[While everyone is fabulous in their own right, we thought we should celebrate the campus fashionistas of the world for their continued excellence in not looking like a hot mess for class. So, we started stalking those girls on campus to get a few pics and get some tips on their personal style.

And maybe a restraining order or two.

But it’s worth it to highlight fresh, unique wardrobe choices that show personality and the courage to wear what you believe in.]

She’s a senior and while she may be dealing with a bad case of Senioritis, her style certainly isn’t. No matter what time she wakes up in the morning – sometimes ten minutes before class…and sometimes ten minutes after it’s started – Jessica always stays fly and manages to pull on something cute. Even if its her simple staple look – one of her many v-necks, a scarf, and a pair of comfy jeans. She just makes everything look good. What got me to notice her in a sea of students wearing jeans and v-necks, though?

Her hot pink Longchamp bag and a fantastically contrasting bright scarf. This girl just knows how to stand out.

Name: Jessica
Year: 2010
Major: Political Science, Global Health Certificate
Jessica in 3 words: tongue-in-cheek, spontaneous, eclectic

1) Describe your personal style.

I’ve never really defined my personal style; it’s pretty eclectic and definitely varies with my mood. I’m from San Francisco and people sometimes tell me I have that easy-going West Coast vibe: skinny jeans, colorful Chucks, v-neck tee, and scarf. I love v-neck tees and have them in every color. Sometimes I’ll feel more girly and wear a pretty sundress with sandals or flip-flops (never heels, just too uncomfortable for me). I don’t know, I go through phases! I’ve been through a punk phase, a boho phase, a hipster phase…I don’t have much time to get ready in the morning, though, so I definitely go for something comfortable and easy to wear. Read More »

Ever since Rachel Zoe became a permanent fixture in our TV lives and our everyday vernacular, faux fur vests and trims has found their way into our closets and our hearts.  Everywhere you look these days there’s someone lookin’ all warm, snuggly and painfully chic underneath a faux fur something. It’s OK if you wanna rock it too; it’s glamorous and fake, so no one will be tossing paint cans at you on your way to class.

And even better:  your faux fur look can be faux expensive. There are tons of options out there right now from Target to Urban that are trendy and cheap. For the total Zoe look, pair the vest with a giant Starbucks tea, huge sunglasses and act as if the smallest hiccups in life are the beginning of the end of the world (oh, and obviously don’t forget to throw in a couple of “I Die’s”  every 3 minutes).

But for those of us who like the look but not the RZ-emo, rock the vest with a toned down ‘fit because the fur is a total statement. And Rachel Zoe fan or not – you will look ba-nanas. Read More »

You’ve seen her work: the girls with big hair, big bags, and big sunglasses. Arms full of bangles, chunky platforms, skinny jeans effortlessly slung on the hips. Flowy, glamorous dresses accented with loads of accessories and a ton of bronzer: this is Rachel Zoe style.

While she’s had a substantial presence in the fashion world for some time, Rachel Zoe has recently gone very mainstream. With a Rolodex Crackberry of celebrity clients, a best-selling book, and a successful reality TV show, Rachel Zoe has hit the big time. Now, she offers us another glimpse into her stylish world with The Zoe Report–a daily e-mail newsletter featuring Rachel’s “favorite obsessions in the ever-evolving worlds of fashion, beauty, and lifestyle.” Sounds good! But do we like it? Read on.

Love It:
Sound Style Advice from a Pro: In late 2005, Rachel Zoe provided a complete style overhaul for newly-skinny Nicole Richie. Today, Rachel is responsible for putting together some of the hottest red carpet outfits for our favorite celebs. This is also the woman who started the big, bug-eyed sunglasses trend… Clearly, Zoe knows what she’s doing. R.Zoe picks out unique apparel and accessories and give suggestions on how to wear each and every piece. Who knows, maybe if you read the Zoe report, you’ll be the first girl on your floor who doesn’t look totally ridiculous rocking your studded jewelry, “shooties” or “jeggings!”

Parallel Universe: I’ll be honest–99% of the swag featured in the Zoe Report is crazy expensive, which could be depressing. I say could, however, because happily, Rachel has provided all of us un-blessed with a celebrity bank account with cheaper options to achieve the same style. And they’re cute! Even better, the “parallel universe” items seem to be just as expertly picked as Rachel’s pricier features–they actually look alike. There’s nothing more annoying than a “celebrity look for less” that showcases adorable clothing of the stars and then offers totally ugly cheapy alternatives, so I’ve gotta give Ms. Zoe some props in this area. Read More »

It’s summer (if you haven’t noticed) and therefore my time is divided between sweating, drinking whatever is cold, squeezing into shorts, sweating, sleeping through the hottest part of the day, and watching late-night TV until my apartment cools down enough for me to fall sleep.

Late-night TV is an interesting beast, forever surprising you with its ability to throw random shows together in the hope that you’re so tired/drunk/spaced out that you won’t notice what’s going on.  I usually don’t notice, but lately I’ve been awake and sober, so I’m beginning to catch some things.  Like, American Idol is a horrible show full of annoying people, yet I can’t help but watch hours upon hours of reruns.

During one of my sweaty midnight marathons (not the good kind, trust me), I happened to see one of the more recent episodes of American Idol.  You know…the one with the bikini girl.  If I despised the American Idol judges before, you can bet that Kara DioGuardi’s actions didn’t make my feelings any fonder.  What was she thinking??  I mean, the only one to rival her in craziness is Paula Abdul.  The real question is, which one is more pathetic?  Well, let’s find out, shall we? Read More »

One of the best things about summer is that the style is easy, breezy and casual. That makes dressing for day to night a cinch; it doesn’t take much to make a smooth transition. That applies most easily to summer florals; flowy and flirty by day can turn into edgy and sophisticated by night.

And all you need are a few simple swaps. Read More »

Chances are you’ll be spending many days at the beach this summer. And chances are good that a day of sun time can often be topped off by a night of fun time out at the bars.  Heading out for some drinkies with the girls doesn’t mean you have to rush home to get ready; you can rock out the same outfit all day with a few quick fixes (and hey, tousled beach hair is damn sexy). Read More »

[Ever see something you want but don’t have the money to buy? Ever get sick of studying/watching TV and have the urge to get crafty and make things on your own? We know! Us too! We just don’t know where to start, which is why we got some of CollegeCandy’s craftiest writers to share their favorite DIY projects with everyone. These things are easy, fun and a great way to save some serious cashola.]

I was always a bangs girl. And by always I mean long after it was socially acceptable to have them. I even remember the monumental day when I finally listened to my stylist and grew those bad boys out. Too bad it was like 3 months before they started showing up in fashion magazines as the new “it” hairstyle.

Now bangs are everywhere and they add so much fierceness that I just have to have them back. And I can do it…all by myself.

Cutting your own bangs seems totally scary, but if you are careful and do it right, you can have a salon look without paying the salon price. So, grab some scissors, get in front of the mirror and get chopping. Read More »

[I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the epitome of prim and proper- heck, who really is nowadays? But looking around at the misguided youths of today *ahem drinking buddies*, I’m starting to think that Miss Manners might have been onto something. While you may never need to know how to greet a duke or how to tell which fork is REALLY the oyster fork, knowing how to deal with people whom owe you money, how much to tip, and how to address the ever annoying licorice-in-teeth conundrum without being rude might actually come in handy in the real world.

I'm not trying to be your mother - oh goodness, no - I'm just here to help you out of those little etiquette dilemmas. So here goes: a quick lesson in etiquette. The sh*t you might actually need to know.]

I always leave salons with bad hair cuts. (Although I must admit the last one was my fault- it should have tipped me off right away when I realized the hair stylist did not speak a word of English.) Anyway, last week reader Josie asked us to feature an article on hair-salon etiquette: “manners pertaining communication with your hair dresser from conversation to tips, how to react if you don’t get the expected results, etc.” So here’s to you Josie..

Small talk. For most women (and some men), their hairstylist is their therapist, best friend, psychic, and lover (you know, hypothetically speaking) all rolled into one. What you tell them is completely up to you, but remember that while there is practically an unwritten rule about the stylist-stylee confidentiality, your stylist isn’t legally obligated to keep quiet. Just because you trust her to give you a killer hair-do, doesn’t mean you can trust her to not tell everyone about your cheating on your taxes, boyfriend, calculus exam, whatever. In fact, salons are havens for gossip, so just be careful.

On another note, if you don’t want to talk to the person cutting your hair, you really don’t have to. I’ve been there; once you run out of small talk (“Yes, it is hot outside, isn’t it?”) and have nothing more to add to the conversation, the silence gets pretty awkward. If you ever find yourself in this predicament, politely escape via magazine. Relax. It’s okay; just make sure to glance up now and then to make sure your hair is coming along the way you’d like.

Bad haircuts. What should you do if you end up with a bad cut? Ask them to fix it. And by “ask” I mean “tell.” Yes, it might be a pain in the butt for them to redo your hair, but remember that you’re paying them for the service. If your hair doesn’t come out exactly the way you want it to, it’s not rude to expect someone at the salon to fix it. It’s better for them if you speak up and get a haircut you love than to walk out unhappy and tell everyone where that mullet came from.

Note: This isn’t a free pass to be bitchy or to start crying and threaten her with the scissors. If you’re unhappy with the results, calmly explain to the stylist what’s wrong with the look, why it isn’t what you asked for, and offer up a suggestion on how to fix it.  This can usually be avoided by bringing a photograph/sketch of the exact style you want from different angles or explaining beforehand your definition of “just two inches.”

Tipping.

I hope that helped clarify some things. I’ve had my fair share of salon disasters (going in for red hair…coming out with purple?), so I’m pretty confident in these tips.

And once again, if you’ve got any etiquette conundrums, questions or gray areas you need help sorting out, let me know in the comments. I’ll be sure to help you out in next week’s column!

If it’s one thing we’ve learned here at CC, it’s that all people are fascinating (Yes, even your econ professor). Let’s face it – people love to glimpse into the lives of other people. Disagree? Then please explain why you’re currently looking at your friend’s brother’s girlfriend’s cousin’s photos on Facebook. Or reading about the latest Chris Brown/Rihanna dramz in this weeks’ tabloids. Yeah we thought so.

Fact is we connect to others by learning about them. And everyone has something to share (even if it a story about a particularly embarassing fall…in a dress). So to give you yet another reason to procrastinate, we started ‘The Five Questions We Ask Everyone’ (and five just for that one person) because we know whether we’re schmoozing with an A- list celeb or your local bartender, you’ll be equally entertained.

Style expert and entrepreneur Ashley Thompson, 29, enjoys a life immersed in the international fashion scene as both a forecasting fashionista as well as the owner of New York City’s well-known shopping hotspot, Owl’s Lab.  Some of those sporting her goods include industry icons such as Mary-Kate Olsen, Jessica Alba, Paris Hilton, Mariah Carey, Maggie Gyllenhaal and more.

Owl’s Lab has been featured on TLC’s “What Not To Wear” and in publications such as Vogue, Teen Vogue, Women’s Wear Daily, Lucky, US Weekly, In Touch Weekly, New York Post, New York Daily News, E! Online and Daily Candy.  It also holds the title of one of the Top 100 Boutiques in New York City (Lucky Magazine, August 2007) and is listed as one of NYC’s five “Best Bets” boutiques alongside Phillip Lim and other notable women’s fashion destinations.

Ashley knows fashion, so we wanted to get to know Ashley. Read More »

[In early adulthood there is an activity that plays a large role in most of our lives; nights out on the town. And with those nights out always comes the question: “What am I gonna wear?!?”

Each week I’ll be putting together a cute and affordable “going out” ensemble guide (that you can tweak to your own personal style and body type, of course) so that maybe that age-old question can be answered a little quicker than usual. And your friends aren’t waiting - for hours - for you to emerge from your room. Just call me your own personal Rachel Zoe.]

This week’s styler puts emphasis on mixing up textures and styles to change the entire look of a piece/give you something fantastic. Liquid leggings became popular earlier this year; they’re leggings that look like leather that you, literally, poured onto your body. To be honest, when I first saw them I thought, “Lord, what is going on in fashion?!?” but once I tried them on, I realized they look pretty dang hot.

I’m a curvy girl who’s got some junk in her trunk and am always worried about stuff making me look bottom heavy, but these slim me down, are fun to wear, and are uber-comfortable to boot. The shirt you wear with them is muy importante, however, because these can go from fab to “Grease Lightning” in an instant. By mixing them up with a flowy chiffon shirt, you put together two really different styles, but the effect is pure magic…

You can find liquid leggings all over the place now. I got mine from American Apparel, but tons of lines carry them. Some of them can be a bit pricey, but look around; I spotted a few pairs at Filene’s Basement a couple weeks ago for just $17. Just make sure you get the right size for you: too tight and you look like a shiny sausage, too loose and you end up with a saggy butt. Read More »