I swung by Gramercy’s Goodwill earlier today on a tip from reader Donna, who suggested I check out their five dollar denim sale. Donna wins the Karma award for the day. I’m not sure how long said sale’s been going on, but there’s still a solid selection of brands left. Case(s) in point:

Blue Cult, Miss [...]

If there was a video game designed to test one’s thrifting prowess, the Hell’s Kitchen Salvation Army would be the final level. I hit the store yesterday and it was, hands down, the most daunting of my thriftastic challenges to date. I sifted through racks and racks of heinousness, navigating my way through pit stains, [...]

So. I’m all kinds of obsessed with Only Hearts, in part because I’m a layering fiend, in part because I’m all about wearing lingerie-esque things in public. I snagged two tops at last week’s Only Hearts Sample Sale; a thick strapped cami ($14) and a wrap/tie tank ($16), both in cream, because cream is for [...]

Tell editorial fashion peeps you’re in the market for faux, and you’ll likely be directed to Joie’s $318 Glimmer Faux Fur Vest, Juicy Couture’s $328 Faux Fur Cropped Easy Coat or What Comes Around Goes Around’s $495 St. Morritz Faux Fur Jacket. Lucky for you, I’m not that big of an asshole.
(Oh, and I’ve [...]

Cher: Been shopping with Dr. Suess?
Dionne: Well at least I wouldn’t skin a collie to make my back pack.
Cher: It’s faux.
Cher’s concern for animals trumped her desire for authentic fluff – she did “fully intend to brake for animals” post-passing her driving test, after all. So, on this day of atonement, let’s pretend to [...]

I’m all about the risque, so I was initially psyched about Fall’s lingerie-inspired trends. (Note: Do you know WHY designers show their goods on the runway a long, ludicrous season ahead of the current season? Because Fashion’s stuck in a pre-sweatshop past where women HAD to order their clothes that far in advance. Obvs not [...]

So. I recently purchased the black Silk Jumper from Anna Sui’s mostly-cute-albeit-grammatically-challenged Gossip Girl line for Target (as previously mentioned).
I did not buy this piece to wear on its own (I mean, it’s cute, but not nearly fitted enough for my usual standards – I’m not shaking the Jersey any time soon). I bought it [...]

Clutches are exactly what the name implies; to carry this kind of purse, you have to give up a free hand. I thought clutches of the wristlet ilk were the only means to making the burden more bearable. Then I saw this:

You’re probs thinking Qui gives a shit? It’s got a freakin’ bow on it. [...]

Is Burlington Coat Factory a slightly creepy brands-for-less chain? Yes.
Is Burlington Coat Factory a place where you can buy a season’s worth of hosiery and socks for under forty bucks? Also yes.

Back in June, I made the mistake of cutting the feet off of every single pair of tights I owned. I wore them with [...]

Okay, so ASui for Tar-jay has a few downs; it’s also got a whole lotta ups. I’m referring specifically to the Dresses category, which boasts an abundance of awesomeness unparalleled in any designer collabs collection to date.
Of the four dresses I tried on, I genuinely liked three, was borderline-obsessed with two, and ended up purchasing [...]

The moment McQueen for Tar-jay hit the racks was the moment I stopped giving a shit about designer collabs. I’m not overly familiar with McQueen RTW, but I assume it’s a bit more attractive than his cost-friendly effort (and I use that term loosely). Is copying your own designs really that difficult? Oy.
I can, on [...]

Disclaimer: I wrote this piece for Huff Po a few weeks ago, hence the lack of naughty language and the slightly more formal tone. Huff Po responded by not publishing it. Pfft. I’m attributing this to the fact that I waxed poetic on practical impulse buys during Fashion Week which, in hindsight, was probs a [...]

Okay, so sex sells. I get it. Fashion and prostitution have a successful symbiotic relationship; there’s Dov and his slut-loving American Apparel ads; there’s Calvin Klein’s orgy-implied billboards. And there’s the way in which women of the 18-25 demographic dress on TV. Let’s take a looksee.

In a vacuum, I don’t have a problem with cut-out [...]

Once I read a story about a butterfly in the subway, and today, I saw one. It got on at 42nd, and off at 59th, where, I assume it was going to Bloomingdales to buy a hat that will turn out to be a mistake – as almost all hats are.
Months ago, I didn’t see [...]

Nina Garcia would probs describe a leather jacket as an “investment piece” i.e. something you spend thousands of dollars on and have forever. I say EFF THAT. I’m all about instant gratification and, heretofore, prefer to rock pleather in lieu of the real thing. “Cheap” might be a five letter word in Fashion, but where [...]

For adolescent girls, summer camp is basically an excuse to share clothes and make-out with boys. I went to performing arts camp, so the latter was obvs difficult; the sartorial savvy of my bunkmates more than made up for the lack of eligible males. My DIY skillz were nonexistent back then: I was always jealous [...]

I often kvetch about American Apparel’s $42 leggings, but their pricing’s only moderately offensive in comparison with Members Only. The latter costs more than double, and THANK GOD I never tried on a pair at full retail price, because my penchant for leggings would have necessitated buying them on the spot – they really do [...]

I can’t sew for shit, and while I’m a self-proclaimed expert anything involving scissors, my overarching DIY skillz are amateur at best. I recently attempted the art of studding.
I’m in way over my head.
It was Park & Cube’s phenomenal homemade studded bag that conned me into giving it a shot. If studding is the easiest [...]

When I purchased my Etienne Aigner flat black boots a few months ago, I assumed they’d hold up well into the fall. Not so. That the soles of my most comfortable walking shoes are worn to the point of flip-flopping against the pavement has nothing to do with quality: It has to do with the [...]

I’ve been known to take issue with Marc Jacobs’s warped view of a woman’s body. These shorts exemplify my position.

I found them at Buff Exchange, and concede that they’re only marginally awful on the hanger. But on the body…

…they are, hands down, the most heinous excuse for designer apparel I have EVER seen. I [...]