The general consensus on Shorts as Eveningwear seems to be a big, fat Not Okay. Bollacks to that. I’m all about dressing up shorts for the following reasons:
1. Menswear isn’t yet Out like Nina Garcia.
2. Shorts eliminate the strong possibility of exposing your coochie as you walk down the subway stairs.
3. If I read [...]

I talk a lot of smack for someone who’s still continually spoiled by her parents. I stand by the fact that when I shop alone, it’s always on my own dime and subsequently, always a budget-conscious activity. But when I shop with Mommy, we don’t let icky, annoying things like the cost of this Manoush [...]

I was flipping through Vogue the other day trying to find something of Cheap JAP caliber amidst the smattering of “Socialite X in Designer Y” photos (No, I don’t give a fuck about what Tinsley Mortimer is wearing, not because she doesn’t have great style, but because I don’t have enough money flying out of [...]

The only thing worse than The Return of the Jellies is that legit designers are manufacturing sandals to substantiate the trend. Case in point: The Givenchy Jelly Gladiator. Let’s start with the least offensive of these two shoe trends and why it stinks like poo.
The Gladiator Sandal is, perhaps, the most unflattering shoe ever concocted [...]

It’s Earth Week, which means I should be plugging pleather handbags and shoes or something. Um, no. If I ever have $665 to drop on Stella McCartney platform sandals, they better be buttery, soft, expertly-constructed shoes from something that once mooed. However, I do strictly adhere to recycling where denim is concerned. This doesn’t [...]

I used to be uncomfortable with the idea of no-name sunglasses.
What subtly affirms one’s loaded-ness more than a small, well-placed P R A D A on a pair of shades? But, Prada or no, I never actually enjoyed wearing my overpriced pairs. Why? Because when I purchased them (with plastic I no longer have, [...]

For me, white has been the new black for quite some time – it goes with everything and has the added bonus of making its wearers stand out. Perfect for attention junkies like me. While I wear white tanks, tees and blouses all year round, I don’t eff around with the color below the belt until Spring/Summer. Why? Because white becomes increasingly difficult to pull off as one goes from torso to toe; a little tan (and a tight tush) go a long way. Behold, a guide to the White Hots and Nots of warm weather wares.

I’m not overly religious, but I luuurve Jewish holidays, in part because they’re an excuse to see the thirty or so members of my family. (The extent to which we’re more culturally Jewish was affirmed at last night’s seder, when we arrived at the dip-the-parsley-in-salt-water-to-represent-the-tears-of-the-slaves part and realized we had no salt water. “Dip it in the wine!” yelled my Uncle Eric. We collectively deemed this an excellent solution, and continued seder-ing without incident.)
But JAPs – even those of us who genuinely adore our parents, grandparents, brother, nine aunts and uncles and twenty cousins – don’t go home for Passover just to hang out with our families. We go home to hunt for the Afikomens of Mommy’s Closet…

Finding cheap, cool thrift store goodies in Manhattan is kind of a bitch, what with the amount of designer resale and vintage outposts posing as beacons of bargain shopping. Rags-A-GoGo’s sign meant I wasn’t going to have the disheartening experience of not being able to afford somebody’s trash. I don’t care how impressive the brand [...]

Okay, so everyone’s totally ga-ga over Uniqlo’s artist/photog-designed tees as of late. Possibly they’re just ga-ga over the ads for said artsy tees, which feature Chloe Sevigny and Japan’s version of Johnny Depp – wait for it – “portraying characters and emotions found within the t-shirts.” Acting is so deep, people. So are t-shirts.
I’m not [...]

Flats frustrate me because they necessitate the same, excruciating breaking-in process as heels, wedges and boots without the payoff of adding height to your frame. Last spring, I boycotted flats altogether, opting for Havaianas as my casual footwear of choice. A few subway rides later, my blackened feet resembled those of a homeless person, and [...]

So I’m at Something Else, Park Slope yesterday buying flats, and the shoe gal’s wearing this cute sweater that I swear I’ve not only seen but also tried on at Forever 21. Not wanting to blow her cover as a fellow Cheap JAP, I quietly say, “Love the sweater. Is it Forever 21?”
She glares at [...]

I shorten almost every dress I purchase and by “shorten,” I mean hack away at the hem with a pair of fabric scissors. I do this for a few reasons:
1. I’m a whopping five feet, two (and a half) inches and short hemlines give my midget-esque legs the illusion of length.
2. It’s the only way [...]

When I check out at Forever 21, I’m often exhausted, irritated, hungry and, subsequently, in dire need of a cigarette. Still, I wait patiently behind throngs of squealing middle schoolers, tell the mom who hip checks me with her Coach bag not to worry about it, and refrain from rolling my eyes at the girl [...]

I’ve been on the hunt for an In-Between shoe ever since I first washed my H&M high-waisted jeans. The jeans were originally long enough to wear with 3-inch heels; unfortunately, one dryer cycle rendered them too short for pumps and too long for flats. The silver lining? An excuse to buy new shoes, obvs.
I found [...]