Vanity Fair is one of those magazines I like in theory because a visually pleasing, reasonably well-written melange of culture, style and current events appeals to me in theory. In reality, it usually proves a mishmash of things I don’t care about, like Jessica Simpson’s weight and who got the short end of Brooke Astor’s [...]

My girlfriends from boarding school and I were never overly concerned with the dress code policy, which is to say we all had our own special way of pushing the envelope. For my jock buds, this meant pairing khakis with wifebeaters and bandannas (What dude? It’s not like I’m wearing jeans); for me, it meant [...]

I wore this outfit to a phenomenal shitshow of a Brooklyn backyard soiree last weekend. (I had my doubts about its fabulosity before leaving my apartment that evening, and only mustered the cojones to go for it by Not Giving a Shit). Said outfit ended up being a big hit with my inebriated (albeit [...]

Living in New York prompts certain involuntary changes in one’s character; you walk faster, you ignore anyone not in your direct line of sight; you develop a glare nastier than mace to ward off the sleazebags who Hey Baby you on your way home. Also, you don’t leave the house without hand sanitizer. Ever.
While the [...]

When I gave the Forever 21 Jumpsuit pictured to Mom for Mother’s Day, the scenario played out exactly as I’d anticipated.
Mom: What is this?
Me: It’s a jumpsuit.
Mom: Is there a reason you left the pricetag on?
Me: Yes. I wanted you to see how cheap it was.
Mom: Oy. May I ask why? [...]

The first (and only) time I saw Signs (i.e. the subpar M. Night Shyamalan effort, not a religious experience or whatever) I freaked out about the idea of the alien for most of the movie – What’s it going to be like, what’s it going to look like, will it speak?! But at the end, [...]

When you’re the product of a sartorially spoiled upbringing, you tend to think of yourself as above stores of the obviously-budget ilk. The first time I set foot in a Kmart was two years ago – even then, it was only to buy cleaning products and paper towels in bulk. I knew they sold women’s [...]

Guess what happens when you screw with people’s expectations? People get disappointed. People get angry. And disappointed, angry people aren’t going to shell out eighty bucks for something ‘designer-inspired’ if more budget-friendly options abound one rack away.
So ended the tragic tale of the Alexander McQueen for Target line. Last week, Madison Avenue Spy noted that, [...]

As a frequent watcher of all things Bravo TV, I’ve come to appreciate the brilliance of certain programs. I’m referring, of course, to The Real Housewives series – a franchise that gives us the small screen equivalent of a car wreck (a Mack Truck pile-up, in the case of New Jersey), and allows us rubberneck [...]

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of receiving the following email:
Subject: Thank you.
I’ve been reading your blog for a while, but foolishly not quite following your philosophy. Today I did. I went to Value Village and saw things like like a Ella Moss shirt for $7, and a Joie skirt also for $7. Unfortunately [...]

I snagged this slightly transparent shirtdress thang at Buffalo Exchange a month or so ago with the intention of wearing it as a beach coverup only. I eventually realized it was simply too fab to be relegated to summer weekends at the Jersey Shore. There had to be a way to wear it as a [...]

Two days ago, I embarked on the arduous task of renewing my driver’s license (three months past its expiration date – oops). As my local DMV is located in one of Jersey’s many malls, I did some poking around after I’d fulfilled my objective, hit Burlington Coat Factory, and found these Etienne Aigner knee-high [...]

The first time I heard Michelle Obama speak was on the campaign trail, when her hubby took the day off to visit his ailing grandmother. I remember thinking, This woman’s going to be the most badass First Lady EVER. What I don’t remember is what she was wearing. And that’s exactly the point.
That Michelle Obama [...]

This dress was, initially, an erroneous purchase from OMG Jeans (an NYC-based chain of questionable taste specializing in the sale of price-slashed Levi’s and Calvin Klein denim). Incidentally, the store also hawks Forever 21.
Two elements of the aforementioned dress duped me into paying $14.99 for it (reduced from $24.99, btw): The pockets, and the [...]

I’m a little rusty today as a result of taking a very un-relaxing four days off to paint my apartment. To get my keyboard groove back, I need to tackle something that pisses me off even more than bloggers’ block. Something that doesn’t just merit, but deserves the occasional uninhibited wrath of the Cheap JAP. [...]