Bold, geometric prints are all the rage this season. I love the fun, bright colors and their retro feel — they’re perfect for summer. I’ve seen them on everything from dresses to tops to shoes and jewelry! Before you go thinking you can’t afford some geometric fashions of your own, take a look at my research. I looked high and low for the best bargains when it comes to this great trend.

Here are my favorite picks for just $20 or less each!

initiating the gallery...

I love me a bold print, so I’m shakin’ in my leopard maxi dress over the variety of fabulous prints coming at us this spring (if it ever comes). There are so many prints to choose from: animal prints, prints of animals, florals, abstract, paisley, tribal, stripes, polka dots and any other design you could possibly imagine. They come in all colors, on items of all types, meaning there are unlimited ways to incorporate prints into your look this spring.

You can even wear them mixed together. Crazy, I know!

While there are many prints that make a big statement, there are also many that are more subtle. A smaller, daintier print might be for you if you’re not looking to draw a lot of attention, or go for a big, bold pattern if you want to have all eyes on you when you enter a room. After all, there’s nothing wrong with drawing attention from the amazingly bold dress you’re wearing… unless it’s because you’re falling out of it.

If you’re up for the challenge, mix things up. How, you ask? By choosing prints in similar shades/complimentary colors. When you do that, the patterns look more like neutrals and you end up with a seriously interesting and appealing look. You ready to get your print on (literally)? Here are 15 of my favorite printed looks for spring. Read More »

Fashion Week, a sort-of welcome week for the rich and stylish, has come to an end. Come tomorrow, a construction crew will be taking the tents at Bryant Park down, models will hop on planes to London and editors will finally get more than three hours of sleep per night. This week’s had it all: appearances by D-List Celebrities (hello, Kelly Bensimon,) crazy parties (Alexander Wang rented out a gas station) and clothes, clothes, clothes. Ready to stock your closet for spring?

Here are the top trends for Spring 2010: Read More »

With spring fast approaching (it’s mid-March already?), the floral trend is once again in full swing. Although most people are fairly familiar with this repetitive trend, there are a few things to keep in mind when you’re rocking petals on your outfit.

Here are the 3 biggest tips for keeping florals feminine and sophisticated:

1. Watch the colors you choose for florals. When you pick out a floral-printed piece, make sure you have an item that will go with it and match at least one of the colors.

2. Choose floral patterns that are proportionate to your size and shape. If you are small or big, wearing a huge flower pattern will make you look more so. Also, rock florals on a part of your body you want to bring attention to, not the ones you want people to ignore!

3. To avoid looking like you just escaped from the nursing home, pick floral items in soft, flowing materials such as silk. And make sure they skim your curves but don’t look too tight. Read More »

My style idol this week got her “start” on one of the most popular reality series on TV (The Hills) and now has her own reality show documenting her life in NYC (The City): Whitney Port. She’s worked for Teen Vogue; fashion PR firm, People’s Revolution; and recently started her own clothing line, Eve & A, so it’s safe to say this girl knows fashion.

And she uses that knowledge well.

What I love about Whitney’s style is that she’s not afraid to take risks; she mixes and matches trends and gives them her own personal take. She’s also a big fan of fun & flirty dresses and she’s not afraid to go for bright, over-the-top colors and prints. (Although, it’s not hard to look good when you are already blessed with perfect hair, flawless skin and zero percent body fat.) She does a great job of pairing “louder” accessories and/or shoes with simple frocks, and when it’s time to glam it up, she picks classic gowns with a modern edge, the perfect look for an early-twenties girl.

Adding to her personal wardrobe, no matter where Whitney is going or what she’s wearing she never overdoes it with her hair and makeup. She most often keeps her beautiful blonde locks loose and wavy, and her makeup always looks natural and beautiful. Whitney knows her stuff when it comes to looking great and is a Style Idol to young women everywhere. Read More »

[Celebrities get paid to look good and serve as a style guide to all us common folk, and part of looking good is flaunting their totally awesome fashion sense. Each week, I will be highlighting my Style Idol of the week: a celebrity who consistently shows keen fashion sense and whose closet I would raid in a heartbeat.

Of course, no celebs are immune to the occasional “what the hell were they thinking?” moment, but for the most part, these celebs look foxy and fabulous and inspire us all to do the same.]

Donning scrubs on her TV show, Grey’s Anatomy, Katherine Heigl is far from a fashionista. Off the set, though, she’s got a great, easy style that always looks polished (to go with that nice polished rock she’s got on her finger).

Katherine isn’t a big risk-taker or a trend-setter when it comes to fashion, but she knows how to put together an ensemble that highlights her curvaceous body without going over-the-top on the sexy factor. Add that with her magical ability to mix prints and colors and you’ve got yourself one fashionable lady. She’s often photographed around L.A. in adorable sweaters, flats and jeans, but when she hits the red carpet, she brings out the va-va-voom and plays up her blonde bombshell status with curve hugging, classically glamorous gowns. There is no need for a little lift or tuck in her wardrobe; this girl has got it going on. Read More »

I hit the mall the other day and witnessed a wonderfully beautiful sight: Spring clothing. The racks of shorts, tanks and skirts were like the (bright, patent leather) light at the end of a cold and dreary tunnel. I felt euphoric, giddy and a need to spend. I grabbed my friend’s hand and together we skipped from store to store taking it all in.

The colorful shoes.

The exotic prints.

The dresses.

The bags. Oh boy, those bags.

I would have loved to give my credit card a workout and my wardrobe a much needed pick-me-up – as I have found myself wearing only grays and blacks these past few weeks – but the price tags at Nordstrom, etc. were just way bigger than anything I could afford. I pitied myself and my dwindling bank account for a moment, but instead of throwing in the proverbial towel and heading home to sulk in a pile of black sweats, I went in search of equally fabulous, yet far more affordable, Spring pieces.

It was a cinch. Spring trends are all about bright colors, patent leather, and new shapes. Luckily for me and any other lady on a budget, these elements are all very easy to find at any price point. I scoped out my I Have to Have Them But In No Way Can I Afford Them pieces, admired and drooled over them, and then snapped back into reality and went in search of their less expensive brothers.

What I Lusted: Marc by Marc Jacobs “Posh Turnlock” Convertible Clutch

Price: $298 (Ouch.)

This bag adds much needed drama and excitement to the bar-standard black dress or shirt.

The leather is soft, the colors (I prefer yellow) are bright without being too much and the bag is perfect for going out – both in the fact that it will hold everything and can be worn as either a clutch or on your shoulder.

What I Got: Xhilaration (For Target) Envelope Clutch

Price: $17.99

This bag has so much in common with the one by Marc – the perfect size for going out, the perfect color to pop a typical ensemble, the ability to be worn both as a clutch or shoulder bag – for a fraction of the price. Just think about how much better you will feel about spilling beer on an $18 bag versus one for $300. Read More »

Someone has heard my prayers.

Maybe it was God, Maybe it was Marc Jacobs, I don’t really know and to be honest, I don’t really care but someone, somewhere has heard my begging and pleading and has done something about it.

A change that makes me so happy, I am twirling around like a 5 year old in my maternity style dress.

Magazines, newspapers, and TV shows alike have been abuzz with “What’s In and Whats Out” for your 2008 wardrobe. And thankfully (or perhaps FINALLY is a better word) I can throw my “Someone’s having a baby dress!” in the trash (and yes someone DID say that to me, to which I proceeded to jump off the nearest bridge)

While I have heard the phrase “return of femininity” the past three years (Fashionistas claimed the baby-doll dress was in fact feminine. I claim that it is a way to make me look like a fat-ass who is ready to pop one out). But this time, the trends for spring/summer are in fact, showing off that we are women.

Belted waists, bodice hugging dresses, flattering pants and a whole lot of bold colors and prints are what you will be seeing this year. Gone are the trapeze dresses. Leggings? So two years ago. Menswear for women, drab colors, skinny jeans tucked into booties, boxy pieces with no shape and oversized cardigans, that we all HAD to have, will be sent away like Lilo being sent to rehab. Read More »