I'll let you in on a little secret of mine: I hate Vogue. As a self-proclaimed fashionista, I'm supposed to love Vogue and worship the ground Anna Wintour walks on, but I just can't bring myself to do it. I've read only one issue of Vogue in my life. So why, you ask, does this fashion-obsessed college girl hate Vogue?

To put it simply, Vogue lacks practicality. And where Vogue lacks practicality, Lucky makes up for it. I can't walk past a newstand without eyeing the latest issue, and I have especially become a devotee of the September issues. I buy the september issue every year in late July or early August and read it so many times that i practically know it by heart; then, once I have gotten this fall's trends down to a science, I begin the art of back-to-school shopping armed with the insider advice from my treasured September Lucky.

But, as I prepare for college life (less than two weeks left!), I'm heartbroken because even my dear Lucky has failed me in the practicality department. Their annual shoe guide was something I looked forward too; although most of the Manolos and Louboutins are out of my budget, Lucky always managed to sneak in a couple of gems from Old Navy or Target that us mere mortals could afford. However, this year not a single pair of shoes could be found for under $99. The annual fall trend guide was filled with pages of gorgeous looks and luscious clothes, but even the most stylish girls cannot pull these looks off at a Big 10 university in the Midwest. The tweed pencil skirts, high-waisted trousers, 4-inch platform heels, '50s style jackets, and the like are gorgeous, but I'm seriously concerned about the pull-off-ability of any of these on a college campus--especially all at once. One of my pet peeves in fashion is when people layer on too many trends at once. The key to looking pulled-together is being able to mix both casual and trendy pieces, both cheap and designer. It's all about mixing it up.

So in my next post? I'm going to be taking the key looks from Lucky's fall trend report and adding my own take on how to mix them up and make them work for college life.

Labels: Budget, Lucky