[This post and contest come hot off the Internet presses from our friends at CollegeFashion!]

As fashion fans, we all eagerly await the newest collections each season, oohing and ahhing over the looks we see on the runways. However, as college students, our budgets usually keep those runway looks out of reach. But with a little digging, you can create similar ensembles without emptying out your bank account. Every week, I’ll show you how to get a different runway look for less.

First up is the Marc by Marc Jacobs Spring 2011 collection. Back in March, his runway show featured an assortment of multi-colored striped pieces and brightly-colored accessories paired with neutrals. Jacobs’ show featured two hot Spring 2011 trends: bright colors and minimalism.

Want to learn how to get the Marc by Marc Jacobs Spring 2011 look for less? Read on!

[Like it or not, we all judge people every day. Especially when it comes to their fashion choices. From the girl with the too-short skirt for class to the old guy who insists on wearing short shorts and doing butterfly stretches at the gym (yeah, try to get that visual out of your head), it's impossible not to form an opinion. And now we're gonna share those opinions with the world. Every week, I'll be highlighting a celebrity look that I may love/hate/not understand and see what you, my college fashionistas, think about it. So put on your Joan Rivers fashion cap (which is undoubtedly made out of all the skin she's had nipped and tucked over the years) and let it all out.]

When I was 13, I was not a style icon. I favoured t-shirts with Disney characters and jeans with words on the back in rhinestones (shudder), so it’s natural that I am jealous of Elle Fanning, who is a whole eight years younger than me and wearing Marc Jacobs.

I can’t make up my mind what I think about this dress. I love the colour and I especially love her pairing with coral Chanel slingbacks, no matter how jealous this makes me, but there’s just something about it I don’t quite like. I’m not sure if it’s the flowers, I’m not sure if it’s the fact that it reminds me of Cinderella’s ball gown, but there’s something about it that just seems…urgh.

However, unlike a lot of girls her age, Elle definitely knows how to dress appropriately, and thankfully her look is free of thigh slits, leather and studs, which is a blessing in itself. I’m sure this is the kind of dress I would have gone wild for when I was 13, and it’s a damn better sight than a t-shirt with Eeyore on.

I have seen Elle in some absolutely gorgeous stuff and she does have great style for someone her age, but while this outfit isn’t my favourite, I can’t pinpoint why. This is Charlotte, completely on the fence…what do you ladies think? Can you help me figure out this couture conundrum?

Last time I did a purse inventory (it has to be done when you’ve got a collection like mine), I realized something: all of my purses are super-sized. You won’t find any mini’s hanging around in my closet! I’m 5’8, so I can rock larger purses and since I’m a student, I’m always looking for purses that fit at least a textbook and a notebook. However, this can be a problem when I’m looking for a lighter purse for a day of shopping or a night of margaritas at the local club. Can you imagine lugging a giant leather hobo to the bar? Don’t try it – speaking from experience here. So, when I saw Marc Jacobs Little Ukita, I knew it had to be mine.

The Little Ukita is a perfectly-sized purse. It measures 13 L x 10 H x 3.5 D and has both a short and long strap, making it super functional. You can even wear it cross-body! The leather is super buttery and the chic, graphic lining makes for a nice contrast. Every season, MBMJ keeps this classic shape in their rotation, but spices it up by releasing it in a whole new range of shades.

There is one back zipper pocket and even though I’m a fan of the full zipper, the magnetic flap closure is starting to grow on me. It makes it much easier to quickly grab something, especially when the purse is resting on your shoulder as opposed to cross-body style.

I decided to test it out and stuffed the Little Ukita full for a day-trip. I fit in my checkbook wallet, makeup bag, hand cream, a few lip glosses and my cellphone with no problems! The classic structure of the bag holds up like a pro, no matter which way you cram it, so you always look chic and put together.

And if you need anymore convincing that this baby is worth the splurge, check out one of our fave reality TV gals, Lauren Conrad, toting around the Little Ukita in a rich, chocolatey brown. Gorgeous!

The Marc by Marc Jacobs Little Ukita is available from an array of department stores and etailers, including Nordstrom, Bloomingdales and the Marc Jacobs website.

Fashion Week.  A place for designer’s ambitions, dreams and hard work to spill out onto a runway in front of an intense, anticipating public eye.  In front of other sweaty-palmed designers.  In front of Anna Wintour and Blake Lively’s mane.

Excuse me for sounding dramatic, but isn’t that what Fashion Week is all about?  Being dramatic? Based on my nightly routine of viewing pages and pages full of lustful fashion lines this week, that seems to be the case. In fact, it seems that Fashion Week exploded this season.  It exploded right on my face.  And now I’m left blinking at a screen full of lace, sheer fabrics, bold colors, drapery, fur and tribal makeup.

At first, I couldn’t decide if I was liking anything that was popping out from behind the curtain. It looked like MC Hammer and Lucille Ball barfed onto some fabric, smeared the regurgitated styles all over models with paint on their faces and let it go on a long strip of runway.  The chic, bold colors and ’40s-inspired ideas came together awkwardly and I was pursing my lips like Ms. Wintour.

But after taking a moment to sit back and appreciate the artwork, craftsmanship and deeply thought out designs and styles, I started to find some beautiful pieces.  And I. mean. beautiful. Then I started drooling. Then I started Googling ways to make a couple thousand dollars fast so I could get my hands on some of these things. Then I got scared about selling my eggs/body. Then I gave up and just got excited for these thoroughly anticipated clothes to hit the racks so I can window shop with that glazed over look in my eyes before I pop into Forever 21 for the knock-offs.

Ready for some Fashion Week porn? Here are a few of my favorite things that came down the runway this week:

Another New York Fashion Week has come and gone, and if it weren’t for the fact that London starts up just as it ends, I’d be spiraling into a deep pit of fashion depression, downing Chunky Monkey as I flipped through pictures of my favorite collections for the 47th time. I’m not crazy, I just feel like this year NYFW and I took our relationship to the next level. Though we’ve been doing long distance forever, the live-streaming of my favorite shows has been making it easier to cope. We even spent Valentine’s day together this year, with our dear friends, Betsey and Marc.

Yeah, it’s kinda serious.

While shopping for Fall clothes is still many months away, there is lots to look forward to once you hit the mall come August (despite what we originally expected/feared). Next fall will be far from drab, with lots of bright and neon colors. And the little red dress you rocked on Valentine’s Day appears to have some staying power, so hang onto it! Oh and if you’re sick of the horizontal stripe, have no fear; Marc Jacobs was all about the polka dots, so you may have a new simple pattern to hate next year.

With some designers looking to the post-war 1940s for inspiration and others drawing from the grunge era of the ’90s, fall fashion is going to be varied, fun and exciting. And I can’t wait! Wonder what you’ll be wearing on the first day of classes? Here’s a look at the biggest trends from Fall 2011 NYFW:

10 party necklaces that make a statement

How to rock the polka dots trend this winter

Awesome alternatives to chapstick

How to mix gold and silver jewelry

Super cute Michael Kors Winter Boots Knockoffs for only $30

The perfect makeup kit for quick touch-ups

The best brow shape for your face

Win a Marc Jacobs bag!

Sensational gift ideas for the skincare fanatic

10 Cheap Womens Winter Boots to stay warm in

Spring trends as discussed by Redken Creative Consultant Guido

Add sparkle to your holiday outfits

One of the hardest parts of going back to school is how quickly my work is interrupted by New York Fashion Week.  I know I should crack a textbook, get started on an assignment or two, but it’s nearly impossible to focus with pictures from an endless number of talented designer collections.  Add in Style.com’s iPhone app and I’m even having trouble staying focused in class.

Thanks a lot, Fashion Week.

And now that the week is done and I’ve spent every last second of it drooling over flowy dresses and a whole lot of bare bellies, it’s time to narrow down the best of the best from this year’s Spring Fashion Week. It was exceptionally difficult to choose favorites (it seemed like every single designer pulled out all the stops and created nearly perfect collections this year!), but using a very scientific formula (a scale ranging from “I’d totes wear that” to “I’d cut out my own kidneys and sell them on the Black Market to buy that”) I’ve determined this year’s Fashion Week Designer All-Stars.

Sorry, Marc Jacobs and Tory Burch – I really did love your collections – but as Iman (of Canada’s Next Top Model) would say: you just didn’t make the cut.

[Click on the images to see the entire collection.]

Anna Sui

After twenty years in the fashion biz, Anna Sui continues to stay true to her design aesthetic in this collection with cute baby dolls in gorgeous patterns.  The free-flowing pieces fit into the theme of ’70s inspired fashion seen throughout Fashion Week while still managing to stay modern and totally wearable in 2011 . The whole collection was flirty and feminine with fringe and feather accents complementing every look. In other words (or Rachel Zoe’s words….), Anna Sui Spring 2011 is major.

DKNY

The DKNY Spring show created a list of must-have items for the college girl.  Though other collections have bits and pieces us college girls might take inspiration from, DKNY is truly targeted at our age group.  Smart investment pieces (hello, khaki trench!) alongside fun prints and feminine ruffles show the perfect way to dress: combining the classic basics we can wear for our whole college career (and beyond) with youthful pieces in bright colors to add some zing to your wardrobe.

Tracy Reese

The trend of ’70s inspired fashion continued into Tracy Reese’s collection.  This woman knows how to work a print and knows how to do it well. With everything from watercolors to ethnic prints and even tie-dye, Tracy Reese brought out the drama in a way Betsy Johnson could never understand. Read: with elegance and class. I want it all!

Vera Wang

I’ll start out by saying I LOVE the rope knotted belts in this collection. And the quilting. And the layering. And the mixture of feminine and masculine pieces. And the homage to Kill Bill. OK, so there’s pretty much nothing about Vera’s collection that I didn’t love. Except maybe the price tag.

Vivienne Tam

If white cotton lace and crochet dresses are a sign of Spring, then Vivienne Tam should sponsor the season. Her whole collection had a light, airy, feminine feel. The florals, fluttery sleeves and open backs were incredibly classy while at the same time being totally relaxed. Fall has barely begun but Ms. Tam already has me thinking spring and planning my outfits for when the snow finally melts.

Which designer collections were your favorites?

Do you know what today is?

Yes, it’s Thursday.
But it’s not just any old Thursday. It’s the most fabulous Thursday of 2010.

It’s the first day of New York Fashion Week!

As we speak, the world’s biggest designers are putting the final touches on their ferosh spring 2011 looks, Rachel Zoe is going bananas over the Oscar looks she’ll inevitably find at the shows, Lindsay Lohan is waiting with baited breath to see if she’ll get any front row seats this year (I’m putting my money on no), and Anna Wintour is scouling from behind a pair of oversized sunglasses (standard).

Meanwhile, we’re busy living the slightly less glamorous life: writing the first papers of the year, getting back into the groove of seemingly endless homework assignments, or – if you’re as lucky as I am – studying for grad school admissions tests.

Let’s face it: the closest any of us college-going girls are going to get to this year’s Fashion Week is an impromptu clothing swap with our roommates.

Luckily for us, our friends at Stylelist.com are giving us a voyeuristic look at the fabulous events of the world’s most fashionable week. They’ll be our eyes and ears, reporting from the front row of all the shows. Sure, we’ll never get the chance to rub elbows with Demi Moore and Rachel Bilson while watching Marc Jacobs’ spring line come marching down the runway, but we can still check out all the coverage and may-jor styles when we need a study break. And we don’t even need to get dressed up to do it.

Stylelist will be taking us along to over 100 shows (!!) at Lincoln Center so make sure to check back every day (by clicking that box right over there on the right!) to see what you’ll be wearing once the snow melts in spring….and Forever 21/H&M/Target make more college budget-friendly versions.

Marc Jacobs does back-to-school.

Who are the worst celebrity role models?

Uh oh. Is Danielle Staub getting her own show?

When to intercept a friend’s drunken hook-up.

Dog’s doing funny things. Because it’s Wednesday.

Facing social pressures in college.

Got something awesome everyone needs to know about? A really rad singer? A wicked new book? The secret to perfect, frizz free hair!? Email your “The Know” ideas to Jill@collegecandy.com or tweet me and I’ll pass them along to everyone right here, every week. Make your kindergarten teacher proud and share!

If you love fashion, you know what it’s like to count down to Fashion Week, excited to watch the trends for next year come parading down the runway and trying to envision how you’re going to interpret the style and make it your own. And then you look forward to said new trends hitting the shelves, combing through the racks and trying them on.

Until they don’t fit.

Because, let’s face it, most of this country cannot fit into the small sizes designers produce. Even more, it seems that sizes are getting smaller and smaller and what once fit you as a size ten, you can no longer even pull up over your legs!

But that may not be the case much longer. Much like fashion magazines, it looks like designers are starting to get the hint. (Let me take a moment to say MAZEL TOV! What took you so long?!) Starting this fall, Saks is going to start carrying extended sizes from designer faves like Chanel, YSL, Dolce & Gabanna, Fendi, Roberto Cavalli and Alexander McQueen. (Sizes will range from a 14 up to a size 20 depending on the line). OK, so most of us can’t afford those pricey labels, but we all know trickle down theory: what top designers do, the rest of the fashion industry does soon after. That means more fierce fashion in a range of sizes that will fit every woman, not just the size zero celebrities walking the red carpet.

And what’s more, it looks like Marc Jacobs may be joining the plus-size party in about a year! Marc’s business partner Robert Duffy Tweeted over the weekend saying:

“Your right. We gotta do larger sizes. I’m with you. As soon as I get back to NY. I’m on it! It will take me about a year. But stay with us”

Despite the fact that Robert’s grammar is a bit off (you’d think a businessman would know the difference between ‘your’ and ‘you’re’), this is most definitely something worth knowing about. And celebrating! FINALLY designers are getting the memo that the majority of us who pour over their designs season after season can’t even wear them without looking like a sausage casing. But not for long, ladies! Pretty soon girls of all sizes can rock a Chanel frock or a Marc Jacobs trench!

It’s about damn time.