Come winter, I seem to gain about 10 pounds. I’m never sure if this is actual holiday weight, or whether it’s just the appearance of bulky layers. Living in Minnesota for the year I’m getting used to the cold, but not what I look like in the mirror.

Layering is a fine art. It needs to do two things – keep you warm and make you look good. Around August I start flicking through magazines, excited and inspired by the layered looks on the fashion pages. Although in reality, size 2 models look great with some extra bulk. I do not.

The best way to layer- both for warmth and for style – is by using thin layers. I’ve chosen to use the same thin jersey dress for each of these outfits, which can be layered both over and under for extra warmth. Even colder where you are? Add thick socks, boots and a warm winter coat. Read More »

You don't have to look like this all winter long!

Winter is here.

Blah.

Sure with winter comes snow angels and holidays (and holiday presents!) and hot chocolate by the fireplace and winter break…

But with the snow comes slush, boots, puffy jackets and that ridiculously long walk to class where your fingers freeze and your nose runs and your eyes tear and then the tears freeze. And it’s a wonder how you become such a hot mess given how damn cold it is.

But on the upside, at least for fashion-lovin’ ladies like myself, winter brings a whole new crop of accessories. And cute accessories to boot! Scarves, pom-pon hats, earmuffs, mittens, berets and the like. So if you have to freeze your ass off… you might as well look damn good doing it!

Here are my favorite chic and cheap winter accessories. Scarves, hats and gloves are a great way to bring some color to the dreary snow ridden streets of your campus and an affordable way to play with trends. Read More »

Shopping, like any other sport, requires technique, skill and good eye for talent. Okay, so maybe shopping isn’t exactly an Olympic sport (yet), but being smart about the way you go about it can make you feel like you’ve certainly won some kind of contest (and saved some big bucks!). Even the very best shoppers know that you must be quick, agile and sharp as a tack in order to find the best deals.

Here are some great ways to hop on those deals just in time to enhance that great summer wardrobe you’ve got (or will have soon thanks to some of these ideas!) Stretch, put on those shopping-flats and stick in the pump-up CD in the car – you’ve got a big day ahead of you. On your mark, get set…

Research
Spending a little extra time and doing some research on where you’re shopping and what you’re shopping for is better than spending a little extra money. Make sure you know what you’re supposed to be looking for. I’m not saying you have to sit down, read the Sunday paper and clip coupons religiously like your Aunt Carol, but be smart about it. For example, I have a separate email account I specifically set up for all of those “final sale!” emails I recieve at 4:28 am every morning. When it comes time to do some post-breakup, post-exam or even just post-lunch shopping, I know who’s got sales, when and where. Read More »

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How to look fancy without going broke.

Every year, as the snow melts and we are once again able to break out the flippy floppies, we begin to see flowers popping up everywhere. And I’m not just talking about in planters and vases. Florals are consistently a huge spring trend, and this year is no exception.

But there is one difference for Spring, 2010; this year’s florals are taking us back to a simpler time. A time before the Jersey Shore when Blossom, Saved By The Bell and (the original) 90210 were dominating the TV lineup. Yes, the ’90s are knockin’, so open up that closet and let them in. Read More »

If you’re anything like me, you’re a sucker for a name brand. Despite wanting to be above it, I die when I see the new Marc Jacobs handbags or Prada runway show at Fashion Week. Also, if you’re anything like me, your bag costs more than what’s in your bank account and realistically you shouldn’t be buying that Chanel watch that costs more than your rent.

And that’s where consignment shops come in. Once you get past the fact that you’re not going to have a Saks-esque experience, these stores are a goldmine of high-end fashion for a college budget. However, rooting through said stores can be a lot of work and not exactly the most pleasant experience. So you turn to Ebay; it’s great for designer labels, but you soon learn (often the hard way) that you never know what you’re exactly getting.

Enter, online consignment! The way of the shopping future is here, and it’s named WWW and wearing Gucci loafers.

Consignment is just like picking through a closet that isn’t yours. The closet of that girl on campus who always looks super pulled together and fabulous. The one you want to hate because she always looks so damn perfect, but you can’t hate because she’s just so darn nice. She’s got a smile that matches her flawless wardrobe and handbags, and you would just kill to raid her closet for just one night.

Well, now you can! Christabelle is that girl and she’s opened her closet to you! OK, so maybe she’s not actually letting you rifle through her personal closet, but Christabelle’s Closet, an online consignment shop, is every college girl’s dream. This online shop has new or nearly new designer clothes that would make any savvy college girl gasp. From Gucci Flats to Rebecca Minkoff bags, Christabelle’s got it all, including a fully stocked designer label $10 section chock full of Michael Star tees and Intermix dresses. Yeah, ten freaking dollars.

And Christabelle is as sweet as she is fashion savvy, offering a very haute deal for CollegeCandy readers:

She’s giving you (and me!) 15% OFF ANYTHING in her closet for the entire month of March just by entering the code COLLEGECANDY when you check out.

I know I’ll be using it when I finally snag those Dolce & Gabbana heels that I’ve had my eye on for-ev-er. And probably a few other gorgeous things she’s got hanging in that virtual closet of hers.

With a deal like this, soon you’ll be that girl on campus that everyone wants to hate because you’re always looking so good. And they’ll want to hate you even more when they know how little it cost you to do it.

We all have that friend who can wear the same dress over and over and over again, but each time it somehow looks new. Or different. Or cooler. “I wish I could do that,” you think as you stare at your dress and think that by wearing different shoes you will somehow achieve a whole new look.

FAIL FAIL FAIL, my friends.

Fact is, in order to make a dress look new and different you must change all components surrounding it. If you wore tights and heels last time, wear leggings and flats this time around. If you rocked red lipstick before, do a smokey eye and a muted lip. Add accessories, switch out the belt that came with it for a new chunky detailed belt, throw on a blazer…

Think about that piece in your wardrobe like your favorite fro yo place with an add-your-own-toppings bar: Oreo makes everything better the options are endless! Read More »

Back-to-school means two of my favorite things:

1) Back-to-school supplies.  Seriously. Walking down the aisles of Office Max the year I got a brand new set of scratch and sniff markers has earned this yearly event a very, very special place in my heart.

2) Back-to-school jeans. As a kid, it was because your jeans didn’t fit you come back-to-school time; you were growing. As a college student… well, same story but with one minor difference: we’re growing out instead of up. Details schmetails.

Credit it to the bad economy or credit it to the fashion gods wanting everyone to look GOOD in their denim (please no muffin tops thankyouvermuch), but right now the hottest trends in jeans are on sale sale sale sale SALE! 20% off here, $19.00 jeans there — and they’re cute! My two favorite C words! Cute and Cheap! (Oh, and Chanel. The day I can fit all 3 words into that sentence, I will be one very, very happy chick.)

There are deals to be had, people! Now is the time to snag the latest styles (think skinny jeans for tucking into boots and the boyfriend jean for comfortabe chic-titude) and  the wardrobe staples (throw on for class and go go gadget).  Right now is the time to reassess your denim wardrobe and start shopping for those denim discount deals! Read More »

I have a shopping problem: I cannot go to the mall and leave empty handed. So, I stopped going to the mall. Too bad I have the internet and don’t even need to leave the house to wipe out my bank account on shoes and bags. No matter how hard I try, I constantly find myself searching for new websites to shop on.And go broke on.

And then I found CutesyGirl.com. This site is a completely unique shopping experience, mostly due to the fact that everthing is really, really cheap! They have everything from shoes to dresses, and all if it is super cute, super trendy, and won’t leave you eating Easy Mac for the next 6 months.

The site also allows you to search in ways not possible in the mall: by size, by style, by price. Obviously that wasn’t an option when I was strolling through Nordstrom, passing the $1,000 bags along my way. On CutesyGirl I only have to type in what I want to spend and not be tempted by pricier items (which are impossible to find on this site, anyway).

This site is a definite must-have for every college fashionista on a budget, which is all of us.