As some of us get ready to head back to school this weekend or next weekend, it has dawned n me how impossible it will be to cram everything in my bags and hop a bus back to campus. Coming home in December, I could barely zip my bags shut with all the clothes I was bringing home. But now, after much winter break shopping, I am coming back to school with several more tops and accessories, a couple pairs of jeans I had left at home at Thanksgiving, and four more pairs of shoes than I came home with (I know, I'm horrible!). I'm also very partial to the layering look, which means I always overpack and want every article of clothing with me at school because I might want to layer it with something!

I'm sure I'm not the only one worrying about how to pack up all my stuff without having to leave anything at home, so here's a few helpful packing tips I've compiled for everyone who's heading back to campus soon:

-Start by organizing now. You probably have much more stuff to take back to school this time around, and it probably is scattered all around your house as opposed to your tiny dorm or apartment, so start early by getting eveything together to make sure you don't forget anything. If it helps, make a checklist to keep everything organized

-Pack as you go. If this is your last week of winter break, you're probably busy seeing old friends, spending time with family, and cramming in last-minute errands, so do a little bit of packing everyday so it doesn't overwhelm you. Everytime you do laundry, pack a few more things.

-If you're taking a plane, don't forget the TSA regulations on liquids and gels. You do not want to be the girl who has to throw away her entire makeup bag in the airport.

-Make sure you have an extra-sturdy, cushioned, extra-protective laptop bag. You don't want anything to happen to that precious laptop while in transit.

-Make the most of luggage limits. I'm taking a bus, and the bus only allows one large suitcase to be thrown under the bus, one carry-on, and one purse, which is not really a lot. So I plan to maximize that by taking the roomiest suitcase I can find in my house, stuffing as many little items as I can into the side pockets and extra spaces in my oversized laptop bag, taking a tote as a purse so I can fit more stuff in there, and taking one more carry-on than the bus allows since they never bother me about it. If you're taking a plan, train, or bus, make the most of what you're given! If you've got a car....well, you're a lucky girl!

-Make sure your rolling suitcase has sturdy, high quality wheels. One time on a vacation, one of the wheels broke off my suitcase, making it an absolute pain to drag around. Don't let that happen to you!

Enjoy the rest of your break if you're still at home!

Labels: advice, college fashion, college life, how to, packing

New Years Eve outfits have always been a big deal to me. You want to look fantastic and stylish but, you don't want to look like you're trying too hard. In a perfect world, aka in my dreams, all parties would be posh cocktail parties and everyone would be wearing cocktail dresses and 4-inch Louboutins.

Right. So, I don't know how many of you have parties like that to attend. Much to my disappointment, I don't, and wearing a cocktail dress to New year's eve would probably seem a little crazy to everyone I know. With that in mind, here is my number one suggestion for finding a great new year's eve outfit for a fun, yet laidback NYE with friends: head to your local Forever21.

First of all, never underestimate the power of stores like forever21 on new year's eve. I know their stuff isn't particularly exciting or even well-made, but they have tons of cheap, cute, flashy tops that are perfect for one-time use on new year's eve. Personally, I like this one and maybe even this one if you really like sequins (their website won't let me post pictures). It doesn't hurt that everything at forever21 works for college student budgets, too.

Pair your top of choice with dark slim jeans or a cute skirt, and don't forget to add amazing shoes (I'm going with silver ballet flats), a cute little clutch or shoulder bag, and just the right accessories, like tiered chandelier earrings, a chunky gold necklace, or a slew of colorful bangles. One terrific standout accessory should be just enough.

Happy New Year's Eve!

Labels: advice, new years eve

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

This is a very tricky trend, I know a lot of people hate the ankle boot revival because they feel that it's yet another unfortunate throwback to 80s fashion, it only works for 6-foot-tall supermodels, it makes legs look chopped-up and all that jazz. However, fashion is about taking risks. And just like boyfriend sweaters, ankle boots are very hot if you know how to wear them right. That said, I believe that experimenting should not come at the cost of aesthetics, so Use Your Judgement. And the more experimental looks in this case should probably be reserved for those of you blessed with legs up to there.

The hardest look to pull off is bare legs and ankle boots. It can, however, work if the boots don't cover your ankle fully and if the colour matches your dress.

A safer route is to wear opaque (or sheer but dark) tights. If you have extremely long legs, you can experiment a little bit with the colour of the tights. If not, go for a colour that matches the colour of the boots so that the line of your leg will remain unbroken.
Even if you do have long legs, the best thing is to stick to dark colours or colours in the same family as the colour of the boots. Too much variation can be just as bad as bare legs. An elongating monochrome look would be very stylish. For instance, I just ordered this black wool skirt (on sale for $29.99!) from Gap, which I'll be wearing with black tights and black ankle boots. I'll probably add a dash of colour on top, but I'm going to stick to dark tones.

Or try longish leggings with just a hint of skin showing above the boot. I know public opinion is that leggings are so not cool anymore, but I think this is one case in which wearing leggings wouldn't have the fashion police chasing after you with sirens blaring. Especially with a long sweaterdress or a gorgeous tunic, this would be very chic indeed.

Trousers arguably don't let you show off your stylish boots to their fullest advantage, but trousers are much easier to work with. Almost any kind of trousers will be fine, and long after ankle boots have gone out of style, you can wear them with trousers and no one will be any the wiser that you're wearing something so (gasp!) untrendy.

Skinny jeans can be great with ankle boots as Kate and Sienna have demonstrated to the world, but like I've said a thousand times - most girls, unfortunately, are not Kate and Sienna. Which means, if you're uncomfortable with skinny jeans, don't make yourself a slave to fashion.

If you are going the skinny jean route, look at this picture of Mary-Kate, it's hilarious because that's an awful shirt, clearly it was the hairstylist's day off, and those boots bear startling resemblance to medieval torture devices (I think they're Balenciaga, am I right?) but ironically it illustrates a good way to wear ankle boots, even for petite girls like the Olsen twins.
Just do it with a bit more flair - lose the plaid shirt, go for something equally striking but more feminine, flowing, sexy. And don't make it a very high maintenance look. Don't just walk out with MK's bedhead but keep things simple. With your skinny jeans showing off those great boots, keep the other accessories to a minimum.

Or wear your ankle boots with a pair of cute pinstriped trousers. This look would work for internships, interviews, etc, and you'd feel confident and stylish without showing your (future) employers too much attitude.

Try ankle boots with straight-leg jeans or slightly flared jeans. Just don't wear them with widelegged trousers, because that's going to make you look like you have ambitions of working in the circus.

If you're feeling courageous, you could try ankle boots with cropped pants. Top it off with a killer jacket and it could work -- give it a shot if you're feeling experimental, but I would say this would be best if you had really long, lean legs.
Add a healthy dose of confidence and ready, set, GO!

(By the way, a trick for making your legs look longer-than-long in a hot minidress: wear nude shoes. Even Cameron Diaz with her Hollywood legs works this look.)

Labels: advice, boots, how to, shoes

Question: "So I have a question I know you all can answer.I'm from Florida. I am a flip flop connoisseur. I own 30 pairs and wear nothing else unless I absolutely have too. But I really need something else in my shoe wardrobe!! Something for winter and something a flip flop girl would be comfortable in (but not uggs) I've been looking at boots, but my calves are usually too big to fit in them (its the running, its good for your heart, bad for making your calves larger than boots) and the fact they're high-heeled which isn't usually comfortable. Do you have any other ideas? I'm also going to Paris in March where it's in the 40's, so Im looking for something fashionable and comfy to wear around walking everywhere.Thanks for anything you can find! I love TCW!"

Dear reader: You've come to the right place! I'm not much of a runner myself (not motivated enough...props to you for being healthy!) but I feel your pain about finding shoes that are both comfortable and fashionable, something that is very important to all of us here at TCW (and by all of us, I mean Aparna and I).

Although it may seem like the only options for a college girl as far as boots are Uggs and heels, there are plenty of other options out there (and thank GOD. I'm sick of Uggs. My friend commented the other day that she wanted to buy a pair and I told her I sincerely hope she never jumps on that bandwagon...). Here's some things you can look for in boots:

• Wedge boots. Personally, I think wedge-heeled boots look even cuter than normal high-heeled boots, and they're a bit more comfortable with the solid heel and everything. I'm in love with these wedge boots. And because they're from Dr. Scholl's, you know they're guaranteed to keep your feet comfy.
• Flat boots. If the wedge heel is still too much for you, you're in luck, because since last winter, flat boots have been a hit, too. While flat boots may not always appear to be the most fashionable of choices, there are plenty of cute ones if you know where to look. Try Zappos.com and Overstock.com for starters--both have plenty of options at college-friendly prices. Even Old Navy has a couple cute flat boot options.
• Stretchy boots. These are extremely helpful for those with toned calves, because they stretch to fit your leg and don't constrain you to a certain amount of space. In fact, Zappos.com has a whole section devoted to stretch/wide calf boots, which I highly recommend to anyone in need of stretch boots--there's a very bountiful selection there :-)

STAY AWAY FROM FURRY STUFF. It's just a cheap Ugg imitation, and especially if you plan on wearing these in Paris, anything fur-lined will just scream "american fashion disaster." Or rather, "une americaine qui n'est pas en mode." Or "tres depuis trois ans" (so three years ago). Or whatever. You know, my french is really, really rusty since I got to college because I have no one to speak it with anymore! I'm jealous that you're going to Paris, I'd love an opportunity like that! Bonne vacances!

*Got a question of your own? send it in and me or aparna will do our best to answer it :-)

Labels: advice, boots, shoes, winter

One of our readers pointed out that boyfriend sweaters look gorgeous on VS models, but they're difficult for real girls to wear. This is true. However, like most things, there's a right and wrong way to wear a boyfriend sweater.

Don't wear it with baggy old jeans. You want to look sexy, like you just tossed that ol' thing on - and damn right it's a killer colour which sets off your eyes just so. We could have a whole long discussion here about why it's called a boyfriend sweater (and I don't know the right answer) but I'm pretty sure that looking like your boyfriend is not the objective.

Also, don't wear a sweater that's both oversized and chunky. That would be a little too retro in a rather unflattering way. Go for a light weave that accentuates your curves rather than amplifies/muffles them.

So.

Wear it with sexy jeans. Especially when you're running around campus, this is comfy and chic. I have hips and am therefore afraid of skinnies, but skinnies + boyfriend sweater + ballet flats/ankle boots + large tote = cuteness! Try these NFY skinnies with these flats by Pedro Garcia. I'm not normally into skulls on my clothes, but I am quite enchanted by the cute little skull on those adorable flats! Oops, I am afraid to admit they're $450, so try these cute red ones by Bandolino for a much friendlier $65.

Alternatively, trouser jeans like these Seven For All Mankind Farrah Trouser Jeans would be perfect. Whatever it is that you pick, make sure they're well-tailored to set off the casualness of the sweater.

Wear it over a slip dress or a sweet little strapless dress.

Try it cinched at the waist with a thick leather belt to give it more definition.

You could also wear a boyfriend sweater with an ultra feminine vintage-style full knee-length skirt.

Don't forget to accessorise! Scarves, jewellery, heels.

Go for it!

Labels: advice