Fashionably Late

When I first got to the University of Michigan, I noticed that the main concern amongst the freshman was the weather. We all know that the state of Michigan gets cold. Not cold as in brrrr it’s chilly, I need to grab scarf on my way out. But cold as in, if I am outside and not wearing four pairs of socks, three sweaters, and the warmest coat in existence I will get frostbite and/or die. Now, I am no stranger to cold weather. I grew up in the city of Chicago, about four hours from Ann Arbor, and along with wind so strong it can lift you off your feet, we have plenty of days so cold it’s dangerous to go out doors.

The thing about winters in Ann Arbor that makes them seem so much colder than they are is the amount of time spent outside in the cold. The time I spent outside during my adolescent winters in Chicago was minimal. I went directly from my house to the car and directly from the car into my school, followed by the reverse process to get home. Therefore, my coat did not need to be the most practical piece of equipment.

When talking to older students about how people deal with the winter, all replied the same way. “Ever girl in Ann Arbor looks the same in the winter, they wear those long black North Face coats and a pair of Uggs. We can never tell who any one is!”
After hearing this, I thought, Okay I can get a long coat, that seems practical. But look like everyone else? Not okay with me. Thus I embarked on a mission to find a long, warm winter coat that was not only different, but one that did not empty my wallet.

DKNY "Bethany Circe" Down Coat
The classic long North Face “Metropolis” coat hits just at the knee—depending on your height—and boasts a very warm 600 fill down insulation and costs about $280. Working within this price point, Bloomingdales.com offers two great coats that meet all your needs for winter. The first is the DKNY “Bethany Cire” Down Coat that costs $278. This coat not only has a hood, but an extremely warm knit collar to keep any wind or snow from sneaking inside and cooling you down. In addition to the warm down fill, there is an inside zipper that keeps your coat close and snug to your body for extra warmth.

Laundry by Shelli Seagal Coat
The second is a coat from Laundry by Shelli Segal and costs $286. This coat is as long as the DKNY coat and it has great angled stitching so even thought you are covered in puffy material your figure doesn’t get lost and you don’t look larger than you actually are—a common problem with puffy down filled jackets. Along with warm down fill this coat has a hood lined with faux fur, which is great for blocking snow from your face and keeping those cheeks warm.

 L.L.Bean Coat

For those who want to spend a little less, L.L.Bean makes the coat for you. At $149 this coat keeps all the bang for way less buck without losing a bit of style. With 650 fill down you’re going to be warm wherever you walk in this coat. It also has a faux fur hood, quilted stitching and a boxy fit. If you find yourself getting tired of buying a basic black coat winter after winter, this one comes in five different colors including a soft periwinkle blue and a vibrant red.


Marc New York Coat

The final and cheapest option is a Marc New York coat, sold by the Burlington Coat Factory for $99. This coat is filled with 60% duck down and while it is definitely a warm coat, it’s probably not the warmest option out of all the choices. It has a faux fur hood for keeping your face warm and vertical stitching to elongate your frame and keep you from looking too big in a puffy jacket.


 Mukluks
Now, what is just as important as your coat are the accessories you wear with it.  If you are looking for an alternative to Uggs, endless.com sells knockoffs of the very stylish and very warm boots called Mukluks.  They have furry insulation and are covered in faux rabbit fur on the outside.  However, the prices range on the high side (around $200) but the original Mukluks cost about $400 and to me it’s worth it to keep those toes warm.  I’ve found that Urban Outfitters always has very cute and moderately priced hats and gloves. Urban Outfitters has several great knit beanie hats for keeping you warm. My two favorites are the BDG Cable Knit Beanie for $20 and the BDG Ribbed Slouchy Beanie for $28 both of which come in five different colors. These hats are thick knits and they are offered in a wide variety of colors so you can match them with whichever coat you choose.

Another accessory I would not face the winter without are convertible gloves. I hate mittens because I always find myself needing take them off in the cold to pick something up or use my fingers. With convertible gloves there is a pocket that you can cover the tips of your fingers with, creating a mitten, but if you ever need to use your hands you can take off the mitten part without completely removing the glove. Genius! Urban Outfitters sells the Solid Convertible Glove for $16 and it comes in four great colors, my favorite being the red. To add just a little more individuality to your look, check out forever21.com for a huge assortment of cheap scarves in many different fabrics and patterns.

I am fully confident that with a little careful shopping we can all face this winter with a minimum risk of frostbite or blending in with the crowd.

      











Let’s get creative for a minute. Imagine it’s nine o’clock on a Friday night and you’re standing in front of your closet trying to decide which shoes go best with the ensemble you’re wearing. A pair of dramatic sky-high heels or a pair of elegant yet comfortable flats? From my experience, there are “heels” people and there are “flats” people. “Heels” people will always be wearing heels on a night out. Always. No matter how many blisters they have or how far they have to walk. They are wearing those heels. “Flats” people would rather die than trot around in pain all night. They need to be comfortable. Period. And their outfit will just have to deal with it. Granted, there is that population that falls in between the two extremes. Their choice between heels and flats depends solely on what they are in the mood for at the time. So what should we wear? Should we teeter around in pretty heels that make our legs look great and end our evening crying in pain? Or should we sacrifice the extra inches and saunter around gracefully in our sleek flats never needing to carry a secret stash of Band-Aids in our purse?

Now, I’m going to be honest here, I am hugely biased. I have an unhealthy obsession with heels. I would wear heels rain or shine every day and everywhere if it was physically possible. Unfortunately, those great pieces of architecture make my ankles hurt. Badly. However, I can take the pain for several hours because anything that adds a few inches to my 5’3’’ frame is a friend of mine. To me, a pair of heels is the ultimate accessory that can perfectly complete an outfit. They can be the perfect statement piece when six inches high and covered in straps and buckles or in the great bold color of your choice. Or they can be worn undercover, under wide leg jeans to make your legs seem way longer than they actually are. And besides, everyone just looks better when they are wearing heels. End of story, no negotiating. A woman in a great pair of heels demands attention. She looks tall, powerful and, in the words of Tyra Banks, fierce. If I am ever having a bad day, I’ll put on my favorite pair of heels and walk around a little bit and instantly feel better.

On the other hand, when worn incorrectly, heels can have the opposite affect. There is nothing worse than seeing a woman wobbling around in a pair of heels that she just cannot walk in. In this case, even I would advise said person to take them off. It is possible to master the art of walking in heels; you just have to be wearing the right ones. When it comes to gracefully walking in heels, it’s all about the fit. In my opinion, a heel with a wedge, sling back, or strap that fastens around the ankle are the easiest to walk in. When wearing a simple slip on it’s easy for your foot to come out the back, which makes walking a very difficult task. Also, if you’re going to be wearing heels, go all the way. Three inches or more ladies, nothing less. If your foot is larger than a size 6, a short “kitten” heel, can actually make your foot appear larger than it is. And lets be honest, duck feet are not very attractive.

If you are like a certain 5’9’’ friend of mine, you would rather eat paste than wear a pair of heels in public. She is a true “flats” girl through and through. No matter where she is going, she is in flats. A chic pair of flats can add a great amount of sophistication to an outfit. A white shirt, skinny jeans, and a pair of black flats is my go-to outfit when I want to be comfortable but still look classic and chic. Now, my friend’s height helps her get away with flats when heels would have been the better option, but flats go with just about anything. On a night out when you just can’t bear the thought of heels, there is nothing wrong with throwing on a cute little dress and a pair of flats. If you don’t own a pair already, simple black flats are the ultimate staple item that everyone should have in their wardrobe.

So, heels or flats? The choice is yours but with either option you can’t go wrong. If you run into me on a night out, 99.9% of the time I’ll be wearing a pair of heels, but catch me during the day and I’ll definitely be wearing my perfectly worn in black ballet flats.

images from Style.com and Google images

Some people refer to me as a shopping addict because of the insane amount of time I spend on the Internet surfing fashion shopping sites.  There really is nothing better than finding that perfect sweater or pair of boots that will look oh-so good with your new jeans.  And there is really nothing worse than realizing this great new item is about four hundred dollars over your budget.  In spite of being the stereotypic broke college student, 85% of my procrastinating time is spent on shopping websites that sell items way over my budget.  However, shopping websites are not just about buying things, surfing clothing websites is about seeing what is out there.  I love fashion as an art form and enjoy seeing what the high-end designers have produced and how the commercial designers help to perpetuate certain trends.  So when I see a piece I love but simply do not have the means to purchase, I am not bothered because I view it as someone might view a sculpture or painting.  I frequent around twelve different shopping websites but the top four I cannot live without are netaporter.com, luisaviaroma.com, singer22.com and shopnastygal.com only two of which sell things I can actually afford. 

Charlotte Olympia Shoes
Image from: Google Images
For those of you who love design and high fashion and appreciate clothing as an art form, you should probably stay away from luisaviaroma.com if you ever want to have time to get work done.  Now if you are like me and you just like to see what the creative masters like Giambattista Valli, Emanuel Ungaro and Charlotte Olympia have come out with, visit luisaviaroma.com.  This website features designers that create pieces way out of the box and sells items that department stores just don’t carry.  The items sold here are mostly trendy statement pieces that you might not be wearing a few years from now but will love forever as excellent pieces of craftsmanship and design.  However, if you have just won the lottery and have tons of cash to spend and need that purse for fall that no one else will have, I highly suggest that you pay luisaviaroma.com a visit.  You won’t regret it. 


Balmain Leather Jacket
Image from: Google Images
If you are trying to see what the high end commercial designers like Herve Leger, Balmain, Oscar de la Renta and the other high rollers have come out with, netaporter.com is the place to be.  Netaporter.com is a website that sells all genres of apparel and accessories.  Each category—purses, shoes, jewelry, jackets, and dresses—is loaded up with all the latest items.  Depending on what you are comfortable spending on clothes, there are pieces sold in all price ranges.  You can find a beautiful leather Balmain jacket for a jaw dropping $13,400 and on the same site find a $40 super comfortable Splendid tank top.  Most of the pieces sold are in the $200-$300 range but there are plenty of shirts well under $100 so nearly anyone can visit netaporter.com because of the huge variation in prices.  This site is not for the bargain hunter but if you are looking for the pieces of the moment, netaporter.com carries them.  The clothing sold on netaporter.com differ from luisaviaroma.com because they are targeted to a wider market.  Netaporter.com is aiming to appeal to the trendy and chic customer while luisaviaroma.com focuses on the customer with a very experimental style.  Therefore, if you’re looking for a non-budget breaking dress for date night, a black tie ball gown for the event of the year, or a pair of killer heels that will literally stop traffic, netaporter.com is God’s gift to you.
                                                                                                                                 

Rachel Bilson
Image from: Google Images
If you are someone who is always wondering where your favorite celebrity got their latest scarf, hoodie, pair of jeans, dress, boyfriend (just kidding), top, necklace, you need to be aware of singer22.com.  This website features tabloid shots of celebrities—such as, Ashley Tisdale, Kate Moss, Alessandra Ambrosio, Rihanna, Nicole Richie—what they are wearing, and . . . drum roll please . . . you can buy exactly what they are wearing right off the website.  We all know that celebrities have way too much money for their own good, but a big chunk of the pieces they wear are surprisingly affordable.  That is, if you have the will power to save up for a few months then splurge on that one great item. 


And finally, for those who see no need to follow the latest trends and dance to the beat of your own drum (or whatever instrument you find pleasing) shopnastygal.com is the place for you.  With a name as interesting as that you know the clothes are going to be funky enough to match.  Shopnastygal.com is a more recent discovery of mine with two insanely great qualities.  The first is that it sells both new and vintage clothing and accessories.  The second is that nearly every item is completely affordable.  Shopnastygal.com’s prices for their new clothes range from $12 bracelets up to $168 for an excellent 80s dress and the vintage items range more widely but you can find a great t-shirt for around $28.  Shoes are a little more pricey and creep up into the $300 range, but this website is one of the few to carry the highly coveted Sam Edelman Zoe boots.  (For those of you who don’t know, Mary-Kate Olsen rocked a pair of Balenciaga boots and Sam Edelman came out with a pair that look exactly like them but for an amount ridiculously cheaper).  Shopnastygal.com sells great edgy dresses and unique clothes that you will struggle to find in stores.  They are big on zippers and studs, slouchy t-shirts, and skin-tight skirts.  Buy something from this site, and its nearly guaranteed that you will be the only one with this item, especially if you shop in the vintage section.  If you love tie-dye, sequins, tiered dresses and you wish someone would hurry up and build a time machine already so you could live in the 1980s, the vintage section is your dream come true.  Most pieces here are the only one in stock, so act fast because chances are it will be gone within days. 

Sam Edelman Zoe Boot
image from: Google Images


 I apologize for this post if, like me, you have a spending or procrastinating problem because you will be addicted once you check out these sites. Happy shopping!