Every girl needs a good purse (or 12). Whether you’re going for groceries or running from class to class, they are simply essential for holding all your, uh, essentials. Each week, I’m going to show you a fashionable, yet functional purse for the college crowd and let you know why you absolutely need it! I apologize ahead of time to your bank account.

Since crossbody bags hit the runways a couple seasons ago, they have been all over the place. Don’t you remember a few years back when every single girl on campus had a Coach Swingpack, worn crossbody style? It’s all the same. Crossbody bags are perfect for the girl on the go – big enough to carry all your essentials, but can also be forgotten about as it hangs at your hips. Whenever I go out dancing with girlfriends or am traveling, I’m sure to bring along a crossbody bag.

Treesje is a California-based handbag company that churns out red-hot celebrity favorites. The name comes from the last name of a mutual friend through whom the two designers met. Since its launch in 2005, Treesje has been spotted all over the country, appealing to laid back California girls and chic New York city business women alike. They use high-quality leathers and loads of embellishments, like studs and tassels, to create unique and stunning pieces of art. 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 fashion winner Whitney Port) are spending $5,000 and more on an ensemble, you an spend way less...and save the rest for Margarita Mondays.]

Kelly Osbourne’s career is a total mystery to me.

So, her rock star father gets an MTV reality show where she gets to be a bratty, gothy, embarrassing teenager in front of millions of people, falls into oblivion after the show is cancelled, stays there for a few years, loses weight, learns how to apply makeup, goes on Dancing with the Stars…and is suddenly a red carpet staple?

Um…what? I’m baffled.

I can’t knock the girl’s hustle, though. I mean, she has the Joan Rivers’ stamp of approval and I don’t, so all I can do is bow down to her greatness…and try to recreate her fresh, young, trendy, bold-without-being-tacky style 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 Lake Bell) are spending $5,000 and more on an ensemble, you an spend way less...and save the rest for Margarita Mondays.]

Whitney Port is definitely my favorite blonde fashionista to come from The Hills (sorry, LC!) I’ve always admired her mix of boho, preppy, vintage, and contemporary pieces. She’s trendy, but still very much true to herself. Her looks are always fresh, never seem too contrived, and could easily be worn by an ordinary college girl.

Loves it. 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 (or trying-to-come-back celebrities, like J-Lo) are spending $5,000 and more on an ensemble, you an spend way less...and save the rest for Margarita Mondays.]

Lake Bell isn’t exactly an A-list actress, although she has been working steadily for almost a decade (most recently, you may have seen her being hilarious in No Strings Attached). However, she is definitely A-list in the fashion world, as her red carpet style has been garnering her tons of accolades for the past few years. She has a reputation for having a quirky style that is different from a lot of other starlets around her age. And I like quirky.

I also like cheap, which works out well for me, because Lake’s uniquely gorgeous outfit is easy to create on my meager college budget. 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 (or faux-lebrities, like Kimmy K) are spending $5,000 on an ensemble, you an spend way less...and save the rest for Margarita Mondays.]

After the longest winter ever, it is finally March. Spring starts in three weeks (!!!), and I am beyond ready to put my winter clothes into hibernation. I love tights and scarves and boots as much as the next girl, but I’m too stoked for vibrant colors, sundresses, and open toes…

So when I saw an outfit Rachel Bilson went for a stroll in, I pretty much spontaneously combusted from glee/envy. We all know Rachel is one of Hollywood’s most consistently stunning fashionistas, and once again, she does not disappoint. 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 (I'm talkin' bout you, Olivia Wilde) are spending $5,000 on an ensemble, you don’t have to.]

I am completely in awe of Vanessa Hudgens. If my four-year long relationship with Zac Efron had ended, I would have fallen off the face of the earth. I would have gone on a bender that would make even Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen stop and side-eye me. My only mission in life would have been to redefine trainwreck. There’s no way I would have stepped out in public on a regular basis looking even more gorgeous and stunning than ever. And yet, that is exactly what Miss V did.

I bow down to her post-breakup prowess.

Vanessa has always had a shabby chic aesthetic that I love. She’s all about pieces that flow with her body, nothing too overwhelming or overly constricting. (Guess she’ll fit in well next Fall?) Her look is flattering and easy to put together, while still being visually intriguing and fresh. Layers and great accessories are staple elements of a Vanessa-inspired outfit and with a little savvy online shopping, I’ve layered and greatly accessorized one 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 (Reese Witherspoon, what what?) are spending $5,000 on an ensemble, you don’t have to.]

Olivia Wilde has been up and coming for a few years. To me, she will always be Marissa Cooper’s experiment with lesbianity on The OC, but she’s definitely moved on to slightly more prestigious fare since then (oh you know, only snagging a regular role on House). She’s been a staple on sexiest actresses list for a few years because…well, have you looked her? She smolders. But I hadn’t realized she was a bit of a fashionista in her own right until she stepped out on the Golden Globes red carpet a couple of weeks ago in the this sparkly, dazzling, beautifully constructed number.

Seriously, if fashion were porn, that dress would be the money shot.

Since then, I’ve been paying a bit more attention to Ms. Wilde, and last week, she somehow managed to make a jumpsuit look cute.

My mind is still blown, quite honestly.

But, I’m a realist, and really, 98 percent of us will never actually wear a jumpsuit (rompers are already shameful enough). So this outfit will be based on the essence of Olivia’s look and therefore a lot more wearable. Read More »

All of us bargain-loving college girls know about the best sites and stores for affordable clothing, but here’s one you may not have heard of: ASOS. ASOS is a British shopping site that also sells to other countries around the world, including the United States. ASOS specializes in trendy clothing and accessories for both men and women, and sell a variety of both ASOS-branded and designer items. My favorite feature of the store, however, is that they also sell more affordable versions of clothing items that celebrities have worn.

Prices for many of the designer pieces can be pretty steep, but ASOS-brand items are actually surprisingly affordable (especially when they’re on sale)! Right now, there are a ton of fabulous pieces of clothing and accessories for as little as $20 — or even less! Click below to see eight great under-$20 picks available from ASOS! 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 (Jessica Szohr, anyone?) are spending $5,000 on an ensemble, you don’t have to.]

Reese Witherspoon has been flying under the radar for awhile. I hate to think her time has passed, but lately, I haven’t been super compelled to see any of her projects (and apparently I’m not alone, if the performance of her latest flick “How Do You Know” is any indication…) It’s a bummer, but there will always be a place in my heart for the woman who so brilliantly brought Elle Woods to life.

And apparently the paparazzi is equally as enamored of her, because lately (read: since her engagement), we’ve been inundated with tons of Reese photos: “Reese walks with her fiance!” “Reese goes shopping!” “Reese drinks a latte…while Jake Gyllenhaal cries himself to sleep!”

It was only recently that I’ve started to notice her great sense of style. Reese has a grounded, comfortable, girl-next-door aesthetic. While not flashy, it’s totally relatable and always looks very effortlessly put together. And it can be done at a fraction of the cost. 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, duh, Nicole Richie) are spending $5,000 on an ensemble, you don’t have to.]

Jessica Szohr totally gets the short end of the Gossip Girl stick. Her character, Vanessa Abrams, is one of thee most obnoxious, insufferable, thoroughly unpleasant characters on the show. Considering how none of those characters are people anyone would want to know in real life, that is quite a feat.

But just because Jessica’s character completely sucks doesn’t mean that Jessica deserves to be as D-list as she is. I mean, she’s dating Ed Westwick, so she’s probably a pretty cool chick. Not only that, but her sense of style is amazeballs. (No joke, are all of the GG actresses must be contractually obligated to be as fierce off set as they are on?) Jessica combines edgy, feminine, and trendy pieces to create a banging, fun, fresh aesthetic that is to die for. Or, you know, to scour discount racks for… Read More »