After months of sweltering heat and humidity in New York City, I am officially ready for fall—bring on the pumpkin lattes, cozy sweaters and crisp air. And the best part about the changing seasons? An excuse to go stock up on back to school fall essentials. And I’m not talking about school supplies (though I do miss the thrill of purchasing fresh erasers and binders). I’m talking about some rockin’ new outfits to help start the semester right!

Accessories are the easiest way to keep your rotating pieces looking bold an on-trend. When they’re from Payless, you don’t need to drain your piggy bank for cool new looks. You can mix up your go-to looks with bags, cute new shoes and awesomely glitz and glam jewelry. After a few purchases, you’ll swear you have a whole new wardrobe.

All of the fall finishing-touch accessories in the following looks are available at Payless and brashgirl.com and are from the retailer’s new edgy brand — Brash!

 So you’re off to class and want to add a little something something to your outfit…here’s what you should wear!

Product Info: Tee: American Eagle, $15.50; Jeans: American Eagle, $29.99; Earrings: Payless, $7.99;  Ring: Payless, $9.99;  Bag: Payless, $29.99; Trench: Banana Republic, $198; Shoes: Payless, $17.99

It’s that magical night when a knight in shining armor that kid who lives down the hall changes out of mesh shorts and take you on a date…here’s what you should wear!

Product Info: Cami: J.Crew, $65; Ring: Payless, $12.99; Jeans: Gap, $69.50; Necklace: Payless, $12.99; Bag: Payless, $22.99; Pumps: Payless, $29.99

It’s Sunday night and that means it’s time to crack open the books and head to your study group…here’s what you should wear!

Product Info: Necklace: Payless, $9.99; Top: J.Crew, $45; Shorts: Hollister, $39.50; Earrings: Payless, $7.99; Shoes: Payless, $29.99

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When moving into either a dorm or an off-campus apartment, your wardrobe will face two major challenges:

1. A major lack of funding (to add more to it).
2. A major lack of storage space.

For these two reasons alone, maximizing what you do own becomes essential.  And that’s why I’m bringing back the Shop Your Closet series. Each week, I’ll show you how to wear 1 item 3 ways – with the stuff you most likely already own! – to get the most out of your purchases.  With the growing popularity of 6 Items or Less it can’t be that difficult to remix one item, right?

My favorite clothing item this fall is the utilitarian military jacket.  Originally popular in the grunge era known as the ’90s, a utilitarian jacket in your closet is not only on-trend, but necessary. The military jacket – thanks to its neutral color and shape – is incredibly practical and versatile.  There are very few things that can’t be worn with one and its the easiest way to completely re-style the staples that are already in your closet. Check out Who What Wear to see how the celebs are embracing the army jacket.

Look 1:

Jacket, Dress, Shoes, Bag.

Add edge to a sweet dress with a military jacket.  The toughness of the jacket juxtaposed with the femininity of the dress are the perfect contrast.  As this dress is fairly simple, the studded detail on the shoes add some visual interest along with the pop of color.  This is an easy everyday look, as the jacket makes the overall feel of the outfit more casual.  Add a contrasting shoulder bag to incorporate even more color (and fun!) into your look.

Look 2:

Jacket, Top, Jeans, Sandals.

Instead of throwing a cardigan or boyfriend blazer over a feminine top and jeans, try the utilitarian jacket for a completely different feel.  If you’re heading to a bonfire party or football game, the base of this look is very cute and feminine (and similar components are already hanging in your closet), while the jacket adds an hint of ease and a masculine spin.

Look 3:

Jacket, Top, Cardigan, Belt, Leggings, Boots.

After spotting Oliva Palermo’s military-inspired look, I just had to recreate it. Belting an army jacket tones done the masculine feel as it draws attention to your feminine figure. A ruffled top (or even just a graphic tee) under a longer cardigan is a cute and comfy way to layer under the jacket and make the look a little more personal.  Leggings that mimic leather (standard leggings work too!) worn with over-the-knee boots is a perfect and chic way to finish this outfit.

Ladies, it’s time to embrace the plaid.

OK, before you former uniform-wearing girls get all “I spent the last 12 years of my life in plaid, why on Earth would I wear it once I can finally pick my own clothes each day?!” let me explain. Plaid is so. much. more. than the pattern of choice for schoolgirl kilts; it’s classic, it’s versatile and it’s probably one of the easiest ways to incorporate a multicolored pattern into your wardrobe.

Plaid is one of the 10 Modern Pieces Every Girl Should Own and the plaid shirt has become a uniform for both male and female college students.  It’s easy to wear with jeans, super comfy, and looks good even when it’s been balled up on your floor and you only have 10 minutes to make it to class.  It’s also been super popular for a few years, and appears to have major staying power.  If the plaid shirt isn’t your thing, or you want other ways to incorporate your new favorite pattern into your wardrobe, there are lots of coats, bottoms and accessories out there for you! And each one is cuter than the other.

Another bonus about plaid?  If you’re ever in a bind about what to wear to an ‘I love the ’90s’ party, a plaid shirt is your best bet… Take that, solids!

It’s starting to get hot, hot, hot outside! While I’m stuck in landlocked Alberta, where no one has pools, I’m sure many of you out there are gearing up to start hitting the beach, or hang out poolside on a weekly (if not daily) basis.

Whether you choose to wear a bikini or a one-piece, you’re going to need a cover-up for going to the beach, or even just covering up a bit to avoid extreme sun exposure.  Lucky for you there are some really cute options this year that will easily transition from the beach to the boardwalk (assuming you dry yourself up enough to avoid those pesky wet marks around your boobs…). Seriously, toss a pair of wedges and a few bangles into your beach bag and you can take these things all over town.

So put on your sunscreen, grab your shades and don a cute cover-up as you get ready to hang out by the water!

With so many summer colors and patterns to choose from this year, it’s hard to know what to pair them with. While you could pair the bright yellows, pretty pastels or the super popular turquoise with denim, khaki or another solid neutral, the bold black and white prints available this season are a more interesting way to go.

There are many interesting black and white items to choose from, on everything from shoes to headbands to rompers.  This year they can be found on black and white prints in the form of stripes, florals, an abstract print and many, many more interesting patterns.  Additionally, white items with black accents, or black items with white accents are a super cute way to wear this combination.  With so many black and white items to choose from, who needs to live in Technicolor?

A few weeks ago Sarah Jessica Parker inspired Fashion Porn. This week, it’s inspired by someone completely different.  While doing my usual online browsing, I discovered Forever 21′s “Inspired by La Roux” page.  I’ve been drooling over pictures of Elly Jackson of La Roux’s style.  And while I won’t be donning her angular, statement hair anytime soon, I am coveting some of the rock ‘n roll elements of her style.

Very few things scream rock ‘n’ roll like studs and chains.  The metallic hardware adds edge to items, and adds an instant accessory to any piece of clothing.  With studs appearing on everything from shoes to skirts this year, and chains gracing the shoulders and front of dresses, these are two elements easy to incorporate into your wardrobe.   Just remember: while you can find studs or chains on absolutely EVERYTHING this year, be careful not to go overboard. You wanna look chic, not like some reject from an ’80s heavy metal band.

Love how your legs look in stilettos but hate hobbling home at the end of the night? This year, wedges are the answer.  No longer will you have to opt for flats, shove another pair of shoes into your bag, or take a cab 5 blocks to get home at the end of the night.  Wedges give you height and elongate those legs, but have more material pounding the pavement, meaning you don’t have to balance your weight on that super fragile ball of your food anymore. Hot legs + hot shoes + comfort? Be still my heart.

Even better (as if that were possible!), wedges come in all shapes, sizes, colors and styles. You can find some for day (hello, espadrilles!) or night. You can go basic to let your outfit do the taking, or incorporate this season’s hottest trends (animal print, bright colors, nautical??). Wedges really are the shoe for everyone, and I’d like to offer up a big “Thank You!!” to whatever fashion gods decided to bring ‘em back.

It’s been so long since I’ve slipped on a pair of sandals I’m not even sure I remember how to walk in them. My little piggies haven’t seen the light of day in months and now that it’s finally getting warm out there, I’m itching for some new sandals to show off these freshly pedicured toesies. It’s a good thing everyone and their mother is designing adorable sandals these days. Seriously, every pair I see is cuter than the one before.

And they are flats! And they are comfortable! And they are cheap! It’s like all of my fashion prayers have been answered. Here are just a few of my favorite summer sandals, all under $20 and all making me want to move somewhere warm where I can wear these year-round.

I love how the flowers take these everyday sandals to a much cuter level. You can wear these with a cover up to the beach, with some cut-offs for the day, or with a cotton maxi dress at night.

Nothing says summer like some turquoise, and those hot little stones add a fun pop of color to an otherwise basic sandal.

These adorable sandals are cheap enough as it is ($12.99, baby), but with Payless’s BOGO event going on right now, they’re impossible to resist.

The gorgeous braiding detail on these makes them look much more expensive than their $16.99 price tag. And these, too, are from Payless, making them the perfect pairing for your BOGO purchase.

I can already see myself tearing up the dance floor in these suede sandals and a high waisted mini, and grabbing brunch with the ladies in a pair of tailored black shorts and a tank.

Let’s be honest: everyone is doing this basic sandal design this season. But no one is doing it in hot pink. These puppies will look beautiful with some tan summer skin and pedicured toes.

I. love. these. sandals. I love the color, I love the studs, and I loooove the whole “wrap around the ankle” aspect. These will add sass to anything you wear with them, which makes them the perfect go-to accessory of the summer.

Denim and chambray are all the rage this summer, and these shoes make it obvious why. They are so simple yet so cute and different from anything else you’ve got stockpiled in that closet of yours.

]]> http://collegecandy.com/2010/05/04/8-under-20-summer-sandals/feed/ 4 ccandystaff 8under600x360 sandal 1 sandal 2 sandal 3 sandal 4 sandal 5 sandal 6 sandal 7 sandal 8 http://collegecandy.com/2010/03/11/fashion-porn-green-orgy/ http://collegecandy.com/2010/03/11/fashion-porn-green-orgy/#comments Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:00:35 +0000 Leah - Ryerson University http://collegecandy.com/?p=55800 St. Patrick's Day.]]> I’m going to be a little blunt – I personally think that dressing up for holidays is a little lame. There are, however, 2 exceptions
1. Halloween (duhhh)
2. St. Patrick’s Day.

Really, why wouldn’t you go all out for St. Patrick’s Day? After all those morning Irish coffees, you’re not going to care what you look like. And after your 6th green beer, you’ll want your outfit to match your teeth, anyway.

Plus, unlike that slutty nurse costume from Halloween, you can totally re-wear your adorably bright St. Patty’s Day outfits all throughout spring and summer. That is assuming you opt for one of these gorgeous greens items and not something like this.

It’s time to bare those forearms and ankles, show a little skin, and soak up the sun! And what goes best with that bright, glowing orb in the sky? Bright colors, of course. Lucky for all of us, stores are overflowing with the brightest of brights that will be perfect for that beachside cocktail in Mexico or that late-spring study sesh when you (unfortunately) have to return to campus. From dresses to shoes, solids to patterns, bags to bangles, the brights are here and it’s time we turn up the volume in our closets.

So run, don’t walk, to the nearest store and stock up some color to kick those winter blues (and greys).  Not only will you feel more energized, but a bright color might make it easier for your friends (or cute males!) to spot you on that crowded Spring Break beach.