I think diffusion lines might be the best thing to ever happen to us college girls, after happy hour and delivery food, of course. We can only do so much drooling as we click through the Bloomingdale’s website until we need something tangible to hang in our closets. It is this online window shopping and my empty wallet that had me anxiously awaiting Jimmy Choo’s new line for H&M.

What could be better? The red carpet looks I have been ogling on my favorite celebs at a price that even I can afford. So I raced down there to see it, the entire time trying to contain the excitement that I may leave the store with a brand new outfit for Friday night’s party that will have everyone asking, “where’d you get that dress?” To which I could reply with five words I never thought I would be able to say, “Oh, it’s by Jimmy Choo.” Read More »

America has more name brands than Law and Order reruns and while you may want to go unload your entire check at GAP or Abercrombie, you don’t want to buy something that you thought was cute and unique and later have buyer’s remorse when you see something identical for less.

I’m not encouraging you to start buying knock off Jimmy Choos from Payless and wanna-be BCBG dresses at Walmart (although, just throwing it out there, you may find some very GOOD knock offs). All I’m saying is you should know that EVERY store is competing with another store and when you shop competitively, you save money. Money that you can use to stimulate the economy…or your wardrobe.

So I thought I’d help you sift through the proverbial mall and figure out which stores are best for your budget. Each week I’ll be comparing apples to apples (or undies to undies) to give you the real deal and arm you with the knowledge you need to make the wisest wardrobe choices. Ready. Set. SHOP. Read More »

Whenever I go to the grocery store, I always try my best to load my cart with socially responsible products.  Cage free eggs?  Uh, yeah why not?  Organic lettuce? Sure, throw that on in there.

The truth is, though, up until recently, I didn’t really know what these things meant.  They’ve just been over-marketed so that I think I’m doing good when really I may just be wasting money.  That’s why I formulated a mini label guide for all of your shopping needs.

Hint:  don’t waste your money on the “organic” Oreos! Read More »

I am a serial shopper. It’s a problem. I’ve accepted it. (That’s the first step to recovery right?)

That being said, I see so many articles of clothing, pieces of jewelry and cool accessories in my daily internet perusals that I am rarely rendered speechless by something in particular. But girls, it has happened. I actually came across something that has stopped me dead in my Internet browsing tracks, screaming inside “OMFG! This is genius!”

Are you dying to know?

They are called Bandits, fabric boot embellishments that slip over the top of your adorable yet simple fall boots to make them fresh, new and totally awesome. Read More »

So, I live in the Midwest and that means the onset of October is practically winter. I have only about two hoodies and sweaters that are anywhere near stylish, and I really want to do a complete fall wardrobe overhaul, but there’s just one tiny problem—I have about enough spare cash to buy a box of mints from the Old Navy checkout aisle, and that’s it.

Not even the Budget Stylista can help me out.

I can’t be the only one in this situation, right? Yeah, I thought not. Luckily, I came up with a solution that has seemed to triple my wardrobe and even saved me that extra money for some emergency Old Navy mints. Ready for it?

I reorganized my closet.

That’s right! I know it sounds like the opposite of groundbreaking, but roll with me here for a minute. It took me almost a whole day, but once I rearranged everything—and got rid of a bunch of old clothes along the way—it was like I had completely new stuff. My method was Color Organization, and it’s about what it sounds like—I took everything in my closet and sorted it by color. (Think Forever 21.) So if I had a purple formal dress and purple cut-off denim shorts, I put them next to each other. Yes, really.

You might think that all this created was a disorganized closet, but you’d be amazed by how many killer outfits I’ve put together since arranging things that way. Not only did I reassess everything I owned (most of which I had completely forgotten about!), but I was able to think of what I owned in a completely new way. I tend think in terms of color and what colors might look good together, so this has been revolutionary for me. It makes getting dressed in the morning soooo much easier (and more fun!); I just look at the colors and grab a few things that look good together. No thought, no fuss, no crawling under my bed to find that box of sweaters I put there last summer.

If you’re a color gal, too, give it a try. And if not, try one of these other organization systems on for size: Read More »

As you may have gathered from my previous articles, I am a shopaholic.  Even if I have no money, I can’t help but scour the internet for deals at the online sample sales (seriously, check out Ideeli, it’s amazing).  And even though I can’t always buy sustainable products, I still try to buy in sustainable ways.

Here are my favorite shopping tips to don’t just save the environment, but they can also save you money.

Read on, my fellow “Frugalista” (thank you, Target.)

Shop in stores.  Preferably ones you can walk or carpool to.  Retailers get their shipments in bulk, which decreases the amount of packaging material used to deliver the products.  When you shop online, shipping costs (and all that wasted paper and cardboard) can add up quickly, so spare yourself and hit the local mall (with your reusable tote!). Be sure to try on before you buy so you can avoid the extra gas needed to return something to the store.

Look for local labels.  Try to buy from companies that are based in the your state to cut down on energy needed for transportation.  If that’s not possible, look for brands that produce their products within the United States.  American Apparel, C&C Cailfornia, Splendid, J.Crew, Lucky Jeans, Joe’s Jeans, True Religion, Juicy Couture, 7 For All Mankind, Citizens of Humanity, and Rock and Republic (just to name a few) all manufacture their clothing in the U.S. Read More »

So it’s Friday night. You need to get ready and you spent far too long watching GLEE on your DVR and chatting with your roommate about the best mode of communicating with your crush tonight. Text? G-chat? BBM? You just don’t know! And now you have – uh – 20 minutes to get I-look-damn-good ready.

Enter from stage left, MAJOR problem: you are oh-so-sick of wearing a black dress with black tights and black shoes and a black bag. “Wouldn’t it be so nice if I had a style genie that could just pop in and show me ways to rock my plain black dress with, like, 3 different looks and 8 different trends for the season?” you think to yourself while sighing in front of your drab looking frock. Life is so hard sometimes.

Well call me a mind reader, call me a genie, call me amazing – I will answer to all. Because I have done just that for you (I know, I’m great).

From lace to leopard there are TONS of options to spruce up that ordinarily dark, boring ensemble of yours. Not to mention it’s a much better way than falling all over yourself while dancing on the tabletops to stick out a bit from the other 9,999 chicks dressed in solid black as well.

So here we go: One Dress, 3 looks, 8 different trends to rock with it. Read More »

I love shopping, but I just can’t help but feel a tad guilty every time I invest in another mother-earth-will-cry-when-I-wear-this kinda number.

I know that the clothing industry contributes to global warming, air and water pollution, and tons of waste, but I really can’t bring myself to be Goodwill’s number one customer.  Don’t get me wrong, thrift and consignment shopping is awesome, especially in economic times such as these, but once in a while I want something new of my own.

So what’s a girl to do?  Find cute, eco-conscious clothes that don’t make you look like you’re wearing a sack of potatoes.  And that’s exactly what I have done.  All of these have been cuteness certified by yours truly, so feel free to go ahead and splurge!

Plato’s Closet:  This is one of my personal faves.  It’s a consignment shop, but this place is anything but shabby.  They have tons of designer jeans for super cheap – plus they’re pre-broken in.  I also sell a lot of my clothes here because you get money up front instead of having to wait the 10 years for your senior prom dress to finally sell.  Cute clothes, money in your pocket, and green shopping – what more could you ask for?  Check out the Plato’s Closet website for locations in your area!

Good Society Denim: Now to move on to the new stuff.  The best thing about Good Society denim is that their clothes look like high quality designer jeans with all the benefits of an organic label.  They only use 100% fair trade organic denim, making all of their products entirely sustainable.  The top of my wish list is their Straight Cut Denim in Raw, which, at the semi-meager price of $93 (hey, it’s cheap compared to the $210 True Religions everyone is wearing), is soon to become a reality.

Stewart and Brown: Established in 2002, Stewart and Brown is one of the top non-granola-y green brands out there.  They have a cute, Urban Outfitters-esque style featuring clothes only made from 100% organic cotton grown from non-genetically modified seeds and other sustainable fabrics.  Plus, they donate 1% of their profit to various charities to keep giving back.  Pick up one of their cute dresses and then bask in your eco-conscious glory.

Beyond Skin:  100% of Beyond Skin’s shoes are vegan and made from entirely earth-friendly materials such as polyurethane leather and polyester satins.  And like Stewart and Brown, Beyond Skin donates a percentage of their profits to environmental and social projects.  I personally recommend the Cherub pumps in black hemp (you can’t even tell it’s not leather).  All products are shipped from England, so it’s not the most eco-conscious thing for us Americans, but it’s definitely better than the fugly pleather alternatives.

Whoever told you that silver and gold were clashing colors and therefore should never mingle within the same ensemble was seriously ill-advised! Though slightly unexpected, pairing silver and gold — especially in the same piece — is a bold and stunning combo, and it’s popping up all over jewelry and accessories trends for the upcoming fall season!

Mix things up with a chunky braided chain necklace, or tie your outfit together with a multicolored stud belt, among a variety of other chic options. While I certainly don’t encourage you to simply pile on all the jewelry you own or accessorize without a second thought at color-coordination, just be aware that the two metals don’t repel each other like opposite ends of a magnet, and can look great layered and mixed-and-matched.

Take a look at the slideshow at Stylehive for some of the hottest multi-metal accessories!

A sexy camisole is a definite fashion staple for any woman’s closet. And I’m pretty sure we all have a few lying around that we can’t quite figure out how to wear. But bring those lacy numbers out, ladies, because they’re easy to wear for nearly every occasion. (Pretty much everything besides the gym. That would be weird.)

Camisoles can give a feminine, alluring style to any outfit. You can wear a sexy camisole in any season (provided you have the right layering) and for most any occasion. You just need the right tools to wear this tricky number correctly, and I bet you’ve got those on hand, too. Just follow some of these guidelines then head to your closet to “shop” for some new outfits. For free. Read More »