Fall to Winter Prep for Less

So a look I've been really into lately is preppy, taking notes from vintage looks and school uniforms. I know with our economy its hard to buy new things, so I've found some options for getting this look for less. Many of these items might already be in your closet!
1. Cardigans. I love this Fab Stripe Trim Cardi from Forever 21. Four different choices in color for only $13.50. I love the navy blue and the touch of muted yellow.
2. Again from Forever 21, I am constantly singing the praises of these Lindsey Skinny Jeans. They are only $12.50 and fit surprisingly well. I have 4 pairs and my favorites are the dark denim (shown here) and gray (in stores only).
3. These wedge loafers from CutesyGirl are by Bamboo, a brand I have good luck with, for the low price of $9.99. They come in four different and fun color combinations.
4. These Forever 21 glasses add a girly yet studious edge. They're only $7.80.
5. I really dig these Forever 21 lucite glasses for $4.80. They remind me of some glasses my mom has from the 80s.
6. A great basic and bottom layer, this Mossimo v-neck tee in white is only $7.99 at Target. I originally bought one because it is a stand-by for modeling work, now it is my wardrobe stand-by.

I am really liking more low-key colors for fall and winter, but I think you could do this look with some brighter colors and it would be super fun. The nice thing about it is it can be really simple and minimal accessories will work well. I think some other ideas to explore would be scarves, messenger bags, and corduroy. Maybe thats another post!

Stuff...

I'm not feeling very organized right now (coffee and a huge brownie will do that to you). We went out and had dinner and went to see "Shopping! The Musical" (no, kidding...my friend got the tickets free. Don't even ask for me to comment that right now.) And then we went to H&M at 10pm for no explicable reason. Who knows why they were open. Their sign said open until 9pm, and I felt bad being there...like all the sales people were like "Leave ALREADY!" But then they let us in, so I guess it is sort of their fault. Lots of cute coats and some adorable dresses. I should go back and try stuff on when I don't feel so bad about being there. I would actually show you the dresses I thought were really cute, but H&M does not have the most helpful website ever.

When you go shopping what do you do to make sure you have all the bases covered? My big thing is wearing clothes that are easy to change into/out of, makes life much easier. I also like to bring a pair of heels. I always want to know how things will look with heels if thats how I plan on wearing the items.

Ok, there was some randomness.

Candie's for Kohl's

So what do you think of the Candie's collection for Kohls? I saw it some weeks ago while some boys dragged me to Kohl's. (I was so exciting that day. I bought a black t-shirt (black v-neck has been one of my basics lately), some shorts from Soffe (we used to wear their sweats as our dance team uniforms, very comfy), and a video game.) Anyways, I saw the Candie's line then, and thought it was cute. It was one of those days though and I didn't try anything on, or even molest it to check the quality. I will soon though, I promise. But what do you think of the looks?
I think they are possibly office worthy in a trendy enough office, or mixed with other brands. (Also depending on the quality, if the look/feel cheap or not.) Also cute for going out, every day. I have always liked Candie's shoes, and generally the pairs I have bought in the past have been good quality. But it has been a few years. I do really like teal/brown dress. Overall there is alot of teal and metallic in the collection as well as a slight rocker chic vibe...which is easily toned down.

Look of the Day- Simple Dresses

Lately I have taken a liking to simple jersey dresses which I can easily accessorize. They are cute and even I feel casual enough to wear them out and about. (I'm not much of a skirt person unless I'm going out.)

This one was found at T.J. Maxx for $12.99 made by Tresics. You can find similar dresses by Tresics at ShopBarbara and other online retailers in the $20 range. The accessories I chose were a art deco pendant from Forever 21 which was on sale for $2.99. You should check out their website for other trendy jewelry. I also have my Steve Madden gold loafers which I found new at Thrift Town San Francisco for $3. That was a great find! I love Steve Madden, but if you're looking for something for just the summer I suggest searching CutesyGirl for loafers in any range of colors.

Fashion Fun- Paper Dolls for grown-ups?

I used to be a paper doll fanatic. Not only did I buy paper dolls and painstakingly cut them all out, but I also made my own. But these days I don't have time for those... But I'm reminded of my old paper dolls by a number of tools which can be used to shop and play virtual dress-up at the same time. These awesome tools serve a number of purposes. First- they are just fun to play with. Secondly- it can be hard to visualize outfits when you're shopping, so this makes it easier to see how things might work with other items or with items similar to ones you already own.

So what are these fantastic programs?
The first which I remember finding a few years ago is MyVirtualModel. Its a cool program because you can create a sim that looks like you and then see exactly how you will look in something. The downsides are that there are limited companies that use this program and some of them are hard to use. My favorite is the MVM for H&M...
Also available from MyVirtualModel is Adidas, Lands End, and Sears.
The Adidas site is good for work out clothing, but a little difficult to mix and match clothing between collections. Sears and Lands End are not very fashion forward and not worth the trouble. Hopefully we'll see more companies adopt this program. Another problem is that its almost impossible to layer clothing on this program.

But my favorite web site is.... Polyvore! On Polyvore you can browse thousands of clothes and accessories and drag and resize things to create outfits. It is easy to layer and find lots of items from different stores. You can even use their clipper program to import items from sites not already included. And each item has a click through link if you want to buy it! Lots of people save and publish their "sets". A few companies and magazines also hold themed contests. Here are a few screen shots...

So what are you waiting for? Go check it out and play! (See how I'm using that yellow?! =D)

Store Review: T.J. Maxx

I was really excited to hear that a T.J. Maxx was finally opening near me. Its doors finally opened this past weekend in Daly City. I found time for a visit on Monday and was immediately sucked in. The presentation of the two-floor store is great. Unlike Ross or even Nordstrom Rack the employees are always straightening the merchandise, making it presentable and pleasing. Often the mish-mash of shoes at Ross makes me want to scream, but I definitely didn't have that problem at T.J. Maxx.

Speaking of shoes, there was a very good selection of enjoyable brands such as Steve Madden, Nine West, and Tahari. Most of them were in the $20-30 range. I even saw a few pairs of Cavalli's!

The hand bag selection was my favorite part. I spent close to an hour looking through them. I saw many mid level designers such as Coach, Bettseyville, Dooney and Bourke, Juicy Couture, and Michael Kors. These bags were still running in the $70-200 range. If you wanted something cute and less expensive they have a good selection including Kathy Von Zealand and Nine West. I really like the Michael Kors bags but can't quite afford one right now. I think that is going to be a future purchase though.

Juniors clothes were impressive in selection of styles, but not selection of sizes. I wear an extra small in most brands and found close to nothing in my size. In my size I found some sleek styles by Donna Karen New York but that was about it. Shorts and capris were a little more abundant in the small sizes, as were sun dresses. I don't know if this is just because small sizes aren't made in very large quantities or because the store is new and was raided by fashion hungry, skinny girls over the weekend. I did take a look at woman's wear also and saw a number of great brands and styles. I don't really have too much expertise on which sizes are hard to find, so you might have to check that out yourself.

One thing I was hoping to find was a new swimsuit for the summer. Again the sizing was difficult, very little in the extra small to medium size range. I was hoping to find some monokinis, as I've been struck with the notion that they are much hotter then the usual bikini. But there were a lot of attractive, larger size swim suits. Including some really nice Michael Kors tankinis. I did end up buying a Michael Kors swim cover up for $15 that was originally $100. (There were a lot of attractive cover-ups from skirts to tunic styles, really great for time spent out of the pool.)

Mens wear was minimal compared to women's, but still a nice selection. Underwear and lingerie really wasn't anything special. It is about the same selection you would find at Ross, but you can expect it to be on the right rack at T.J. Maxx. They had some nice perfumes, including L.A.M.B., Sarah Jessica Parker, Escada, and Versace. The only thing is you can't test them, so know you like it beforehand.

Not clothing related but definitely worth mentioning are the house wares. I am definitely going to get some new towels there, and the wall art selections are very sophisticated and don't look cheap. The kitchen gear they have in stock is also a wonderful addition to any home.

Well, I know I'm sold, but why don't you go check it out? Happy shopping!

If you go (about 5 minutes away from San Francisco State University, near Safeway and Trader Joe's):

West Lake Center
100 West Lake Ctr
Daly City, CA 94015
Phone: 650-991-1006

Mon-Sat: 9:30a-9:30p
Sun: 11a-6p