Someone asked me an interesting question recently: why do I choose to read fashion blogs over other fashion publications? Personally, I love fashion blogs because of the wide range of perspectives, the multitude of blogs out there, and the frequent updates--as opposed to waiting for your new issue every month. Aside from Lucky magazine, which I adore, I've pretty much made the transition from magazines over to blogs seamlessly. Here's a few that I've become particularly obsessed with lately, as I waste my winter break free time on the internet:

Sharplily: I think this website's slogan "sweet finds for smart girls" definitely resonates with many college students. I, for one, have never been particularly capable when it comes to financial matters, especially when dealing with my shopping habits. I absolutely LOVE Sharplily because not only do they feature tons of "sweet finds" on a budget, but read their "about" page and you'll find that they agree with me that style is not just for those with money. Though it maybe a challenge, those of us less blessed in the monetary arena can be just as stylish as the Park Avenue Princesses.

StyleDiary: This site is fun because you get to browse through the creator's never-ending slideshow of creative outfits, but the articles are even better, in my opinion. I love the features, such as the new Chicago shopping guide (since everyone at TCW is based in Chicago, we looove this), and the "toolbox" articles never fail to offer interesting perspectives and helpful tips ranging from new year's eve outfits to how to recover from a fashion slump. Plus, you can join MyStyleDiary and create your own lookbook of outfits. Personally, I have nowhere near the amount of time necessary for a StyleDiary, but it looks like fun!

Ivy League Chic: Here's another blog devoted to college life and fashion. The writer is a student at Cornell and always has a fresh perspective to offer on such things as Lindsay Lohan's deteriorating style, the differences between Miss America and Miss USA (trust me...it's interesting), and my favorite topic, "Sheep Style"...aka the style of millions of fashion-impaired college girls across America.

Almost Girl: This is the personal blog of Julie Fredrickson, founder of Coutorture Media. What I love about Almost Girl is that Julie, a University of Chicago graduate who dubbed her blog "Where Plato and Prada Meet," blogs about both fashion, life, news, arts, culture, media, politics...her blog is a veritable smorgasbord of not only fashion but everything else interesting about life.

Hope everyone is having a great holiday!

Labels: advice, Budget, links

Girls, check out the Arden B sale - there's some fantastic stuff going at really great prices!

Labels: Budget, Sale

Finally found my camera cable, so I can share my disappointment over the Roland Mouret for Gap Product(RED) dress. This was the only dress left in the 5th Avenue store when I went last Monday, and I shall assume that the people who snatched up all the other dresses have some sense, therefore concluding that the other dresses must have been far better (or atleast less disappointing).

The cut left much to be desired, the drape was awful, and the fabric was some sort of rough, scratchy blend. Look at the drooping hem. God only knows what they were thinking. It could've been such a cute dress. The neckline's attractive, if unoriginal, and the sleeves could've been quite sexy if they hadn't been so excessively long. This was the smallest size and it looked and felt like a sack on me.

Needless to say, I did not end up fulfilling my Roland Mouret craving.

Was anyone else lucky (and efficient) enough to pick up one of the other dresses? What did you think?

Labels: Budget, cheap chic

While Aparna likes to rhapsodize about 890-dollar Marc Jacobs dresses and such, I will admit that I am perpetually broke and thus have neither the right nor the desire to write about clothes I clearly cannot afford. These days, my bank statements are depressing, my income is dismal, and even my morning coffee is starting to become a luxury I may have to cut back on.

But if there's one thing I've learned, it's this: Style is not just for the rich.

Sure the rich have money to buy nice things, but money doesn't guarantee style. Being a broke college student temporarily does not have to stop anyone from looking and feeling great. It's all about being a budget fashionista: one who tries to get as much fashion bang for her buck as possible. Especially during the holiday season, it's easy to feel bad about oneself if your finances are in as shabby a state as mine and you're scrambling to find affordable gifts for everyone on your list while also finding cute winter clothes for every party/appearance you have to make. Look no further, because in the next one to two days I will start putting up a series of posts on holiday gifts under $20 and winter fashion finds under $30. Hopefully I'll be able to get at least one posts under each category online later tonight :-) Happy holidays everyone!

Labels: Budget

Tomorrow is the first day of December - leaving aside my amazement at just how fast this year has gone, I am excited because Roland Mouret's collection for Gap opens in NYC stores sometime soonish! I am honestly a little bit tired of Gap, but I am crossing my fingers that RM won't disappoint. I really like the red t-shirt dress, especially because I've been trying to think of some way to support the Inspi(red) campaign without having to plaster a slogan across my chest.



Items underlined in red on my itinerary for NYC trip next week (yeah I was just there for Thanksgiving but I was sitting at uncle's house eating and playing with adorable cousin, only ventured into Manhattan for a couple of hours the day I arrived, so This Is My Chance) --

Gap store
Uniqlo store
An Earnest Cut & Sew

I will add more things as I think of them. If any of you are reading from NYC kindly suggest more stores to visit (affordable, preferably, though I am equally wont to go into, say, Tiffany&Co to ogle baubles.)

Labels: Budget, cheap chic, news

I am SO EXCITED about this. I don't think this collaboration has even been officially announced yet -- I found the pictures on the Jane Magazine Dress&Primp blog, Catherine scanned them in from the invitation to the launch. This looks like the most promising line I've seen so far from Target Go International. Behnaz Sarafpour was exciting but I was a little disappointed by the clothes. This line, however, looks wearable and cute and very very Proenza. I wish I could see the front view of the coat because it looks adorable.

Labels: Budget, cheap chic, news

The collection opened on Thursday in New York, as soon as I get the time I will be checking out H&M in Chicago to see what it's like. I hear that there's a lot of romantic embellishment - bows and hearts, which sounds a little... busy for my tastes, but I'll give it a chance.

From FashionWireDaily, "It was, in fact, hard to find a Viktor and Rolf's women's item that was not festooned with one or the other, from the heart buckle on a pouf-skirted trench coat to the white, quilted-heart puffer jacket to the delicate bow print that snaked across t-shirts and sweaters to the outsized chiffon bow that engulfed the torso of the V and R wedding dress - the first in H and M's 59-year history (and, at $349, a relative steal compared to the duo's usual couture-level bridal price tags)."

The outfit below is definitely worth further investigation. I love the Edwardian-style blouse, very romantic. The skirt's cute but not something I'd wear in the winter, most probably. Might look cute and slightly edgy with tights and high boots. Especially those gorgeous over-the-knee Ralph Laurens that are currently being sported by everyone who can afford them! But if you are fortunate enough to be wearing those boots with this skirt, streamline the top or else the whole outfit is going to be Trend Overload.


To check out more pictures of the collection, see this post at Fabsugar.

Sounds like it's worth taking a look at, at the very least! If any of you get the chance to check it out, please report back to let the rest of us know what you think!

Labels: Budget, cheap chic, news

I am a huge fan of Roland Mouret's designs so this is exciting news indeed. My personal opinion is that the grey shapeless (caftan? shirtdress? nightshirt?) thing on the left is really not the most flattering dress you could go for, but the navy dress in the middle is Really Cute and the red on the right is great great burst of colour for a winter wardrobe, and it's tres chic when layered over a striped or printed top. Also loving the tights and cute mary-janes. Definitely try this look if you can get away with minidresses and tights this winter (in other words, if you're not already freezing your butt off in, say, Chicago!)



From Women's Wear Daily:

"The American retailer has linked with British designer Roland Mouret to launch a capsule collection of dresses, mainly in select stores in Europe but also at a handful of units in New York. The collection will arrive in 160 Gaps in the U.K., Ireland and France on Nov. 7 and should hit the New York stores a few weeks later, according to Stephen Sunnucks, president of Europe, Gap Inc. International.

"A very small selection will go into six or seven Manhattan stores by late November, early December," Sunnucks said Monday during a press breakfast to unveil the line, which will be on sale only until the end of December."

I will definitely put Gap on my to-go list when I'm in New York this December. I'd love to score that navy dress.

Labels: Budget, cheap chic, news

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