hot and broke.

i'm gonna level with you guys:  i really can't afford to buy even 99.9% of the clothes, accessories, and shoes that i want.  not even the cheap stuff.  i'm a social worker with a bad habit of parking my old car in spots that inevitably lead to parking tickets.  a lot of them. if you don't believe me, check out this pic of me cuddling with a freshly-issued violation.

and i'm wearing a jacket that i recently got from forever 21 for like $24.99.  gimme a break, philadelphia parking authority.  anyway, the point is that I have to choose items wisely and often end up wearing things that aren't as up-to-date as id like.  and, no, i don't think articles that tell me "invest" in $500 shoes are gonna help me out.

my suggestion for all of you is that you find a piece of clothing or an accessory that's relatively inexpensive, versatile, and cool enough to make your old stuff feel fresh or at least remind your and everyone that you're not completely out of touch.  at least until you finally hit the lottery (and you will).  i've put together a list of items that i think will do just that.  choose one or two of these awesome-enough-to wear-several-times-a-week pieces, and i'm pretty sure you'll be looking less broke in no time (disclaimer:  you'll actually be more broke after you buy them):

Fanned Earrings - $25.00, TOPSHOP

Patchwork Infinity Scarf - $40.00, Nasty Gal



Shire  Boot by Marais USA  -  $160.00,  Need Supply

On point ring  -  $12,  Pixie Market

Morocco Bag - $70.00, Need Supply



Grypon Cuff - $30.00, Need Supply



Point Ring by giantLION - $36.00, Need Supply

twin tested: printed jeans

i got mine at forever 21 for less than $25.00. AND they were comfortable enough to do ballet in. on a rooftop. just go with it.

anyway, here's miranda kerr in printed jeans and me in a similar style. thoughts?

xoxo lauren

fall trend: black & white!

i'm loving the black & white trend going on right now.  there's so many ways to wear this trend: shoes, dresses, shirts!   AND any style:  preppy, edgy, etc.  anyone can do it!  i can hear michael jackson now .."it's black, it's white".. no? ok.

even just today i spotted a few celebs wearing this trend on people.com.

simple & casual

Pippa Middleton

edgy & structured

Jessica Alba

some easy ways to incorporate this:

Urban Outfitters Pointy Pony Skimmer; $19

J.Crew Raglan Sailor Top; $68

Zara Vamp with Platform Heel and Ankle Strap: $89.90 (swoon..)

Zara Blouse with Diamante Bib Front; $49.90

(pair with a black skirt, pants, shorts..)

p.s. lauren - where are you?  haven't heard from you in awhile! come back.... :) :)

my emmy likes and dislikes

everyone has their best and worst emmy ensembles and i'm no different! the main reason i watch award shows is for the fashion. and then of course watch fashion police judge everyone in joan rivers's biting style. :)

so many people looked fabulous.  here are my likes: 

Elizabeth Moss - I love the print, the cut, and the hair goes perfect with it. Who knew she had it in her?

Morena Baccarin - She's so beautiful and the dress is so unique. Love it and love her!

Julianne Moore - Such a cool choice. Great color, great cut, suits her age - this is AWESOME!

Leslie Mann - At first glance, I was thinking "ehh...", but then I looked a little more and realized I loved it!

Allison Williams - I'm loving this perfect combo of sexy and classy.  Just like her character on Girls!

of course, not everyone looked so hot. here are my dislikes:

Connie Britton - She's so cute.. but no. Doesn't fit well, tacky looking.. probably the worst I saw.  It ages her and she's beautiful so that doesn't need to happen.  Come on, Connie!

Ashley Judd - Ashley, you're so beautiful. The dress, the hair - WHY?!

Lena Dunham - The hair is so cute.  I think I get where she was going with this dress, but unfortunately it's just too overwhelming.  Maybe as a short dress?

Lucy Liu - She is so beautiful, it can't be that hard for her to look good.  And yet she makes things complicated by wearing this uncomfortable disco ball looking dress.  It's not horrible, but it's not good either.

quick request

lindsay and i are super excited that our "likes" on facebook have been increasing and feeling pretty pumped about all the support. it's been great getting our friends involved and hearing about all of your suggestions. PLEASE keep them coming, and we will do our best to write the posts that you want to read. i've definitely been slacking on working on those, but it's only because we are planning for some major blog changes!

and because we know how hot all of you are, we would love it if you could send us pictures of fashion trends as worn by yourselves, your friends, your family members, your neighbors, your pets, or the people you stalk. this way we can give you guys celebrity examples of trends plus regular (normal?) people examples.

as an example, here's lindsay in a red peplum dress and charlize theron in a red peplum dress:

leather skirts, please.

i love, love, love the leather skirts that are in style right now.  let's face it, leather just looks cool.  it will go with a lot and it is instantly stands out.  it basically says "i wear what i want" to the world.  wear it with white and you'll be wearing two fall trends.  pretty easy! go faux to save on costs and be kind to our animal friends.

there are so many cuts you can wear to suit your comfort level.  if you're afraid that leather is too tight on your curves, look no further than curvy celebs like kim kardashian who definitely pull this off!  (side note:  you should probably not allow your significant other to weather matching leather pants when you do this - i'm talking to you, kanye).  the point is you should show off those curves but if not...you can always try a looser cut (skater or a-line), which will look just as cool.

inspiration:  jessica alba in a very cool skater leather skirt; kristin cavallari looking polished and beautiful in a high waisted leather skirt; diane kruger in this black leather skirt at the calvin klein show at NYFW


what & where to buy:

pleated

 Sparkle & Fade Pleated Faux Leather Skirt; $59

fitted knee length

ASOS Pencil Skirt; $51.74

a-line knee length

Tinley Road Vegan Leather Skirt @ Piper Lime; $79

skater

Nasty Gal Varsity Moto Skirt; $78

looking for something cheaper?  you can count on forever21 and lulu's having similar styles - this is very popular trend!

be brave & wear (faux) leather! - linds

blouses for all

I LOVE BLOUSES.

i've been pretty carefree in choosing tops and shirts ever since i had my breast reduction. just kidding.  this is all i've ever been working with.

anyway, while i'm not personally familiar with this problem, i know many of you struggle to find tops that don't draw too much attention to your chests.  button-up blouses with pockets can pose problems, from what i hear.  don't worry -- options exist and other necklines and styles that are just as fun and fashionable.  i see these blouses worn with belts to create more of a waistline or with a statement necklace to break things up a little. 

 try some cut-outs without being too revealing because you're classy.

Tobi - Chic Slit Blouse - $54.00

little velvet collar = amazing. you already knew that though.

ASOS - ASOS Top with Velvet Collar - $51.74

printed blouses make outfits more interesting AND look grrrr-eat with solid-colored belts. (tony the tiger moment.  won't happen again.  still in my animal print mode.)

Urban Outfitters - Silence & Noise Silky Printed Blouse - $59.00

this shirt doesn't need any comments. it's just really cute and that's obvious. in fact, this shirt is offended that i'm even typing anything about it right now.

Urban Outfitters - Kimchi Blue V-Inset Crinkle Blouse - $59.00



so what do you think?  any other suggestions?  let me know please!
xoxo lauren



animal print (part II)

i'm still so excited about printed jeans, so i wanted to let you all know that you can try this trend without much risk by grabbing these from forever 21:

enjoy! xoxo lauren

blog changes

hi!  you may have noticed some weird changes to the blog recently.  lindsay and i are considering hiring someone to create a blog design or switching over to wordpress, though i'm not sure exactly how to work that software yet.  does anyone have any suggestions?

we're also working on some posts based on the comments we've received regarding clothing that is comfortable for different body types and consignment shopping.  look out of those!

in the mean time, you can catch up with getting fit so that you'll wear the sh*t out of those awesome clothes.  my buddy anne marie pretty much knows everything there is to know about fitness, and she doesn't mind sharing her skills and tips on her blog ROCKY ROAD RUNNING!  make no mistake -- being in shape is always in style.

check back here tomorrow for updates!

xoxo lauren

fall basics for any age (part 1)

It's September, so where to start for the fall?    Here's some ideas for basic fall pieces to add to your collection.  Best of all, these styles are simple enough for any age or to incorporate into any style!

boots.

Madewell Zipcode Boot; $208

OK these are a little pricey but you can justify this because they are sturdy and go with everything, right?    Casual day or a night out, these work with both.  Also, they can fit easily into so many different styles.

Aldo Mandina Boot; $110

Not looking to spend as much?  For almost half the price of the Madewell boots, you can find these boots from Aldo.

the collared shirt.

Urban Outfitters Coincidence & Chance Silk Colorblock Blouse; $59

collared shirt + black & white mix = two fall trends in one piece

J.Crew Blythe Blouse in Silk; $110

This silk blouse will go with so many things! DO.IT.

Forever 21 Pearlescent Collar Shirt; $24.80

OK..maybe not everyone would wear this shirt, but it's pretty cool so I had to add it.  Forever 21 has so, so many inexpensive collared shirts.  Definitely try there if you are looking for a good deal.

red.

J Crew Ankle Stretch Toothpick Jean; $89

red is a very in color this fall.  try incorporating the colored jeans trend with the red trend with these jeans from j crew!   

Gap Sleeveless Zipper Shirt; $59.95

This is the type of dress that would look good on anyone and it's RED! :)

BDG Shaker Stitch Cardigan: $59

This is a very easy way to incorporate some red into your fall wardrobe. I love how comfortable it looks!

More Fall Basics To Come...  Any suggestions??

you can wear animal prints.

i have a request:  please stop telling yourself that you can't pull certain trends off.  one thing that i think is important to remember is that once you start trying new things, you'll get more comfortable and realize that other people don't have nearly as many limitations on what you can wear as you do.  so take a risk!

ok, now that i got that out of the way, you should be ready forrrrrr....

ANIMAL PRINTS!

i used to think animal prints were extremely tacky, but now i'm kind of obsessed.  maybe i realized that there are classy ways to wear animal prints or maybe i have less class.  who knows?

adding a subtle animal print accessory is comfortably do-able for pretty much anyone (or at least it should be), especially when worn with all black, white, or neutrals.

try these options if you're looking for a little animal print:

this top is pretty perfect in the way it adds subtle leopard print.  the colored skirt makes it really fun, but you could also opt for pair of black jeans and boots or heels to make it chic.  there's really no chance of being tacky here:

Urban Outfitters - Pins and Needles Collar Tee - $34.00

oddly enough, phones are considered an accessory now.  i'm ok with it though, especially when there are so many cute cases to choose from.  case in point (sorry for the bad pun):

Urban Outfitters - Fun Stuff Cheetah iPhone 4/4S Case - $16.00

if you're not a big feline fan, that's ok too.  zebra print looks equally awesome when done correctly, as it is here:

Pixie Market - Patent Zebra Clutch - $44.00

or you can just go all in and wear printed, high-waisted skinny jeans. must. have. these.:

ASOS - ASOS Skinny Jeans in Tonal Animal Print - $60.36

last weekend, i opted for a leopard print cut-out top from forever 21, and it was less than $20! since you were wondering how it looked, i will show you:

what are your thoughts on animal prints?  any suggestions?