Let's Talk about Thrift Stores...

Thrift stores are kinda a big deal in NYC. Fashionistas from all walks of life obsess over them. When someone asks a New Yorker where they got their shirt form, it has become cool to say "it's thrifted" because this means it's an exclusive item that not any regular person can get their hands on. 

While some girls prefer to stay on trend with the cultural shifts and trends of fashion, others like to dress "outside the box" and collect their own unique items. There are many benefits to thrift shopping. 

Check out this article Time Out created on the best thrift stores in NYC. 

Have you been to any of them? I'm not a huge thrifter myself considering it takes a lot of time to go through racks and racks of clothing to find one decent item. I prefer online shopping or popping into my favorite stores to ensure I go home with a good find. 

One of the upsides of thrifting are the prices. Lots of people are able to find really cool items or even designer items for cheap. 

What do you guys think? Do you like thrifting? 

Back-To-School Wardrobe

I can't believe it's almost August. College gals, you know what that means. It's time we brace ourselves for summer to be over and classes to begin. 

Back-to-school shopping is a big deal. You have to get NEW supplies, textbooks, and most importantly... clothing! 

I find this time of the year so hard to shop for clothing because while it's still scorching hot in NYC, the fall is quickly approaching, and my go-to summer mini skirts will no longer be the item I reach for. 

I've been gaining
 some inspiration 
from YouTubers recently.
 Have you guys seen shopping hauls on YouTube? Check this one out:

While I don't necessarily buy the things YouTubers show, it's still fun to gain some inspiration. The best hauls are known as "try on hauls" where the YouTuber will show the item on themselves so you can see how it fits. This helps the viewer see the item on an actual human body as opposed to simply holding it up. 

I also gain a lot of inspiration from different Instagram pages. This one is my favorite. Below are screenshots of my favorite posts they've created. 

These are all parts of different look-books. Obviously I'm not going to wear this type of clothing to my 8AM classes, but I for sure use these pictures as inspiration to curate my new wardrobe for Fall 2018.

Notice how Bella Hadid and Hailey Baldwin spice up athletic wear or sweatshirts? I love doing this, especially for my classes or errands outfit. 

Try screen shotting some style photos you like. You may end up finding similar items to your favorite pieces celebrities wear. 

These outfits are comfy AND cute. 

A few things you must remember for updating your own wardrobe:

1) It's called UPDATING for a reason. You should still keep the wardrobe you already have. Simply add new pieces.

2) Look back to my closet post on how to clean out your closet/ organize it. This will help you. 

3) Shop when stores have summer sales. Normally things go on sale towards mid July. 

4) Assess what you currently have/ need, and work from there. 

5) Notice what the new trends are, and buy according to what you think will stay.

6) Buy pieces you know you'll be comfortable wearing to school. My style can include pieces that are not appropriate for college (I'm a fan of crop tops and mini skirts,) so while I still buy these pieces, I try to limit myself when I'm specifically shopping for school. 

7) Know that trends are going to change!! Don't buy too many new things until you get a better feel for what the new trends are. 

Also...

I've created a short shopping list you can use for back-to-school shopping:

• Jeans- stylish/ trendy pairs AS WELL AS classic, plain jeans
• Other pant options (possibly trendier pairs)
• Black leggings (college necessity, duh...)
• Sweatshirts 
• Sweaters
• Shirts (wide range of styles)
• Staple school bag
• Fun accessories
• Shoes (changes depending on weather)
• Skirts/ dresses of your choice
• Shorts if you live in warm weather
• New athletic wear (we all wear leggings and a sweatshirt sometimes)
• Going out clothes (dresses, skirts, nicer options)

It's always hard for me to go back to school. Taking a 3 month break for summer and coming back to a heavy workload can be intimidating and stressful. Shopping for new clothes can make the adjustment a little more fun. 

Dress for Success

I grew up in New York, and have always been surrounded by the most fashionable people in the world. 

I walk through Soho and find tons of people creatively expressing themselves through the clothing items they choose to wear. 

I walk to the deli on the corner and see models strutting their model-off-duty looks with cat eye sunglasses and oversized black knit sweaters.

The same even goes for places like grocery stores, nail salons, and museums. Wherever you go in NY, it's always filled with great fashion. 

I used to hear the saying "dress for Success." I now realize what that means and how it applies to our world today. 

When you dress well, you can stand out. I admire people who leave their apartments looking put together in cute clothing. It makes me think highly of them versus if they wore sweatpants to work every day. 

Growing up, after hearing that phrase over and over again, I realized that it all started with my school uniform. Boys had to wear button down polo-style shirts and tan or navy pants and girls were encouraged to wear the same shirts paired with a navy or tan pleated skirt. 

The same went for high school (kind of...). For the majority of my high school experience, the faculty and the students were in a large dispute about the leggings policy. The faculty claimed they, like ripped jeans, were not suitable for school because they didn't look professional. While we did not have a set uniform in high school, we were surely expected to look decent and well-dressed at all times.

Teachers always encouraged my classmates and me to look the part if we wanted to succeed in life, and I think I'm finding out now how true that is. 

When going in for a job interview, I think long and hard about what I'm going to wear. When I recently went to interview for a fashion PR internship, it was one of the hardest outfit decisions I've had to make in a while. (Side note: I completely bombed the outfit aspect and chose a simple black dress... that's it. Nothing unique. What was I thinking?!) 

How you dress at work tends to put a message out to the world that you take the job seriously. My current internship in the beauty industry serves as a perfect example of this. My boss dresses in heels and a pretty dress every day. She had an unexpected meeting last week and would not go because she did not think she looked put together enough. That's how important her style is to her. 

Anyway, after hearing that phrase over and over again, I think part of the reason I love fashion so much is because it can legitimately alter who you are, or at least how you are perceived by the world. Dressing nicely can help you give off a great first impression, which is why I care so much about presentation. 

Thinking back to my school uniform requirements made me realize that fashion can seriously serve as a tool to help you in multiple aspects of your life. I'll always hold on to the phrase "dress for success." 

Wardrobe Hack

I have a wardrobe that consists of many clothes (some of which I never even wear,) when I suddenly realized that there is a key to my wardrobe.

I think a great idea is to buy a bunch of basics (good pairs of pants and neutral shirts, etc) then invest in cool jackets, purses, or accessories that will always match with your clothes. 

This summer, my go-to outfit has been a cute skirt paired with a super basic tank top and white sneakers. I can spice it up with a cooler shoe or fun bag or jacket. I've also been into layering gold necklaces a lot, which can really add to any outfit. 

Here's an example of an outfit I'd create. I'll take a simple tank top like this one from Forever 21 that is literally $4....

And I'll pair it with a cute skirt that I invest a little more in. Here are some skirts from Revolve that aren't crazy pricy. 

I have a question for you guys. When looking at this outfit, what stands out to you?

If you think the jacket/ belt makes it a cool look, then we're on the same page. Think about it. Below her jacket can be a simple black dress or skirt/ shirt combo, but what makes the look so beautiful is the cool jacket with the crossed belt on it! 

So, before you stress out about not having anything cute clothes to wear, think about what basics you have, and how to spice them up. 

Look at Kendall Jenner in a basic white t-shirt and jeans. She threw a leather jacket on with a cute bootie and looks very put together and trendy. 

Same with Bella Hadid who took a jean skirt and black tank and paired it with cute aviators and a chic bag. 

The bottom line is: don't panic that you "have nothing to wear." Take a deep breath and think about your basics. 

Lydia Rose: A Fashion Blogger to Watch

Lydia Rose is a UK based fashion blogger whose Instagram content is PERFECT for this blog. Wanna know why? Because she curates outfits that are completely affordable from many of the brands I often reference. 

This is a screenshot of her Instagram page as of July 19th, 2018. 

The girl knows how to style clothing, right?! She is so trendy and puts together amazing outfits that incorporate various colors, textures, patterns, and accessories. I've been following her for a while now and am still in awe. 

She also posts videos about the pieces she picks out and how to style them. Check out this video she made where she teaches her followers 5 ways to style a white t-shirt. 

She also works closely with brands to promote their lines and frequently offers discounts to her followers. If you want to see the promotions, go to her Instagram page and simply check her captions to find the promo codes.

I often find outfit inspo from her. Maybe you will too! Here are some of her outfits taken from her Insta page. 

These outfits are all so unbelievably cute and affordable. She also has a site where you can shop for all of the looks that she's put together. Check it out here. 

In all honesty, I often get tired of some fashion blogger's Instagram pages, but this is never the case with her. I'm always looking at the outfits she puts together and am constantly going to the websites she uses. She's a great example of how you can dress in trendy clothing without spending all of your money. 

P.s: I also enjoy her Instagram stories where she uses the swipe up feature because she'll directly link the clothing she purchases, allowing her followers to easily check out. 

Interview with Maddie Klein

I'm so excited for today's post because I had the chance to ask Maddie Klein, Communications Coordinator at Bottega Veneta some questions.

Maddie is from Minnesota and went to NYU where she discovered her passion for fashion. I admire her dedication and driven personality to get internships and jobs on her own. All throughout college she worked at various internships by networking and reaching out to many brands. Some of these internships included: being a Merchandising Intern at Marc Jacobs, a Wholesale Intern at Céline, and a PR intern at Louis Vuitton. Finally, after graduating college, she locked in a job at... wait for it.... Vogue. 

When I reached out to ask if she'd answer some questions for my blog, she was quick to say yes, and had some really great advice. 

Here is the interview: 

1) What is your current job/ position?

I currently work at Bottega Veneta as a Communications Coordinator. My job is to assist the Communications Department secure press coverage for the brand.

2) How long have you been interested in fashion?

I was interested in fashion in high school, but didn’t really think I could pursue it as career until I went to NYU and had more exposure to the industry. After my first fashion internship at Cosmopolitan,  I knew that I wanted to work in fashion. 

3) Who are your current favorite designers and/or fashion labels?

My favorite designers right now are Loewe, Marni, and  Celine. I am a little biased towards Marni since I handled Marni’s  PR at my previous job,  but I love the aesthetic of the brand. I think Marni has the best accessories and they’re so different from what everyone else has. Celine is so classic and chic and also offers great accessories. This upcoming Paris Fashion Week Celine will be debuting their first collection with their new designer Hedi Slimane so I’m super excited for that!!

4) How about for you to personally buy? What brands are in your wardrobe?

I like to shop a lot at Zara! The clothes are pretty inexpensive and pretty on trend, so I can buy new things all the time. I also like Acne Studios and Reformation.

5) You recently graduated from NYU, so from a young person’s perspective, what advice would you give to a student who loves fashion/ updating  their wardrobe but has to do it on a budget?

I recently signed up for the Rent the Runway unlimited program, which could be a good option for college students. You pay a monthly fee and then you can rent 4 pieces from Rent the Runway at a time with unlimited swaps. The selection for the unlimited selection is decent and if you frequently return things you can have new clothes to wear every week. The downside is that sometimes it can be hard to guess your size, so a lot of the time the clothes I ordered didn’t fit. The first month is only $99 so definitely worth trying if you’re interested!

6) In your opinion, what items are worth splurging on and what items should students try to find at a cheaper price?

If you are deciding where to splurge, I definitely the best investment would be a nice bag. You can wear it every day and get a lot of use out of it. There are also leather specialist like Leather Spa who can clean and repair designer bags, so that’s always an option if your bag starts to look worn.

7) What are you favorite cheaper stores to buy clothes from?

One of my favorite store is definitely Zara, it’s pretty inexpensive and their styles are on trend. Sometimes the quality isn’t the best but there is so much to pick from that I can always find something. My suggestion would be to shop Zara in store instead of ordering online because it can be difficult to tell online what pieces will look cheap in real life. I also like Uniqlo for basics, they have really inexpensive  cashmere sweaters and the best black tights.

Thank you, Maddie for the awesome answers. It's great to have the chance to ask someone who is in the industry questions relating to fashion on a budget. 

The Importance of an Organized Closet

I talk a lot about buying new clothes, but coming from a student who lives in NYC, a place where space is very limited, I guess it's time I talk about closets, and offer some tips as to how to organize yours.

If I could, I would have a Kardashian closet that quite honestly resembles a store with beautiful crystal chandeliers and spotless white marble walls and countertops. 

Image from https://www.eonline.com/news/821683/battle-of-the-kardashian-jenner-closets-inside-each-star-s-lavish-fashion-haven

Image from https://www.eonline.com/news/821683/battle-of-the-kardashian-jenner-closets-inside-each-star-s-lavish-fashion-haven

Unfortunately, this isn't the case at all. I have a ton of clothes and am often buying new things, so I wanted to share some ways to organize your tiny closet to make your clothing more appealing to you. 

FIRST TIP: Do a giant clean out. Get rid of anything you no longer like/ wear. Don't forget to donate your clothes instead of throwing them out!

SECOND TIP: Put things you wear the most upfront. Also put your new items in the front so that you don't forget about them. I can't tell you how many times I clean out my closet and think "Ohhhh! That's where I put that new Zara shirt!" By that time, there's a possibility I don't love it anymore and essentially wasted money buying it in the first place. 

THIRD TIP: When organizing, use cascading hangers! They saved my life a couple years ago. Here is a picture of them:

Photo form http://joymangano.com/shop/a-happier-more-huggable-closet/

FOUTH TIP: Figure out which organizational method works for you. Do you like to color coordinate, or coordinate by item type? For me, I put similar items together. I have all of my pants in one section, all my blouses in another, all my t-shirts in another, etc. Everyone has a different preference; coordinating all shirts together by color may work for you.

Overall, having an organized, beautiful closet will make you excited to get up and get dressed every morning. It will also help you save time because you won't have to run around looking for random misplaced items. Get cleaning/ organizing and let me know how it goes. 

How to Shop Efficiently

Whether it's back to school season, vacation time, or you simply want to revamp your wardrobe, let me teach you how to shop efficiently and effectively under a budget.  

My go-to has always been to get multiple cheaper things rather than a few nice things. I love to change my wardrobe up often, so buying cheaper items allows me to do that. Here is my step-by-step set of tricks to help you.

1. Know what you are looking for and set a budget. If I go into a store just browsing, I’ll pick up everything and anything I like... I love it, but my bank account hates it. To compromise, I’ll write down what exactly I’m looking for. This is going to be hard, but give it a try. Start with taking a look at your closet and recognizing what you already have. If you have a couple pairs of pants you like but no skirts, that's progress. Make a note of it. 

2) If you're shopping in stores, try to find cheaper stores where you won't have to limit yourself to the tiny sale rack of left over, stained shirts. While it's fun browsing a Chanel store, it can also be depressing for those of us who can't buy anything. Why put yourself in that situation when there are tons of stores that are more budget friendly. Try those out (WITH your list...) 

3) If you’re shopping online, USE THE FILTERS!!! 

Here's an example. I went to the dresses section on Asos. Look at how many filters there are! USE THEM. PLEASE. 

4) If the website has as many options as Asos (I'm using this site for a reason because they offer the most variety of filters I've come across to this day) pay attention to the ones like PRICE RANGE, COLOR, STYLE, and SORT. 

Of course you may not use all of these, especially color. I'm a lover of neutral colors, so I know I won't be looking for a magenta dress. Adding this filter makes my life way easier. 

For websites like Asos that have 5,208 dresses listed, I'm overwhelmed and need to condense my results to get the best options available. I don't want to see a $500 dress that I love because it's simply not in my price range and will make me sad. 

5) Use the type category. If you're back-to-school shopping, there's no need to see the 266 Bridesmaid Dresses (unless you dress super nicely to math class...?) These are 266 less options you have to go through. 

6) Again, the style category is similar to type. If it's a dress for school, do you want it to be a bodycon dress or maybe something more flowy and loose fitting? Up to you. 

7) Here's another tip. Figure out the length of dress you want. Most girls I know opt for either mini dresses or longer dresses. There's a time and a place for both, and most girls I know have a set style. For example, I know I'd never wear a maxi dress to school. It's just not my style. In this case, I'd opt for a mid length one. Use this filter. 

8) Narrow down your size! While this may seem obvious, hardly anyone I know uses this filter. They simply browse a couple pages of a site and have a fit when their favorite dress isn't available in their size. It stinks when that happens, but just image how avoidable this can be if you use the filter from the start. If I know I'm going to be a medium or large, I don't need the site to show me dresses that only have sizes small or extra small in stock. Plain and simple. 

9) The range filter is just an extension of size. If you're plus size, fuller busted, or tall/ petite, etc.  this could help. 

10) Using your budget I already told you to set, figure out how much you want to spend on one item and narrow your results.   

11) Last but not least, here's one of my favorite filters! If you don't want to use any of the filters I mentioned because you have no idea what you're looking for and you're the type of person who will know what they want once they see it, then please please pleeeeasse use this filter. Just try it out for me. Go to sort, and select the low to high price setting. This is essential and totally underrated. It will show you the cheapest options first. I love this filter because I know when I hit page 5 and see that the first dress is already at $100 then I should move on to another website because there are no more options that fit my price range.  

Using these filters can make shopping much less stressful. It may seem overwhelming to go through the process of selecting your filters, but it makes your shopping so much better in the end because you will have way less results to look through. I personally rather see 100 dresses that fit all of my requirements then scroll through 5,000 dresses where most of them are nothing similar to what I'm looking for. 

I promise you shopping like this really is a game changer. 

Dupes Galore from Shweta's blog MyLifestyleMantra

I love finding cheaper versions of my favorite name brand items. 

It seemed like fate when I stumbled across Shweta's blog. She's a 19 year old film student who posts about a wide rang of things from traveling to fashion and beauty. One post in particular caught my attention. 

Shweta posted about 13 high-end dupes. She did a really great job at picking trendy pieces and linking more affordable options. Her layout is clean and simple, two things that are necessary for a good fashion blog post. She posted links from the website Shein.com, which is a great online store that sells dupes for SO. CHEAP. I'm taking like $5-$10 dollar shirts here. 

Below are some of the pieces she chose to find cheaper versions of, as well as the captions she put next to the images:

Cute stuff, right? 

Check out this post and see if you like any of the items.

The website she referred to is great, so be sure to do some browsing on that site as well. I've ordered from Shein.com before, and was happy with what I got. Maybe I'll show you guys those items later...

Wikipedia Follow Up

I wanted to update you guys on one of my previous posts where I talked about how I edited the Misguided Wikipedia. Guess what...?

...The changes stuck! I'm not sure why this is so exciting for me, but I'm glad I was able to contribute to this page of information about a brand I really love. 

The majority of what I added had to do with their cultural contribution. Sure, the page talked about who owns the company, but it didn't say anything about the collaborations they worked on or what the company stands for ethically. I added a paragraph that covered all of that. 

This post is short and sweet because that's all I wanted to share. I might continue to add to the page as I learn more. If I do, I'll be sure to update you guys. 

XX

Looks 4 Less

In my Looks For Less post, I talked about a fashion/ beauty/ health/ lifestyle blogger, Lauren Elizabeth, who posted a video about dupes. Check it out if you haven't already. 

I wanted to share another related website that's fabulous. 

It's called The Look 4 Less. The author posts pictures of expensive clothing/ accessories and then finds (AND LINKS!) cheaper versions. Lots of people post about cheaper lookalikes, but this website is a great destination to head to if you're looking for one page to find cheaper versions of the expensive stuff you like. 

Here is the mission of this blog:

In this world of celebrity culture, everyone wants the expensive, designer looks that they see on their favorite stars. I decided to start this blog to show people that you don't always have to shell out large amounts of cash to have a similar look!

Pretty cool, right? Check out her blog and look at the amazing things she found. Here are some of her dupes. Please note that all of the below images and captions are from her website. None of these are my own! 










There are a bunch of people who try doing this, but very few people who do it well (for my particular taste.) I'll try to keep updating you guys with my favorite dupe websites/ blogs.