for the jungle. Coming back: wait for it … polka dots! Yes, again we’ll be seeing bigger and more colorful dots in every type of outfit. Fringes are showing up too, from cover-ups to accessories, finding their way through summer.

So this is a glimpse of the coming fashion season. Get the tropical version of these trends and make them suitable for wearing out and about in our endless summer locales.

Remember, in fashion, there is nothing worse than being dressed for a different kind of show.