Like most fashion mags, ELLE usually pisses me off, what with their Vogue-esque concept of reasonably priced apparel. But the mag’s latest issue does a nice job of breaking down Fall’s Must-Haves. Must we have everything suggested? Hellllls no. Must we take a good, hard look at this season’s trends and weed out the ridiculousness [...]

I can’t post pics of my purchases from Intermix’s sample sale because they’re too wrinkled for their close-ups at the moment: Rest assured, they will be integrated with other items and photographed in outfit form for your viewing pleasure shortly. I can, however, gush about the unexpected awesomeness of said sale. For serious – I’ve [...]

Most upscale waitressing gigs require button-down shirts. This blows almost as hard as working on the opposite schedule of everyone I know.
At my last job, I accumulated nine or so white button-downs but noooo, I can’t wear them at my current one because we have to wear gray or black ones. When I haven’t [...]

Is it cheating to shop the kids’ department? Probably. I initially wandered through Old Navy’s to see if Girls’ apparel was cheaper than Women’s. It wasn’t, but Old Navy’s cheap to begin with – no biggie. Some of the Girls’ stuff was, however, cuter. Much, much cuter.

Cardigans are like, so hot for fall, particularly [...]

Working four nights a week seriously cuts into my ability to wear fun little dresses like this one. But when you put something on that lets you live the lie that, even at five-foot-two, you could totally model if you felt like it, that something must be bought immediately. Especially if it’s a BCBG [...]

Subject: I need these boots
Hi, I need your help. I need these boots. I don’t have $500 and even if I did shopbop is already sold out of size 7. I am a shoe lady to your handbag lady, I’m going to think about these and dream of them and covet the bitches who wear [...]

Okay, full disclosure re: my 60% Off LFS Experience. The denim suspender-skirt was $72; the shirt minidress was $75.20. Yes friends, these are the SALE prices. While significantly less nauseating than the original numbers ($180 and $188), the fact that $147.20 only bought me two things kind of annoys the shit out of me. Said [...]

Beacon’s, beware – there’s a new kid in town, and her employees are nicer than yours. She’s Monkey Whistles & Motorbikes, and she’s got really awesome shorts.

I stopped by this new-ish thrift store a few days ago and was uber-impressed. MWMB’s selection isn’t as varied as Beacon’s, but their offerings are handpicked by owner [...]

Okay, so I spent a teeeeeeensy bit more at LFS yesterday than was ideal. As this is a store I can only afford to shop in twice a year when they have their 60% off sale, I had to make up for lost time, right?

The peach, batwing top was $23.50, reduced from $58. Not buying [...]

Ahh Daily Candy – always on to the next big thing we don’t need. Like really expensive hair accessories.
Firstly, the band-around-the-head as opposed to the more traditional band-behind-the-ears isn’t an easy thing to pull off. I can’t wear one without feeling like a hipster-poser and/or a flapper-wannabe; if you can, more power to ya. [...]

LFstores are the trendmama of contemporary fashion. They’re also notoriously overpriced; every time I step into one, I see everything I want and nothing I can afford. We’re talking $70 t-shirts, people. Gag me. Thankfully, I browse more than I buy, so I checked out their Brooklyn location yesterday for inspiration purposes. I was immediately [...]

Subject: (no subject)
hey,
sooo i’m going to college in a couple of weeks and i was wondering what clothes i should have for a school in a big city and also a bag for my school stuff. i know you answered a girl’s question about a bag for college but i need help and have a [...]

Here’s the full report on the damage Mom and I did at Barney’s Warehouse Sale. When I hit sales of the Barney’s ilk, I ask myself the following question before committing to a particular item: Would I still want this if it wasn’t on sale? This ensures that I’m not duped into buying solely because [...]

You’re probs sick of hearing about Beacon’s Closet. Tough nuts. If you know of another store that sells JAPtastic denim for $24.95, I’m all ears. But as it stands, when I want serious brands at a quarter of their original price, Beacon’s never fails to deliver.
These are Hudson Jeans which, like their overpriced [...]

Mom was in the city yesterday, and I’d planned on introducing her to Century 21. An hour before we were scheduled to meet, I received the following text:
Barney’s Warehouse Sale starts tomorrow, 50-75% off. Are you game? I wouldn’t possibly consider going into this one without you.
I immediately broke into a cold sweat. But I [...]

During my stay in South Jersey, I explored some choice, trashtastic stores at the local mall and discovered Charlotte Russe. Charlotte Russe is kind of like Forever 21’s naughty little sister; 75% of the stuff isn’t just slutty; it’s made from stiff, icky material, and made poorly at that – most of the zippers [...]

Soooo, The Online Home of Vogue knows you’re like totally stressing about not being able to afford your usual Resort Collection for your end-of-summer vacay on the Amalfi Coast or whatevs. The shitty economy means no Armani, Versace, Dior or Zac Posen this year, and how sad for you! Fear not. The editorial-fashion-powers-that-be have come [...]

I rarely buy things I can’t wear immediately, in part because I don’t have the patience for it, and in part because said things aren’t usually on sale. Those of us continually strapped for cash don’t have the luxury of paying full price for Fall wardrobe “pieces” before there’s even the slightest nip in the [...]

What I scored at the P.S. 321 Flea Market: An uber-versatile gray dress, an eighties, stonewashed denim skirt, a black and white beaded necklace and a sweet elastic/leather belt. Let’s tally up what I spent, for kicks.
Dress – $15
Skirt – $10
Necklace – $3
Belt – $5
= A grand total of $33 for four fab things! I’m [...]

This past weekend, I hit the P.S. 321 Flea Market in my hood. Shopping a flea market is similar to shopping a thrift store in that it requires a discerning eye and a ruthless intolerance for bullshit. Alas, fleas offer a surplus of junk; finding anything decent can be an exhausting endeavor. To ensure [...]