It’s almost that time of year again. Time to pack up those boxes and head back to campus to endure the infamous walk of shame walk to class, cafeteria food, cute boys in uniform, and a little math problem I like to call “peppermint schnapps + chocolate milk = excellent football game material.”  Cheers to that.

If you’re as excited as I am, it’s time to get a jump start and fill up your dresser drawers with some Fall-ish suga – aka the perfect fall wardrobe.  Lucky for me, this season (because I’m obsessed with it) gray is the new neutral.  Bye bye lint rolling the shiz out of all of my black clothes, right!?!  Aren’t you ecstatic?! Gray is such a soft, easy color and goes with absolutely everything under the sun.  So instead of running for cover in an end-of-summer sale rack of black, high tail it on over to the grays.

You won’t re-gray it. Sorry, couldn’t resist.

I’m always a fan of the sheer, v-neck tee.  It’s comfortable, it’s cool and would look beyond adorbz with a fedora and a long necklace. Oh and it’s only $4.99 and you could wear it to bed.  The beauty of the tee.

This skirt is perfect for a job interview.  The ruched sides make it unique and slightly flirty (but still profesh), and I love the steal gray color and subtly sexy back zipper.  Pair this sucker with a sharp pair of patent leather pumps and, whew, is it getting hot in here?

These flirty, floral denim (cheap – $15.80) shorty shorts are too cute.  The frayed hem is Daisy Duke style and totally sexy.  These babies would look cute with a lose fitting tee and flats.  I’m lusting.

Find of the year.  This cap sleeve dress would look perfect for business AND the club (those are my favorite matches, of course). I totally love its simple yet saucy attitude and versatile style.  Also, I would like to note that it would look smashing on any shape.

First of all, I think it’s funny that to find jeggings these days you must look under the ‘Pants’ tab not the ‘Leggings’ tab of your favorite shopping sites. Just a little slice of info for this lovely Tuesday. Anyway, these are a must-have.  Jeggings are truly brilliant.

We may not be going full-out-gray style right here, but this shirt looks comfy and stylish all in one piece of cotton.  See those jeggings above? This would make a fab outfit, and for cheap! Pssst. This shirt is only $5.99.

This tweed gray topper is great for upcoming fall.  I know you’re probably not ready for that quite yet, but if anything can get you geeked for fall it’s this kind of cuteness.  It would look adorable with any other texture (to add dimension to your wardrobe) and would work great for a windy day of a I-Haven’t-Showered-marathon.  It’s OK – it happens to the best of us.

I know this seems super simplistic, but I’ve been dying to find a place that has this comfortable top for cheap.  Luckily, we’ve found one for a measly $7.80. I’m willing to risk buying Jamba Juice for one day to pop for this baby.  Paired with skinny jeans, big sunglasses and lots of fun jewelry, this makes for a perfect shopping going to class outfit.

With fall here, it’s time to start adding new outerwear to your closet, and while many people argue that everyone needs a boyfriend blazer, I think everyone should be picking up this military jacket from Banana Republic. This sharp, dapper blazer can pull together any combination of a T-shirt and broken-in jeans (you know, the super comfy ones you wear every other day) when a decent outfit takes too much effort, or make you look even smarter when paired with a crisp, collared shirt.

It features pockets at the chest and waist, a standing collar, shoulder epaulets (for that extra touch of cool), a concealed button placket and cinching at the waist that creates the perfect hourglass shape. Roll up the sleeves for a more laid back look or add a necklace or two for some glam. Available in black and gray, it practically goes with everything, so, like your jeans, you can wear it every other day as well.

Planning my next trip to Banana Republic as we speak. See you there?

This dress from Forever 21 is totally cute and flattering for a number of different body types. It’s long enough to sport to class or while running around town with mom, but sexy enough to dress up for later. And, better yet, at $11.50 a pop, you can buy it in more than one color.  I love the pink, blue and purple for spring.

Pair it with a pair of comfy, yet totally stylish silver sandals for those jaunts to class. I love these sandals because they are extremely comfortable and cheap, but much hotter than your average pair of Old Navy flips.

When it comes to daytime accessories, you obvi don’t want to go over-the-top-I’m-trying-too-hard. Plus, keeping it simple means getting a few more minutes of snooze time. Just go light with the extras and you will look perfectly put together for class.

I am loving this dainty and stylish hummingbird necklace and it’s the perfect way to accessorize without overpowering the neckline of the dress. And hey, at less than $5, it’s a great and inexpensive piece that’ll go well with all sorts of summer wear. I’m also a huge advocate for the simplicity and versatility of hoop earrings for all occasions and this pair brings a new twist onto this classic.

Now when it’s time to head out for the evening, all you need is a quick shoe change and the addition of a cocoon top cardigan and you’re set.

Gray is a great neutral color that looks fantastic with the brights and pastels of spring/summer. It will instantly glam up that cotton dress, taking it from “boring lecture” to “bumpin’ beer garden.”

These wedges will not only be more comfy than a pair of stilettos, but the detail in the fringe and grommets gives this shoe the perfect amount of sexiness to really punch up the outfit.  And since Payless is having one of their BOGO (buy one, get one 1/2 off) sales, you can get both pairs of shoes (see above!)  for under $50. Not sure there is any better news.

This outfit is an easy way to look fabulous for any occasion, and hey, who knows, maybe you’ll even find your spring fling while you’re in it.

Each week I’ll be putting together a cute and affordable “going out” ensemble guide (that you can tweak to your own personal style and body type, of course) so that maybe that age-old question can be answered a little quicker than usual. And your friends aren’t waiting - for hours - for you to emerge from your room. Just consider me your own (free) personal Rachel Zoe.]

So the holiday buzz has warn off, it’s time to get back to the real world, and on top of all that, it’s frickin’ freezin’ out there! Things may seem bleak right now (the economy sucks, the weather sucks, school sucks; I know how it goes) and there may be nothing you want to do more than climb into bed, pull the covers over your head and attempt to fight off those winter blues by daydreaming of sun-drenched days on the beach, but your chin up, girlfriend!

Get out of bed, pull on a cute outfit and get out there. Just because we’re officially in the dead of winter doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of fun to be had…

This top/cardigan is super sexy (helloooo, cleavage), but the belt will give great definition to your waist and the flowing bottom will cover up any of those unwanted holiday pounds. It’s top perfection.

If you’re not brave enough to wear it solo, you can always put a basic black cami or long sleeved top underneath.

Because the top is more flowy, you are going to want to pair it with a more streamlined and fitted bottom, like a pair of super dark wash skinny jeans.

Since the outfit is pretty simple, add some color with the footwear. Purple is still a popular hue and it goes great with gray. Bonus on these boots: the low heel is much easier to navigate snowy/icy walkways than sky-high stilettos, and they’ll keep your tootsies warm!

You can go a bit bigger with the accessories, so throw on a big bangle and some statement earrings. These hoops are great because they’re fun and big, but the thin wiring makes sure they’re not overbearing. And the bangle? Well, it’s just really cute.

Just don’t forget the essentials to keep you warm when you’re not inside shakin’ your booty on the dance floor: scarf, gloves and a coat are essentials and you can make them fun and stylish as well.

But it also means new trends – not only in fashion, but in beauty as well.

It’s time to throw out those bright nail colors of the summer and transition back into the darker hues of fall and winter.

Purple Reign

Purple is one of the most popular colors of the season when it comes to clothing, and the same can be said for nails. Instead of the bright purples and lavendars we saw for spring and summer, look for deep shades like plum, aubergine and violet. OPI has a new French-inspired collection and also recently teamed up with Sephora to create some beautiful shades, perfect for the Fall. I’m loving Louvre Me, Louvre Me Not (a gorgeous royal purple) and Don’t Go There (a lovely muted violet). I also love Rock Royalty by Creative Nail Design, it’s a beautiful deep purple shade.

Chocoholics Anonymous

A new trend for this season, and a fun twist on the popular black nail polish, is to go the chocolate brown route. Brown nails look classic and the earthiness softens them, making them a great way to get into the autumn mood. Some of my favorite browns out there are Essie’s Wicked and Priceless, China Glaze Unplugged, Avon’s Deluxe Chocolate and OPI’s Espresso Your Style! (several of these also have a great metallic hue, another trend for fall). Jan Arnold, co-founder of Creative Nail Design suggests having rounded square nails that extend just past the tip of the finger for this trend.

Precious Metals

Metallics are another popular trend in nails this fall, whether you go with gold, bronze or copper tones, or if you infuse the metallic trend into the colors of the season (purples, browns, greys, etc.). Chanel came out with, D’or Gold Fiction, a new limited edition, high-in-demand gold polish that is extremely pricey ($30!!!), but most nail polish lines carry their own versions of gold that can look similar with an extra coat or two. Try OPI, or China Glaze’s new collection for the fall called Rodeo Diva. It really plays up on the metallic trend and you can find all sorts of colors, from green to brown to another gorgeous purple hue. You can see swatches of this collection here and here.

Vamp It Up

As is always the case with fall, vampish tones like black, wines and deep, deep reds will be popular this year. From OPI’s new La Collection de France, We’ll Always Have Paris is perfect for the fall as is Lippman Collection’s Pump Up The Jam. Of course, these deep reds and blacks are easy to find in any collection, so just check your local drugstore.

Earl Gray

The last major trend for fall is grays. Gray is always a huge color on the runways and it’s trickled down to fingernails. From soft grays all the way to gunmetal, you’ll be seeing these everywhere. For more muted grays, OPI/Sephora’s new collection has Metro Chic a matte, purplish-grey. OPI’s French Collection has You Don’t Know Jacques, and Rescue Beauty Lounge has Concrete Jungle. For more metallic grays try Revlon’s Dark Pleasures line in Steel-Eto, Patent Leather or Talk Dirty or Color Club’s After Hours. Plenty of other collections are sure to have different hues of gray so keep your eyes open.

Fall is a great chance to let your darker side out, so grow your nails out a bit, slap on some dark polish, and show ‘em your inner demon.

And suede boots with fringe.

Dude, WTF is up with footwear this year?! I am usually pretty good at keeping up with the trends, but this one totally surprised and baffled me. Fringe? On a suede boot?

I know that I swore I would never understand the whole Ugg phenomenon – and then went out and bought 2 pairs – but this is a look I really don’t get. What does one wear with a boot full of fringe? What kind of look is this? And don’t people get worried about getting caught in escalators?

Am I alone in this?

The Fringe Boot: Yay or Nay?