If there is one thing I have learned how to do well since leaving college it is shopping cheap. It used to be that I would pass my time between classes stocking up on designer jeans and over-priced coffee concoctions. That, of course, was when my parents were footing the bill and I could tell my mom I bought 2 pairs of jeans, 3 shirts and an oh-so-necessary text book for the price I really spend on some new oh-so-sexy boots.

Those days are long gone.

Now the only person reviewing (with a mixture of shock and horror) and paying my credit card bills is me, so I had no choice but to do a little switcheroo on my spending habits. That doesn’t mean, however, that my love for fashion has changed. At first that made things difficult; it isn’t easy having an obsession with the latest runway styles on a post-graduation limited budget. But I soon found it was possible to be tre fabulous on a tight budget.

And here are the stores to visit:

Kohls: This store didn’t need the new Simply Vera by Vera Wang to be a go-to for women on a budget. Even before the uber fabulous line made its way into stores across the country (and my closet, obvi), Kohls had beautiful and stylish clothes at super affordable prices. Mix and match this stuff and it won’t be hard to make people think it’s from Neiman’s.

Target: Obviously. Take your pick of awesome clothes from their GO designers to their staples like Mossimo and Isaac Mizrahi; this store really does have it all. And taking weekly shopping trips will not kill the budget (or force you to choose between eating and dressing). Read More »

I have to decided that today is National I Have Tons Of Confidence Day.

Why have I decided this? Because a lot of us need a jumpstart on that old self-image, and having an artificial holiday is one of the best ways to get that started.

Besides, naming random days is fun.

So if you happen to be one of the millions of women who want to grab Confidence by the horns (or balls, whichever) but aren’t sure exactly how to start, I’ve come up with a nice little promise we can make to ourselves:

“I (insert name here),

Hereby promise to make today a day full of confidence. I will make a special effort to treat myself with extra care and take time to realize I am awesome.

I will forget about pulling on my clothes when I walk down the street. They look great on me.

I will stop thinking everyone is starting at me because I look weird for some reason. I don’t look weird, and maybe that guy was checking me out in a good way! Read More »

Recently, after spending about an hour trying to find something to wear for poker night, I realized my closet was seriously lacking. I had tons of cute skirts for work, shirts to match, great shoes, and dresses. What I didn’t have were things most girls live in—great jeans, casual t-shirts, and anything under a 3-inch heel.

I made it my fashion mission to buy a few of those essentials every time I went shopping, and now I’m proud to say I have a pair of jeans I love (two pairs if it’s not a fat day), some adorable flats, and a few casual tops. I still prefer to dress up rather than down, but when I’m running on 73 minutes of sleep and am getting dressed with a cup of coffee in one hand, having a wardrobe of basic pieces that I can mix and match is a lifesaver.

Between my casual clothes and my dressy clothes, I feel like I have almost all the essentials (though I can use a few more pairs of jeans!). But chances are, especially if you’re loyal to a particular style of dressing like I am, you’re missing a few things. Take a look at my must-have list and see if you need to do some shopping ASAP:

A little black dress: I finally found the perfect one, and I love it so much that I bought a little gray dress in the same style. Pair it with high heels and a clutch for a night out, or flats and a casual bag to dress it down. If your little black dress is made from something like cotton, it’s a lot more versatile.

Cute flats: I don’t know how I lived without my Mia black flats all these years. Well actually, I do know—-with black heels that my feet will never forgive me for. Let a little toe cleavage peek out and be cute and comfy. Read More »

I may be a fashionista, but clothes remain an oddity to me. I gave up dressing for the male gender along time ago and now if I show off my tits it’s because I want to. And because I like my breasts, to me they are empowering.

I embraced the baby doll tent/trapeze dress for summer because for once it was a style that was breezy and light and dare I say it comfortable. I decided I’d stick it to the man (or men) who found the style unappealing. I liked it. And they showcased my legs, another of my favorite features. It allowed me to keep the ladies under wraps but let people go gaga over my gams.

All in all, I loved the shape of the summer dresses, or the fact that there wasn’t much shape to them at all.

But it all got me to thinking. In a way although we dress for ourselves, we do dress for others. And the other night I had a horrifying experience where in all of this shapely/shapeless controversy came to a head.

I was walking to the train from work, standing on a corner about to walk into Union Square. It was late and I was tired and talking to my boyfriend. That day I had worn an American Apparel strapless tube dress with a flouncy tunic to cover up the fact that the dress showed more curves than I was comfortable with.

So, I was showing off my shape, but still covering it up. And I had on my mother’s old cowboy boots, since I work at a Texas BBQ restaurant and its pretty much the only dress code requirement of a hostess. They also draw way more attention from men than I ever imagined—I get a “hey cowgirl” at least every other day. Read More »

I have a hard time finding good clothes.

Mostly because I’m short—5’2”—but also because my style tends to fluctuate. I enjoy stylish, easygoing, “hippie” clothes, but looking like a bag lady or pregnant isn’t on my agenda. I also want to seem my age, but office attire isn’t something I can bare.

What’s a finicky, normal-sized girl to do? Become Free People’s biggest fan.

I discovered this line a few years ago, and although I wouldn’t call myself a fashion maven, each season I await their newest catalogue with the sort of anticipation Michael Lohan reserves for trashy talk shows.

If you enjoy comfortable, super-stylish clothes that won’t completely ruin your budget, look no further than this catalogue of cute, layerable tops and long, lean pants.

Everything they sell is deliciously feminine; flattering for different body types, and steers clear of cheap, hoochie cuts and fits.

I would literally wear everything from this brand if my wallet was thick enough, and own tons of pieces I put on year after year. My only gripe with FP? Sometimes the pants they carry have no love for short girls, and I have to get them heavily tailored. Read More »

Religion, schmeligion. I worship at the church of style. Here are my fashion tenets—but don’t worry if you’ve sinned. Fashion rules are meant to be broken!

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s Manolos

Sure, my closet is more familiar with the acronym H&M than D&G, which is difficult when you live in a city like New York, where women are walking fashion billboards. But being green with envy is never a fashion statement.

Thou shall commit fashion adultery

Designer monogamy is the kiss of death for a fashionista. The best way to develop your own look and style is to sleep, er, shop around. Wearing one designer head-to-toe makes you look like you just stepped out of the pages of their catalogue.

Remember the sales and keep them holy

Unless your cash is burning a hole through your pocket, it’s wise to be on top of the sales at your favorite stores. I experienced unbearable heartbreak last year when I arrived at Victoria’s Secret to find that their semi-annual sale had ended the day before.

Thou shall make for thyself many fashion idols

Got a fashion-forward friend or enemy? Lusting over a stranger’s shoes on the train? Take note of what catches your eye and what makes you cringe—your next shopping trip will be much more rewarding if you have a specific look in mind instead of just an urge to buy something new—because really, how many black v-neck tops does one girl need? (I need seven, it seems). Read More »

If I put all the clothes I’ve ever given away into one place, it could probably fill up my entire bedroom, floor to ceiling and wall to wall. Over time I’ve made disastrous shopping purchases I was more than willing to give to Goodwill.

But the times I have painstakingly attempted to sell my clothes for a bit of extra cash, they never take the bait.

It is always incredibly perplexing as to what they do take. One time during a serious dough drought, I decided to sell some of my lesser worn yet well-known articles of clothing. Amidst an entire trash bag of recent goods the numbskulls took one item: a hot pink, crew neck, Lycra-cotton blend shell from the Gap OUTLET that dated back to ’98. Read More »

So you graduated. Whoop-de-do. Sure it’s amazing to be done with final exams/papers/all nighters and the like but who are you kidding? Is there anything to look forward to in the real world?

If you are like me, you are totally hesitant about becoming a Real Person with a real schedule and real responsibilities. And if you aren’t dreading the hard, fast and very rude awakening you are about to undergo, I’m here to tell you to jump on this train because it is going to suck.

But there is one thing to look forward to while you are home unpacking all your memories, sifting through pictures of your senior bar crawl and thinking about how it’s only downhill from here on out… graduation gifts! Now that deserves a whoop-de-do (with an exclamation point) !

Only problem is whenever I am put on the spot with a “What do you want for graduation?” it seems as though I can never think of anything and end up getting gifts I don’t really have any use for. Read More »

Everybody’s favorite waif and occasional coke user, debuted her new clothing line at Top Shop this week. Shock me, shock me, shock me with your out of character behavior Ms. Moss. Is anybody really suprised that this fashion maven would team up with Topshop, the British company that manages to bring looks from the runway to stores in only a matter of weeks, at prices us mere mortals can afford? I didn’t think so.

This lady was behind the push towards high-waisted denim trend after all and was sporting skin tight jeans when the rest of us were still lounging around in boot-cuts.

I don’t care what anybody says, I salute you Kate. I think it’s postively swell that she would team up with Topshop, when H&M dropped her as the face of their campaign after those infamous pictures of her snorting the white stuff hit the press in 2005.

Let’s face it, isn’t H&M just a b-side version of Topshop after all? I would much rather sport similar duds of Sienna Miller and Kate Moss than deck myself in the weirdly business-like, yet clubby clothes from Madonna’s line at H&M. Does anybody really need a white leotard? Does Madonna even need a white leotard? Let’s be honest with ourselves folks. I hope those Swedes are kicking themselves right now. Read More »