[Welcome to Celebrity Chic on the Cheap, where our style guru takes a celebrity look and breaks it down for you, our poor college fashionista. What does that mean? It means that while the celebrities (like child-star turned fashion designer, Ashley Olsen) are spending $5,000 on an ensemble, you don’t have to.]

After disappearing for a hot second post-High School Musical, Ashley Tisdale reappeared this fall on the (completely underrated, totes hysterical) CW show Hellcats. Of course, she fills the role of a catty, ferocious, ambitious performer with ease (would you expect anything different the girl who brought Sharpay to life so perfectly?) Her personal style, however, is a lot more laidback, playful, and reflects a bubbly, adventurous personality.

And after seeing her don this look that is what I like to call hobo-chic, I wasted no time finding a cheaper alternative for myself. Read More »

[Welcome to Celebrity Chic on the Cheap, where our style guru takes a celebrity look and breaks it down for you, our poor college fashionista. What does that mean? It means that while the celebrities (like hot mama, Jessica Alba) are spending $5,000 on an ensemble, you don’t have to.]

I don’t think much about Ashley Olsen these days (with the exception of when I catch Full House reruns and roll my eyes at how obnoxious Michelle Tanner is). She is the CEO of two fashion lines (one that I am way too old to wear, and one that I am way too broke to wear), while Mary-Kate is the one who still occasionally graces us with her acting presence, and I hold her entirely responsible for the dirty hipster hobo-chic trend that has been around for far too long.

But when Ashley Olsen appeared at the Google Boutique launch party (because it’s not like Google has infiltrated enough of our everyday lives…) in an outfit that was not only fitted but actually adorable, I was shocked. Like, I had no words. Well, except for gimme, gimme, gimme. Read More »

[Welcome to Celebrity Chic on the Cheap, where our style guru takes a celebrity look and breaks it down for you, our poor college fashionista. What does that mean? It means that while the celebrities (like hot mama, Jessica Alba) are spending $5,000 on an ensemble, you don’t have to.]

Emma Watson has come a long way from being that little girl in Harry Potter with the big frizzy mane. She has survived the leap from child star to adult actress relatively gracefully, as the wildest moves she has made recently involve going to an Ivy and chopping her hair into a killer pixie cut.

I want her life.

Emma’s style tends to be spunky, but tailored and obviously well-thought out. She loves glam accessories, and a mix of vintage, classic, and trendy pieces. She has a knack for looking incredibly classy and chic, while also totally age appropriate. And seeing as this leading lady is the same age as many of us, we too can achieve such fashion perfection. Even better, we can do it on our we’re-in-college-but-don’t-have-millions-of-dollars-from-our-wildly-successful-movie-career budgets. Read More »

[Welcome to Celebrity Chic on the Cheap, where our style guru takes a celebrity look and breaks it down for you, our poor college fashionista. What does that mean? It means that while the celebrities (like everyone's favorite style icon, Gwen Stefani) are spending $5,000 on an ensemble you don’t have to.]

Jessica Alba has been taking a break from the big screen lately, choosing to focus on raising her daughter and tweet about feeling fly like a G6. Yet, she is still a solid fixture in all the tabloids, because for some reason, everyone is still obsessed with the fact that celebrities procreate (and look fabulous while doing so).

Jessica is definitely one of the most stylish mommies running around Hollywood. She has a fresh, hip, not excessively trendy style and she loves to include unexpected accessories or pieces with eye-catching detailing. Weird, because I also like to be fresh, hip and not excessively trendy with a touch of the unexpected. Thankfully, I don’t have to have Jessica’s movie star salary to achieve my style dreams. Read More »

[Welcome to Celebrity Chic on the Cheap, where our style guru takes a celebrity look and breaks it down for you, our poor college fashionista. What does that mean? It means that while the celebrities (like rockstar Rihanna) are spending $5,000 on an ensemble you don’t have to.]

It’s been awhile since Gwen Stefani reigned pop music (yet I know I’m not the only one who still gets “this shiz is bananas, b-a-n-a-n-a-s” stuck in her head), but she definitely hasn’t been slacking on being a fashion icon. Despite the fact that she has two kids, she never seems to leave the house looking anything less than perfectly coiffed and styled. Gwen’s look is so visually inspiring and fun, with tons of vibrant colors and ’80s-inspired festivity.

We’re getting deeper into the doldrums of winter, but our wardrobes definitely don’t need to be as dreary as the weather, right? Let’s all take a hint from Ms. Stefani and turn up the heat for the long, cold winter ahead. Read More »

[Welcome to Celebrity Chic on the Cheap, where our style guru takes a celebrity look and breaks it down for you, our poor college fashionista. What does that mean? It means that while the celebrities (like "who the hell are you and why are you so beautiful" Rosie Huntington-Whiteley) are spending $5,000 on an ensemble you don’t have to.]

There’s no way I could continue to write a fashion column without highlighting Rihanna. This girl is one of the most eclectic celebrities out there. One day, the paparazzi snaps photos of her in suspenders and harem pants; the next, you could easily see her in a body-contouring mini-dress with 6-inch stilettos…going out to lunch.

Rihanna attained her fashionista status by being completely and utterly balls to the walls…how can you not love it?

However, the outfit I’m re-creating today is actually one of Rihanna’s tamer looks, because though you, CollegeCandy reader, are fabulous, you are bound to certain rules of fashion that do not apply to celebrities. Read: you can’t really pull this off for class.  But it’s still hot, not just in its own right, but relative to that tragic gaggle of girls strutting around campus thinking Uggs, leggings, and Northface = high fashion. Read More »

[Welcome to Celebrity Chic on the Cheap, where our style guru takes a celebrity look and breaks it down for you, our poor college fashionista. What does that mean? It means that while the celebrities (like always fabulous Selena Gomez) are spending $5,000 on an ensemble you don’t have to. All you have to do is click on the goods and - boom - you can buy the entire look. For cheap. Yes, we know - there is a spot for her in heaven.]

Halle Berry is a critically acclaimed, history-making, Academy Award winning actress. A former Bond Girl. A mother. And, obviously, a regulation hottie. She made super-short hair desirable. She’s always on “most beautiful/sexiest” lists. She inspires cheeseball novelty songs. She inspires spontaneous make out seshes at prestigious award ceremonies. At 44 years old, she is as fierce as stars 20 years younger as her.

Alas, while I don’t know how you can achieve killer bone structure or permanently incandescent skin, I can show you how to get one of Halle’s classic, sophisticated, sexy looks without maxing out five credit cards. Read More »

[Welcome to Celebrity Chic on the Cheap, where our style guru takes a celebrity look and breaks it down for you, our poor college fashionista. What does that mean? It means that while the celebrities (like style superstar, Rachel Bilson) are spending $5,000 on an ensemble you don’t have to. All you have to do is click on the goods and - boom - you can buy the entire look. For cheap. Yes, we know - there is a spot for her in heaven.]

I adore Selena Gomez. Her face looks as if it were lifted from a porcelain doll. Her hair is so luminous and luxurious. Her music is perfect for those times when you’re dancing in front of the mirror in your PJs with your hairbrush (in contrast to those times when you’re dancing in front of the mirror in your highest stilettos and a bottle of Smirnoff). She is the personification of rainbows and unicorns and puppies and everything that is fluffy and G-rated in this world. I love it.

Selena’s style is just as unpretentious and down-to-earth as the rest of her image. She’s totally youthful, fresh, and laid back. She is that girl who swears she “isn’t even into fashion,” but she always looks current and hip, and you never see her wearing the same ensemble twice.

She is essentially every friend I’ve ever had and secretly resented totally admired.

Luckily, this easy-breezy style fits perfectly into the college style scene and, even better, is not at all difficult (or expensive) to emulate. Read More »

[Welcome to Celebrity Chic on the Cheap, where our style guru takes a celebrity look and breaks it down for you, our poor college fashionista. What does that mean? It means that while the celebrities are spending $5,000 on an ensemble (even for comfy, everyday outfits!) you don’t have to. All you have to do is click on the goods and - boom - you can buy the entire look. For cheap. Yes, we know - there is a spot for her in heaven.]

I’m convinced Blake Lively is one of those women who was genetically engineered to make 90 percent of the female population feel woefully inferior in one way or another. Her hair, her figure, her relationship with Anna Wintour, her relationship with Penn Badgley, her thriving acting career, her work wardrobe, her beautiful personal style… there’s something for everyone to hate on.

And the worst part is, she has the audacity to seem really sweet and fun, so you can’t even really hate her. In short, she is perfect.

And so is this outfit. Read More »

Remember back in 2004 when everyone (after we had pledged our allegiances to Team Jen or Team Angelina) had to choose between Team Lindsay and Team Hilary? For awhile, it seemed like Lindsay was the winner. I mean, sure, Hilary was down-to-earth, had multiple multi-platinum albums, a wildly successful TV show (what, don’t front like you didn’t watch Lizzie McGuire), and had a successful movie career. She did everything Miley Cyrus is doing, minus the questionable photos and the untamed nature. But Lindsay had the real holy grail (Mean Girls, obvs), and soon, it was Hilary who?

Six years later, Lindsay is…Lindsay, while Hilary still has clothing lines, a book deal, a stable relationship (who put a ring on it), and no one would ever think of including her in their celebrity death pool. Not only has she transitioned from Disney teen queen to grown woman without taking a trainwreck detour, she has done so while cultivating a simple yet chic personal style that reflects her seemingly low-maintenance, easygoing, approach to life.

Team Hilary for the win. Read More »