Elegance Advised for Newport Music Festival

The Newport Music Festival celebrates its 42nd season starting July 9. The world-renowned event includes 65 concerts over the next month, featuring 35 artists from 14 countries. The program for this year's festival, which includes season-long tributes to Frederic Francois Chopin and Robert Alexander Shumann, is particularly special because it is the last one selected by Artistic Director Dr. Mark P. Malkovich, III, who died suddenly in a car accident in late May after 36 years at the festival's helm.

With three to five concerts offered each day, there are plenty of opportunities to attend this wonderful event, and attend you should. For what's more civilized than listening to chamber music among the walls of the famed Gilded Age "cottage" The Breakers (the location for most of the evening concerts)?

As such, it is necessary to have the perfect outfit for such a divine occasion. Patch plans to help you out with this event and others throughout the coming months.

For the music festival, we recently visited one of Newport's Michael Hayes Clothing locations to get some ideas of what to wear. Buyer Patty Hayes advised that there are many options that would be appropriate for the event, but she selected a Nicole Miller ruched stretch satin dress in Sapphire ($440) as the perfect choice.

"It's flattering on all body types because of the ruching, which hides imperfections but still shows your shape," Hayes said.

Jewelry is also a must. For this particular dress, Hayes recommended the following accessories: Jewels by Steve Vauvel, including 18K Vermeil and Faceted Blue Quartz Earrings ($665), a Heart Swirl Gold Chain Necklace ($1,775), and a Large Rectangle Link Bracelet ($1,215). To complete the look, try a pair of Gold Moschino Cheap and Chic Heels ($395).

Michael Hayes Clothing is located at 202 Bellevue Avenue and at 19 Bowen's Wharf.

For more information on the festival and to purchase tickets, visit www.newportmusic.org.