The Budget Fashionista

Open up any fashion magazine and you’re bound to see at least one editorial/ad featuring an Interlocking Circle Necklace. Worn long and in a variety of colors, these necklaces are a major departure from the large, multi-layer, bubble bead look of last summer. You can find the necklaces at most major department and discount stores (Bloomies, Macy’s, Lord&Taylor, Target). I bought a black, plastic interlocking necklace this past weekend from Forever 21 for $4.90 and another white circle interlocking necklace with …

Dear Budget Fashionista Last summer I stocked up on cute peasant skirts.  They’re cute and flattering, but not as in style this season.  Are there any ways I can accessorize or change my skirts to make them more on trend for this year?

A: Try pairing the skirt with a monochromatic top, one of the seasons’ wide belts (Forever 21, H&M, Deb, Mandees, Marshall’s, etc. all have versions of this belt) and this summer’s must have shoe—the espadrilles.

You can also add a little more color (beaded necklace, embroidered cotton top, chandelier earrings) and flare for more of a Mexican/Chicano influence (think brillant Mexican artist Frida Kahlo) than the boho influence of last summer.

Inspired by the rise of British fashion houses like Chloe and Alexander Mc Queen (and the British pound), plaid is back for fall. Whether you’re sporting a traditional Burberry plaid or the lumber jack checkered plaid, you should have at least one plaid piece in your wardrobe. A perfect example of the emergence of plaid is the Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress. I love this dress so much, that If I happened to have $500 lying around this fall (which …

The wide belt is another accessory making a major comeback this fall. The belt, sometimes called an “Obi”, from the belt/binding used to hold a kimono in place, was poping up everywhere during NYC’s Fall fashion week—over sweaters, dresses and even winter coats.  How You’ll Wear it: - Over a grandpa cardigan sweater - Over a black fitted sweater and black pencil skirt - As a belt for your basic winter dress coat - To add a bit of color …

We’d never recommend using a cellphone as a weapon nor can we recommend wearing all white while digging in the garden (we’re pretty sure Naomi doesn’t do her own laundry). That being said, we love the simple fresh look Naomi Campbell sports for this photo op, which reminds us of how easy it is to look great without all the bells and whistles. And the power of a simple bright white tee. If you’re feeling it (and have a good …

Hippy boho chic seems to be Kate Hudson’s signature look most days (which, quite frankly, doesn’t look too hard to do on the cheap), but when she brings her style A game—like this sophisticated sheath dress in refreshing summer white—we suddenly want to be her. (Well, we usually want to be her, but we digress . . . ). The thing we love most? Making a basic dress interesting with eclectic accessories. She makes it look easy to look this …

What: Colored denim is cycling back to the top of the trend heap. What We Say: More than a year ago colored denim (a la 1985) started to make the fashion rounds. It’s popularity had been marginal on the whole (meaning it didn’t quite make any waves between the coasts) and we were pretty much ready to write it off completely, but a recent resurgence has us taking a second look. We’re seeing lots of teal blue, red, and yellow …

Wait a minute . . . scarves? Sounds a bit wintery, doesn’t it? But we’re not talking grandma-knitted wool mufflers here—we mean something more along the lines of oh, say, Grace Kelly and Jackie O. Scarves, in our humble opinion, are a great style note that can add a little personality to any outfit without adding a huge charge to your credit card bill. Last fall, the graphic print silk scarf started to take hold, and we expect it to …

What: The decade inspiring fashionistas this fall? The Roaring 20s. This makes us happy. What We Say: A few days ago we talked about fringe being the latest embellishment trend, but this is the bigger picture: fringe is just part of the wave of 20s-inspired styles to come, and we are so very excited. Flapper-style dresses are already cropping up everywhere (fringe, spaghetti strap, drop-waist), along with cloche hats and art deco details. The thing about the 20s that we …

As August starts to wind down, thoughts turn to fall . . . and fall fashion. While we’re always anxious to jump into the season’s latest look, there’s the pesky matter of weather to contend with—and while the calendar may say it’s fall, there’s that in between time—when the mornings are brisk but by noon the mercury’s hit a sticky 80 degrees—that is soooooo very challenging to dress for. Of course, any fashionista worth her salt knows that layering is the …

Fall fashion trends are great and all, but if your bank account is running a little thin these days (and seriously, whose isn’t?) picking up a few accessory updates and calling it good might just be the way to go. This season, of course, has it’s own accessory trends, but they’re ever so easy to get for less. Just keep reading: The Cloche Hat We’re totally thinking of making the cloche hat our signature piece—it gives that 20s vibe we’re loving …

What: Drapey, open front cardigans as an alternative to the jacket or traditional cardigan What We Say: Because it’s feminine and interesting, we like it—however, we have some reservations. 1. Too much draping could add a whole lot of bulk where you don’t want it. 2. All that extra fabric in front could get in the way if you are, say, doing anything other than posing for a catalogue photo shoot. We wouldn’t recommend cooking in it . . . 3. …

Checkers and gingham have been updated with bright colors and modern cuts—meaning they’re no longer relegated to the farm. The trends been spotted on Reese Witherspoon, Ashlee Simpson and Lauren Conrad, and we have to say, they all look pretty cute and comfortable in their loose, button-down shirts and jeans. The bright color trend of the summer, of course, is translated to the checker trend, but you can go with the classic black and white if you want to keep …

Ah, Forever 21. High quality? Not so much. On trend and super affordable? Definitely. Which is why we wouldn’t suggest you purchase your entire wardrobe there, but when it comes to fun trendy pieces that you don’t want to invest your life savings in just to have them go out of style next week? Perfect. Here’s what we’ve got our eye on at Forever 21 for fall: Plaid Tweed Coat, $32.80 LS Knit Wrap, $19.80 Chiffon Plaid Shirt, $19.80 Justine Patent …