I’ll always have a soft spot for Sophia Bush because one of my favorite ways to waste time is to have a One Tree Hill marathon, and Brooke Davis consistently speaks to my soul. (Judging from Tumblr, I’m clearly not alone.) Sophia’s personal style is just as great as her character’s. She generally sticks to a low-key, slightly edgy, feminine aesthetic, with a lot of black, lace, sequins, and classic patterns. Read More »

Surefire sign the holidays are upon us? Sequins are just about everywhere. From Wet Seal to designer boutiques. Everyone is wearing sequins, but unfortunately not  everyone is wearing them right.

To avoid looking like a disco-ball, follow these easy and breezy steps to look chic in sequins, glitter, and all holiday sparkle! Read More »

As the holidays approach so do the sometimes-dreaded holiday parties and we all know what that means: holiday sweaters.

Okay, maybe that only happened to Bridget Jones and Mark Darcy, but the holiday season can bring some pretty awful trends but also some chic ones. Enter sequins! Worn correctly, sequins can be tasteful, glamorous and stylish! Revamp the sequin holiday dress, find a sequin daytime look, and even a take on stripes all for under $35.

The Holiday Dress

Dress:  Tinely Road, $19.97 Blazer: Forever 21, $27.80 Heels: DSW, $34.94

By revamping the traditional sequin dress with sequin detail vs. entire sequins, you’re look is extremely chic for any holiday party! A simple black blazer is a great addition for chilly temperatures and some gunmetal platform wedges add height and pizazz.

For Daytime

Sweater: Forever 21, $32.80 Leggings: H&M $9.95 Tank Top: H&M $5.95 Flats: Pierre Dumas, $29.99

By wearing sequins in a single piece, the detail is more concentrated and not overwhelming. Keep the rest of your outfit basic with pieces like these simple black leggins, tank and ballet flats.

Stripes: Sequin Update

Blouse: Forever 21, $19.80 Skirt: Forever 21, $6.80 Cuff: Forever 21, $14.80

By taking a feminine sheer chiffon blouse and tucking it into a more structured skirt you create a great contrasted look and rework stripes in a holiday-chic way! Add a chunky cuff to complete the look.

[Welcome to Celebrity Chic on the Cheap, where our style guru takes a celebrity look and breaks it down for you, our poor college fashionista. What does that mean? It means that while the celebrities (like "damn, she always looks so cute," Ashley Tisdale are spending $5,000 on an ensemble, you don’t have to.]

Confession: I miss hot-mess Nicole Richie. You know, 2003, fresh out of rehab, best friends with Paris Hilton, multi-colored, slightly raggedy extensions rocking, flashing boobies at fashion shows Nicole. I mean, sure, the babies are cute, her hair always looks silky and glorious, and the same antics that a 22-year-old engages in are a lot less cute in a 30-year-old. But still. I’m always a little bummed when not-Lindsay-tragic hot messes start domesticating themselves, because their uninhibited messiness is kind of admirable.

But it’s no big, because now I can admire Nicole for her banging sense of style. She’s the reason we all know who Rachel Zoe is, because Ms. Zoe is the one who gave Nicole a makeover even Cher Horowitz would be impressed by. And after Nicole became a style icon, suddenly every Hollywood starlet under the age of 30 was in Rachel’s care, but while they all looked like clones, Nicole always stood out. She has a strong sense of self that comes through in the outfits she wears, so while she may be uber trendy, she never looks dull or uninspired. Read More »

One of the hottest colors for 2011, whether it’s for fashion or home decor, is navy. With the popularity of nautical inspired pieces the last few seasons, there’s a good chance you already own something in this dark shade of blue. Navy can substitute for black as a neutral in many cases, making it a good addition if you’re trying to banish some of the black from your wardrobe. For example, if you’re tired of your usual little black dress routine, why not switch it up with a little navy dress?

Navy works well with all other textures and trends of the season. Navy lace? Check. Navy stripes? Check. Navy Sequins? Check. So when you’re hitting the mall looking to add new life to your wardrobe, try navy instead of black. You won’t be disappointed. Read More »

[Welcome to Celebrity Chic on the Cheap, where our style guru takes a celebrity look and breaks it down for you, our poor college fashionista. What does that mean? It means that while the celebrities (like "damn, she always looks so cute," Ashley Tisdale are spending $5,000 on an ensemble, you don’t have to.]

I have such a girl crush on Blake Lively and her sense of fashion it’s borderline unhealthy. She possesses an incredibly eclectic style that is grounded in a love of all colors, combining different textures, and emphasizing her 10 feet long stems and fabulous cleavage. I personally applaud the fact that she even wears clothes, because if I had her body, I would probably never not be naked. I’m just saying.

Anyway, so New Year’s Eve is over. The hangover has finally passed. You’ve been tagged in 100 photos, but only half of them are still associated with your name (there was no reason for the almost nip-slip or the midnight kiss with the random to be documented, right?). As you click through all the party photos, maybe you’re still in awe of the outfit you’ve put together, and how well it photographs. Maybe you’re wishing you could always be so sparkly. This week, I’d like to offer a resolution that would actually be fun to keep – incorporate more sequins into your wardrobe. Granted, my love of sequins is probably a little bit excessive, but seriously, why should sequins be reserved for New Year’s Eve and that one other random cocktail party you go to each year?

Try this Blake Lively inspired look on a random Thursday night, and see if you don’t feel approximately 30 times more excited about the night ahead of you. Read More »

Which is more irrational: the decision to wear 5-inch heels in the snow, slush and ice, or that slinky top without a coat because you don’t want to hold one at the party?

The bigger question is: who cares? Because frostbite doesn’t hurt so much after you’ve had a couple cocktails, right?

OK, so you probably won’t get frostbite, but you most likely will fall off your heels eventually. That being said, I promise the pain and maybe even the embarrassment is so worth it for these shoes I’m drooling over. So maybe I have a thing for sparkly objects, and maybe my inspiration comes from the New Year’s Eve ball, but there is nothing I don’t love about these shoes. I refuse to accept I’ll ever hate them even though I know after 30 minutes I’ll be whining that I need another drink because my feet kill.

What is there not to love about these Leg Avenue Silver Glitter heels? They’re sparkly without being sequined and tacky, they’re peep toes which is oh-so-sexy, and the bottoms have an adorable pop of pink that can be seen from behind. They’re fabulous, and at $53.14, I’m considering using my Amazon gift card that I got for Christmas that was meant for Kindle books on these instead (don’t tell grandma). Read More »

[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), and 2. A major lack of storage space (for all the crap you've got). For these two reasons, maximizing what you already own becomes essential. That's why you need to learn to Shop Your Closet. 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.]

For many of us, right now it’s all about planning that hot NYE outfit. Sure, we can go out and buy something new (we can even do it on a budget), but if you’re like me, you’ve spent every last dollar stocking up on gifts for everyone and their mother, meaning you’ve got nothing left for that special New Year’s dress. And that’s OK, because you’ve probably already got everything you could ever need to plan the perfect outfit for the big night.

Forget battling the crowds at the mall or spending oodles of money on something you’ll most likely only wear once (either because it’s too fancy for any other occasion or ruined when your friend spills her vodka cran down the front); all you need for the perfect New Year’s look is a little creativity and all those basics you’ve got stuffed into drawers. Read More »

It feels like yesterday that we woke up, blurred eyed and fuzzed headed, welcoming in 2010. But here we are again, New Year’s Eve. The one night of the year it’s perfectly acceptable to kiss everybody in sight at midnight and drink your body weight in champagne. It’s also the one night of the year when it’s totally fine to wear more sequins that a drag queen. New Year’s Eve is a night where you spend hours getting ready only to wake up with what looks like half the buffet table down your dress, and your perfectly applied lipstick all over someone else’s face. It’s also the perfect opportunity to buy something shiny and new.

Everyone has different New Year’s plans, so I’ve created three different outfits depending on your plans- Casual Party, Dressy Party and Night on the Town.  And yes, all three contain sequins. I’m not even sorry. Read More »

Let’s face it, ladies: while high heels are sexy and a definite must-have for every wardrobe, the bottom line is they hurt. A lot.  Even if you deal with the pain of heels most of the time, sometimes your poor, little, ailing feet just need a break.

Thankfully, there are lots of cute options for flats these days.  You can find a pair in virtually any color, pattern or style to match every outfit and mood.  All of these fabulous flats will take you anywhere from class to a party (and everywhere in between)–for less than $20 a pair! Read More »