Budget Fashion Tips

Time For a Change (or at least a place to put it)

brendac — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 00:06:37 +0000

Yes, I’m afraid it’s true. I recently needed a new wallet. I was sick to death of my boring black leather version, and so I looked into my wallet drawer (wait… you don’t have a wallet drawer?) and grabbed a cute little fuchsia square wallet that I believe I bought at the Esprit Outlet in it’s glorious heyday during the 80s in San Francisco. I’d never used it, so it came in handy. That lasted about two weeks. The way I feel about wallets is… I get bored with them, so I don’t like to spend a lot of money on them. I suppose that could be the problem, but lately my fascination with Jo Malone citrus fragrances is sucking up all of my real spending money. I do like the new super slim and flat clutch style wallets and I didn’t have a problem finding any at DSW or TJMaxx or what have you, except for one thing… they all looked so cheap and flashy. Not really my style (unless we’re talking about men). Let me show you what I mean…

forever21 color wallets

I wanted something kind of elegant, and when I finally did find the perfect wallet (at Forever21, don’t you know?) I had already stood in a fairly long line to buy something, and holding the wallet in my hand, couldn’t bear to go through that again, so I put down the cute wallet and swore I’d be back to the store soon. The wallet is some kind of synthetic leather, with a faint gold floral design. It comes in black, brown and cream, and cream is by far the prettiest to me.

More Forever 21…

Forever 21 Crackled Flowers Wallet – $7.50

Fabulous Finds – Crackled flowers adorn this wallet featuring a matted texture with metallic outlines, a flap-hinged metal frame, and solid interior. Contains six credit card slots, two open window ID slots, four dividers, and a zip up center.
- 7.5″ W x 4″ H x 0.6″ D
- Shell: 50% PU; 50% PVC; Lining: 100% nylon

***********************

As soon as I got back to the store a week or so later, they were sold out, so I ordered mine online and got it a few days later. And I love it. It holds a picture of my sweetie pie, the parking meter quarters I need for my Echo Park ukulele class, and whatever other money I’m able to hold on to that I’m not blowing on El Pollo Loco chicken wings, which was one of the reasons I moved to L.A., those wings. Yum!

If you would also like to pick up this wallet, you can get it for the incredibly and outrageously inexpensive price of $7.50 + shipping, but you’ll probably have to order it online, because my guess is your local F21 is plum sold out as well.

See you in the stores!

What to Wear: This dress has it all wrapped up

brendac — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 01:46:33 +0000

DILEMMA: Help! I have a what do I wear question! How can I cut out of work early to race across town to meet my girlfiends (yes I spelled that right) at Acapulco, delicately guzzle down, let’s say, three high quality margaritas, my share of at least four bowls of chips n salsa, and a healthy tostada salad <*cough> without blowing up like an eleven month pregnant puffer-fish midway through the evening? I just don’t have time to drive home and dig through my fat goin’ out clothes… and there could very well be boys involved later on, when I’m drunk enough to actually want to meet any. What can I possibly wear that will be comfortable, flattering AND sexy from the time I enter the restaurant (peckish and sober) until the time I roll home in the early morning hours (3700 calories later)? Keep in mind that I don’t have a lot of money to spend on clothes, because, and God forbid I have to buy my own drinks, good Tequila isn’t cheap!

SOLUTION: That, dear reader, would be the simple dark colored wrap dress, like so…

This particular model retails for a comfortable $29.50 in your choice of raspberry plum, basic black, a soft blue-gray and a green turquoise color. This is a real wrap dress, the kind that opens all the way, with one tie threaded through the opening at the waist, not a fake sewn up wrap dress, the kind that doesn’t let you adjust to your particular figure. The wrap dress, by the way, is the most universally flattering dress known to woman. And if, like me, you seem to be starving after a few cocktails, then you should probably own at least half a dozen.

Here are a few more wrap dresses to sift through. Happy dress shopping!

How many wrap dresses do you own?

I need a log cabin… stat!

brendac — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 02:04:31 +0000

Why… if I owned a rustic cabin by a shimmering lake in the mountains, I would totally own this top in every color. There, I said it. Not only does it look super comfy, flattering and long enough to cover my assets, but it looks like something an artist would wear with her hair up in a high ponytail do, a bit of pale pink gloss, skinny jeans and lace up ankle boots. Damn, everything is easy to get except the cabin. There *has* to be a matchmaking site for lumberjacks… this is 2010!

Forever21 Plaid Drawstring Tunic Top – $13.50

See more drawstring plaid tunics:

Remember, you don’t have to just like girls to wear plaid shirts.
Now who has a cabin to give away?

Devil in a Red (Trench) Dress

brendac — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:05:20 +0000

Oh my! Your blind date won’t be able to resist you when you waltz into the Olive Garden in this adorable little number. He’ll be so enamored at your adorableness that you could probably order the steak AND lobster AND garlic knots, and he’d think you were the cutest thing ever, even if you did mention six ex-boyfriends during dinner and three more during dessert. If there were a get out of jail free card dress, it would be this little Lois Lane dress.

Lois Lane Red Trench Coat Dress - $79

A tulip blossom collar adorned in ruffles tops the innovative and utterly provocative Lois Lane trench dress. Awash with delightful details Lois Lane’s french coat styling, with asymmetrical buttons running from hemline to left shoulder, ruffled tulip sleeves, cinched-and-sashed waist and flouncy hem is a show-stopper you cannot miss. Wear the collar up for greater drama or down for a sweeter look.

Find it at Shabby Apple

Small changes can work wonders

brendac — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 03:52:13 +0000

Have you ever scored a really cute item of clothing, (hopefully for a great price) and you loved everything about it except for the buttons? Cheap buttons on an otherwise cute sweater/dress/blouse is like a pretty girl with too much makeup. You just want to shake it and teach it how to to properly use lipliner.

Sure, a button makeover isn’t something that might come to mind as you sift through racks of possibilities, but sometimes a minor upgrade is all you need to take a borderline bargain piece and make it sparkle.

Case in point:

I picked up this Croft & Barrow cardigan at Kohl’s a few months ago. It looks great on, but the giant beige plastic button is just wrong.

A few days ago I grabbed the sweater from my closet and hit up Jo-Ann Fabrics, because they have a pretty decent button selection. I didn’t want another giant button, or one much darker than the sweater, and I’ll tell you why. If you walk into a light colored kitchen and the owners have chosen dark knobs, all you see is the knobs, don’t you? Well, I think kitchen knobs should be subtle. Mine are clear glass. Pretty, but they don’t take away from the whole look.

Anyway, after scrutinizing every single button in the store, which means I must be borderline OCD, I found one that I liked.

Seashell Button

Lucky for me, it came in a two-pack and someone had (I’m guessing) stolen the other button, so the remaining one was marked 50% off.

I sewed it on while I was catching up with an old Project Runway episode from season 2, and I think my little cardigan looks much better now, don’t you? Sure, it’s a simple fix, but sometimes that’s all you need.

Corporate Attire for Telecommuters

brendac — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 04:12:32 +0000

Now you can dress to impress in the workplace with these soft and comfortable ‘every day is casual Friday’ outfits from The Gap. The FedEx guy and that guy who comes to check the gas meter will be nodding in approval at your professional attitude as you power-stride down the front walkway to grab the paper. !!!

Flannel sleep sets from The Gap

Supersoft cotton knit T and flannel pants – $34.99
Supersoft woven plaid fallen pajama set – $19.99
See more work outfits:

Michael Kors brought us together

brendac — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:31:08 +0000

One fine day (well, evening) I was out shopping with my friend Donna and we wound up poking around the makeup section at Nordstrom. As I waited for her to wrap up her dealings with the Clarins lady, I, who happened to be minding my own business, found myself unable to repel the magnet-like force that is the handbag department, conveniently located right next to cosmetics. As I helplessly strolled through the gauntlet of handbags, I would glance at each purse and think to myself: ‘Wow, too big… Ack!, too embellished… Ewww, too weird… Damn, too expensive!’ when I stopped cold, inexplicably falling in love at first site.

So... do you come here often?

I didn’t ask for it to happen. You know the feeling. You see it from across a crowded room, sitting alone, as if it were waiting for you. It’s the perfect shape, the perfect color, the perfect size. You edge closer, slowly, you reach out to touch… it feels like… buttah. You envision all the places you’ll go together… Dinners, Paris, traffic school, out shopping for more bags… as you casually glance from side to side and nonchalantly flip over the price tag. $198.00! Crap. It’s over before it’s begun.

But you know better, don’t you?

Back to me…

I had to have that bag.

Now I don’t typically go for the handbag that’s so large it would easily handle 2-3 severed heads and a lipstick. I like my bags normal sized (or smaller), and I like them out of my way, especially when I travel or want to use my hands for something other than lugging a mini suitcase full of other people’s heads. This lightweight Michael for Michael Kors Crossbody Messenger bag is the perfect smaller bag for such things. The construction is impeccable, the design is classic, the hardware is upscale, and the pebbled leather will wear well over the years to come. Adjustable straps convert from crossbody to shoulder bag. Many inner and outer compartments will hold a lot more than you’d expect. At 9″ square and 5″ thick, it’s the Snoopy’s doghouse of handbags.

So here’s the deal. Available in Vanilla – a color that works year round, you’ll find it at Macys.com on Sale for $102.99.

Want it even cheaper?

Apply this coupon code: AF864PA36QVto receive $20 off your order of $100 or more! This coupon expires Oct 14, 2009, so hurry up! If you think about it, your birthday actually happens multiple times a year if you count every time zone.

Coupon courtesy of mycoupons.com

Nine Great Reasons to Spend $15.00

brendac — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 22:01:55 +0000

While furiously trying to find the best deal on a pair of platform flip-flops which I’ve decided I desperately need now that Fall is in full swing, I ran across a very cute belted suede jacket, a piece I’ve always coveted. When I looked closer and saw that the price of this jacket was less than I spend on take-out buffet at the Brazilian restaurant across the street (Um, I get enough food for two days <*cough>), I was surprised to find that every item on cute jacket’s website sells for $15.00. And would you believe it’s called THE15DOLLARSTORE.COM? I know!!

Like every place you shop, you’ll have to weed through everything to find the best stuff. I created a grouping of my favorite things to share with the class.

The pink hoodie is from Jessica Simpson. The beige sweater is a cashmere blend. The eyeglasses are JLo. You’ll also find XOXO, Chinese Laundry and Kenneth Cole Reaction, along with assorted styles of swimwear, belts, hats, scarves, handbags, wallets, watches and jewelry.

So… if you skipped lunch every other day for a month and microwaved rice at the office after a workout, (yes I did that and yes I lost ten lbs), you’d have 15 new pieces to add to your wardrobe. THE15DOLLARSTORE.COM also has free shipping on orders over $100.00.

The Leopard Trench

brendac — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:33:57 +0000

Everyone should have at least one leopard coat. You know, the one you pull out of your closet when you know you’re going to get drunk with your girlfriends and you’re in no mood to be anything but sassy. The traditional trench is a swing coat, the kind Lucy Ricardo sported on her way to the club to talk Ricky into letting her be part of his act. I personally have never seen a more unflattering style as a swing or tent coat, because, and maybe it’s just me, I don’t want or need the illusion of an extra 75 lbs.

But the leopard trench is a different story. It has it all. The sophistication of leopard (as long as everything else you have on is black, head to toe, excluding eyes) along with the attention to a nipped in waist. I’ve pulled up some examples for your perusal.

Mo & J Leopard Print Trench – $68 at Nordstrom

I mean, where could you *not* wear this little number, with the exception of your first interview at the convent, or your scandalous court appearance (where you’re being tried for stealing leopard trenchcoats)?

See more leopard trench coats:

Share this on del.icio.us

Digg this!

Post this on Diigo

Share this on Reddit

Buzz up!

Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon

Share this on Technorati

Share this on Mixx

Post this to MySpace

Submit this to DesignFloat

Share this on Facebook

Tweet This!

Email this to a friend?

Subscribe to the comments for this post?

Share this on Linkedin

Mad for Plaid? Victoria’s Secret has your number

brendac — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 21:12:16 +0000

I don’t know where you live, but here in Los Angeles, the temperature in my house has plummeted overnight from 79 degrees down to (shudder) 70! So when the weather starts to turn crisp and cool, my thoughts tend to wander to new jackets and coats. I want something that I can wear to the movies (the air conditioning kills me) or for when I’m out shopping for more coats. A color I’m really drawn to this season is raspberry, and this cute, casual peacoat just does the trick. It comes in eleven colors, and they are all pretty sweet. Toss on some boots, jeans and a t-shirt, and viola!

On sale now at Victoria’s Secret for $99.00
Original price $128.00

Double-breasted Peacoat

More cute coats from Victoria’s Secret:

Share this on del.icio.us

Digg this!

Post this on Diigo

Share this on Reddit

Buzz up!

Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon

Share this on Technorati

Share this on Mixx

Post this to MySpace

Submit this to DesignFloat

Share this on Facebook

Tweet This!

Email this to a friend?

Subscribe to the comments for this post?

Share this on Linkedin