What I'm looking forward to this month

1.) Mad Men finally returns


Um, has this show been off the air long enough for you all yet? Personally I've been dying -- the past 525 days of it being off air has resulted in me rewatching old episodes multiple times, along with Matt Weiner commentary, to sate my MM fix. I'm very curious to see where Season 5 will go...will Don and Megan actually marry? Will the season fast forward and start a year or two into their marriage? How will Pete be as a real father? Will Betty and Henry finally get a divorce, and if so, will she continue to try and get back into Don's good graces? Will Greg die in Vietnam and leave Joan free to carry on her dalliances with Roger? Would she even want to with Jane still in the picture and a baby on the way? Will Sally blossom into the flower child we all know she's going to be?

So many questions, so little answers in AMC's many teaser trailers. At least the premiere will be a two-hour event. March 25th: You can't come soon enough.

2.) Neiman Marcus opensNot like I'm in that echelon of people that can casually shop at Neiman's like it ain't no thang (yet), but Neiman's is opening in my town and I can't wait. Construction on the building wrapped up a while ago and it looks all retro and lovely as usual, with avocado-green glass panels and the store's classic signature logo pinned nice and high on the side. The day it opens, Neiman's is holding a VIP gala indoors with live music, champagne, decadent foods and other fun things that wealthy people commonly partake in. Unfortch tickets to this gala cost somewhere around $250 per person, and well, with remodeling underway and a baby in our future, $500 on a black-tie night in a high-end department store doesn't seem to be in the cards for J and I. Luckily Neiman's understand this and is hosting a big outdoor party the next evening with live music for the commoners.

3.) We find out what Peanut is!


March 27th is the big day for the gender ultrasound. Boy? Girl? At this point I don't really care. Prior to getting pregnant all I wanted was a little girl to dress up and take shopping with me and teach how to be a lady. Now that I'm with bébé, though, my desire to only have a girl has dissipated. I can still dress a little boy up very cutely (I'm thinking Janie and Jack preppy here) and have just as much fun with it. Plus it's not like this is going to be our one and only kid. Other babies will be in our future, so we'll have many opportunities to roll those dice.

Mad Men...at the mall?

My fellow Mad Men fans, the time has cometh!!

With Mad Men Season 2 about to be released on Tuesday, and Season 3 premiering on August 16th, my year is starting to look a whole lot more mad -- in a good way.

Banana Republic just announced late last week that they will be partnering with AMC to bring Mad Men-esque garb to malls across America. *Clasps hands in glee.* Now you, too, can dress like Joan, Betty or Peggy, even if you couldn't afford those Michael Kors ready-to-wear pieces last year. And if you've been wanting to get your guy into a Don Draper suit...well, they're going to be offering those too. (Swoon.)

Reuters is reporting that Banana Republic will be dressing all its mannequins in classic early ’60s styles and even offer a “Mad Men” style guide. (A little part of me just died happy.) As far as I'm aware of, the marketing event will start on July 21st.

I have a tendency to become obsessed with things I love, and this show has been my obsession du jour for the last year or so. With such little marketing merchandise out from AMC (I do covet this Sterling Cooper mousepad on Cafe Press, though. I know I'm such a nerd), I can't wait to get my mitts on a paper version of the Style Guide. And of course, I can't wait to check out the '60s styles in Banana Republic, which Reuters reports will be all about sharp suits, wide skirts, form-fitting sheath dresses, fedoras and pearls.

For a PDF version of the Style Guide, click here.

The new "it" fabric? Burlap.

Yup, burlap. As in the material that potato sacks are made of.

Call it a sign of the times, or "recession chic" or what have you, but for those who thought burlap was only relegated to Depression-era farm children swathed in coarse, itchy togas, think again. Burlap is back in a big way -- and not only that, if designer goods are your modus operandi, be prepared to spend big.

How big? Try about $1,400 for the Miu Miu burlap ensemble (above), complete with pink streak of spray paint, of course. I think the streak lends a certain je ne sais quoi, don't you? Or this dress, also about $1,400.

The New York Times is calling this new fad "bread-line chic". Clever. I call it "the Emperor has no clothes" syndrome. If you want a pair of matching shoes for your itchy little dress (move over LBD, the ILD is the new kid in town), then why not try Miu Miu's $600 burlap pumps? But why should we stop there. Why not, say, use the coarse fabric to upholster high-end furniture? Oh wait, that's already been done. I'm just waiting for a burlap bikini. Perhaps I should fashion one once Love and I get through cooking all the potatoes in our kitchen.

Seeing this I can't help but be reminded of that I Love Lucy episode, entitled "Lucy Gets a Paris Gown." In it Lucy decides to go on a hunger strike until Ricky agrees to buy her a designer dress, which he saves for until he finds out Ethel has been smuggling Lucy food. Ricky decides to teach Lucy a lesson by putting together a haphazard burlap dress and passing it off as a Paris original. Lucy believes him and wears it proudly. Hilarity (of course) ensues, especially because this is how ridiculous she looked:

"Coupon Queen" spends $10 on $150 worth of groceries

I'm speechless (and impressed):



Is this seriously possible? I know it takes a lot of research and hard work, but still. (P.S. Love the image of this tiny woman with a Brooklyn accent pushing a giant overflowing grocery cart almost as tall as her through the aisles of her local supermarket. Priceless.)

Fashionable Fridays: Miss Dior Cherie

I was perusing the latest issue of Elle Magazine two nights ago, getting more and more bummed with the turn of every page due to wanting all that I couldn't afford in the mag, when I came across this beautiful ad for Dior's new fragrance:


I immediately fell in love with the picture. Not only do I love the model's ensemble, but I love the way the picture captures the whimsically magical and romantic side of Paris -- you know, the idealized side of the City of Lights us Americans always imagine it to be like through movies like Amelie and Paris Je T'aime. I'm looking for the original print to frame, minus the Dior wording, but in the meantime I figured that with Paris on my mind, I'd find a way for us girls on a budget to also pull off the Miss Dior Cherie look.

Here's how to capture the look above without breaking the bank (click on pics for prices):

Miss Dior Cherie by BrunetteOnABudget featuring Hudson rings

Floating above Paris, optional. ;)

Gucci for less

If you love Gucci but can't afford the haute looks, maybe this re-creation will satisfy your designer appetite, compliments of DesertRose:

Gucci Style Budget by DesertRose on Polyvore.com

Loves it! Not sure if the dress is still available, but horizontal stripes are big this season -- in fact, I saw a dress very similar to this one recently at H&M for about $35. The yellow jacket, pumps and belt round out this outfit nicely at about $50 total, which isn't bad for accessories that can be paired with many other ensembles!

Fashionable Fridays: Casual in the city

Today was like any other day: I woke up, decided to run with the smokey-eye look, threw an outfit together and spritzed myself with perfume on my way out the door. I guess I looked cuter than usual (is that even possible?) because my garb caught the attention of many passerbys (don't even pretend like you weren't checking me out, you trio of men in suits -- I saw you out of the corner of my dark sunglasses). And of course I also got compliments from friends throughout the day. It's funny, at least in my case: When I don't try that hard with my outfits, they always come out being the best. Anyway, here's a sample of what I wore:

Friday in DC by BrunetteOnABudget featuring GUESS? sandals

Nothing amazing, but it looked very polished and put together. What's pictured isn't exactly what I wore, as my tank was a darker gray and pleated all around the neckline, plus my shoes were slightly different (and much cheaper than these), but you get the point. All in all, my outfit cost about $30 total (yes, $30), minus the gold necklace, which was given to me as an early bday present from a friend at lunch today. My point? You can look fashionable and modern without spending tons of money.

A tip to remember is to not talk yourself into the wrong clothing just because it is cheap or is on sale -- buy it because it looks fabulous on you and will be able to be mixed and matched. Also be on the lookout of ways to accessorize the "blah" you already own. A drab gray tank will always be a drab gray tank unless you get creative (like above). Cinch it with a big belt in white or brown and play it up with the right jewelry, statement handbag and killer heels. All of a sudden your drab gray tank will become the base palette for your divine outfit, and not the focal point of an otherwise boring ensemble. But you already knew that, right? ;)

Have discounts gone the way of leggings?

Were discounted designer duds out before they were even in, much like leggings that were so 17 seasons ago the minute they re-debuted for the first time since the early '90s? The jetsetting, I-step-on-the-heads-of-the-middle-class-on-my-way-to-tea-at-the-Ritz seem to think so. After all, if everyone else can also buy a $3,000 Dolce and Gabbana dress (albeit heavily marked down for us normal folk), than what would distinguish them from us? It would be utterly blasphemy, this near-incestuous melting pot of classes, from the very poor to the very rich, all buying the same things and festering in uncalled-for solidarity. I shiver at the thought.

But you see, that's what would happen if This Economy continues to take its toll on poor designers like Eileen Fisher, Oscar de la Renta and Versace, who it seems would prefer that department stores go bankrupt rather then have to slash prices in order to keep peddling the very designer goods that so many of us covet as an escape from the confines of mid-tier stores like The Gap, et. al. Do the Anna Wintours of the world have a point? If prices were slashed mercilessly, like the sad peeps at Rite Aid sitting restless and 50% off post-Easter, their once-vibrant pink coats now a faded shade of sour pepto bismol, would the playing ground become more even, thus upsetting the equilibrium of the world? Would it all really matter? Does there need to be a defining line -- in this case, made up of obnoxiously unattainable couture clothing that I admit I really, really want -- that separates the successful from the striving, the haves from the have-nots?

If This Economy can absolutely bury the oldest of what we thought were bullet-proof financial institutions (aurevoir, Lehman Bros.), and pick apart and plunder the most notable of giant law firms, pummeling laid off partners and associates in its undertow (aren't these people all supposed to be "recession-proof"?), then surely the economic tsunami can -- and should -- do something as insignificant as lower what are -- let's face it -- purely ridiculous and inflated clothing prices connoting a higher-end lifestyle we all lust after.

Does a full-price, $1,200 Carolina Herrera dress have any more value than, say, the knockoff of said dress at Macy's? Both sides of the class line are beginning to ponder that question, especially the side that was duped into paying full price for it (ahem, Ritz Carlton tea-goers.)

According to The Wall Street Journal, the price swings of designer goods have "confused" high-end customers (poor things), leading them to question the real value of their purchases. Apparently those in this group feel duped for having paid full price.

Shortly after Nancy Novogrod paid full price at a department store for a pair of spring Jil Sander slacks, the editor of Travel + Leisure Magazine got an email saying the store's spring sale was under way. "Spring sale?" Ms. Novogrod said when New Yorkers were still shivering in mid-March. "That's not buyer remorse. That's buyer rage."

Oh how I feel your plight, Ms. Novogrod. (Hold on a second, I need to toss my Target clothes in the laundry. Ok, back.) And so, once the rich feel ripped off (gasp), then of course the designers are left to bear the brunt of the backlash, which has recently caused many to demand being left out of department stores' sales.

"All our brands are taking great care to ensure that what happened in November will not happen again," Paola Milani tells the WSJ. Milani is a spokeswoman for Gucci Group, which owns Bottega Veneta, Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci and other brands. And what happened in November was that it was the first time designers saw their merchandise so drastically marked down by the retailers who carried their goods. "The idea is to maintain pricing coherence in the regions in which our products are sold regardless of channel of distribution."

The article states that the luxury brands want to control when they take discounts and on which products. And the deals will likely be less sweeping. Why does that not surprise me...and make me feel somewhat left out. Oh wait, it's because I can't readily flick my debit card over the cashier's counter whenever I get the slightest notion to buy a new coat or handbag costing over $1,000. Come on, Economy, work your magic in the sale section of this brunette on a budget's nearest Bloomingdale's...

1952 called...

There I was, in a fog of Travel Channel haze on a lazy Sunday afternoon, in my fourth Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations episode of the day and about to flip off the telly to do something, well, actually productive, when Anthony meandered into a Swedish store after his obligatory chowing down of a local, streetside hotdog. It was in the store, when he picked up the retro cell phone handset above, that I finally knew what I absolutely had to have for my birthday!!

After looking it up online, I showed Love this amazing invention, and (being true to his title of being married to an "insane" person) he laughed and dismissed it as me just liking what Anthony Bourdain likes. To be fair, though, Anthony did make fun of this handset, and I'm fully aware of how ridiculous it would look to see a girl like moi chatting on a retro handset while waiting for my apartment shuttle, but it wouldn't be the first time I call attention to myself in slightly off ways (we won't go there.) I love it!! It's got a healthy kitsch factor, and I'm all about the retro vibe. Plus, bluetooths et. al. are so boring. With this I can pretend daily that I'm in some 1940s film noir, making secret plans to meet up with Humphrey Bogart in a wayward gin joint in Morocco...or I could just be chatting on the celly, reminding Love to pick up avocados from Costco. Either way.

If you're at all intrigued by this "big hunk of beautiful plastic", click on over to ThinkGeek, where they describe it "as something with that good-old-American solid construction feel - like a 1972 Cadillac."

Stores liquor you up to increase your spending

Free champagne at Nordstroms sounds simply divine, doesn't it? Purchasing $1,000 handbags, $300 designer scarves and obscenely priced cosmetics may not be what you're used to ... but would you feel differently after five glasses of champagne? Would your frugal tendencies be a little more uninhibited with all those wonderful little bubbles going straight to your head, clouding any budgetary judgement you've tried sticking to?

Stores like Nordstroms have been doing this for awhile (you need to be one of their "2nd level shoppers" or whatever it's called, yours truly is in the club), but it seems that offering alcohol to shoppers is a growing trend by retailers to decrease your rationality, increase your impulsivity and at least make you linger longer than normal.

In a Wall Street Journal article specifically dealing with male shoppers, "The recession is driving stores to search for anything that gives them even a small edge over rivals. And generally slower traffic gives sales staff more time to offer drinks and talk with shoppers."

According to one storeowner quoted in the story, "Offering alcohol puts men at ease. I wanted it to be like you're going to your best guy friend's house, a guy friend who has great style." Um, yeah, but your best guy friend isn't deceptively making their home more inviting so that you'll shell over $300 for a new pair of jeans. If so, then that's one expensive drink.

FYI, the cost of purchasing alcohol for stores is minimal, especially compared to other brand-building efforts like advertising, so I get it, it works. And I really can't complain when someone offers me a free cocktail, but it's just something to be mindful of if your spending is already out of control.

As Love said (after reading the WSJ article): "If I only had $200 for a pair of jeans, then I too could have a beer (wait a minute . . . )".

I rock ...

... or so thinks Stephanie over at Bonjour Madame. See? She passed on the award to ME (okay, and 6 other people, but we'll just focus on me):


Anyway, she named me as one of her top 7 favorite blogs to read and I'm beyond flattered! With every award, though, there comes a set of rules, but you guys all know the drill by now: I name 7 things I love (so y'all can get to know me better), and then I list my top 7 favorite bloggers. So I'm going to make like Julie Andrews in "Sound of Music" and let you in on a few of my favorite things:

1. Classic movies. Turner Classic Movies is one of my favorite channels and there's little more I love than spending my Sundays lazing on the couch with Lola, watching some Jimmy Stewart or Cary Grant flick. (Although she doesn't speak English, it seems Lola may have an affinity toward Humphrey Bogart, but I could be wrong.) After I'm done watching, I love going online and researching the back story on the director, the filming, the cast, costumes, etc. Needless to say, I'm a walking encylopedia of classic film trivia.
   
2. Seeing live music. Whether it be giant arena concerts or just small local venues, I get a rise out of watching bands and/or DJs perform. Music is a big part of my life and I thrive on the electricity in the air at music shows, surrounded by others who can't help but dance and be happy. Some of my favorite concerts have been: David Bowie, Steely Dan, Depeche Mode and Britney (of course).
   
3. Traveling; therefore I (majorly) heart the Travel Channel. When I scrounge up enough funds to make traveling a full-time gig, I'll hopefully be spending months at a time abroad, penning my novels at a desk near an open villa window that overlooks some vineyard near Siena.
   
4. Spending time with friends and family. When people ask me what I think the meaning of life is, I tell them I don't have to "think" -- I already know. It's all about the relationships you cultivate with those around you. What is your life if you don't have great memories? In the end, that's all anybody is left with.
5. Shoes -- preferably those of the high-heel variety. When I'm an old lady my feet will probably look like gnarled old stumps of their former selves with all the high-heel wearing I currently partake in, but I can't help myself. There's something so fashionable and empowering about wearing a perfectly cut 3.5-inch pointy toe stiletto ... or 4-inch cork wedge (I've got 3 different pairs) ... or, well, you get the point. The higher, the better. Which reminds me, I saw these at the mall today, drooled through the store window, but walked away with my willpower in tow. (I so wanted to strut in and maybe just try them on, but who are we kidding, that would have led to me buying them and right now I haven't budgeted for impulse shoe purchases. Sigh.) Pressing forward ....
   
6. Picnics. Cheap, fun way to have a romantic date with Love. Half the fun of the picnic for me is going to a gourmet deli or even Trader Joe's and stocking up on little culinary indulgences like different kinds of cheeses, olives and wines. Mmmm....
7. Italy. 'Nough said.
   

And now for some of my favorite bloggers (don't worry, I love all of you, I just can't list everyone):

1. Bonjour Madame - Reading this blog makes me wish I was in France, oh, every single day. Madame Stephanie loves France as much as I do, and has great photos, commentary and music to set the mood of every post.
   
2. Fete a Fete - Tami at Fete a Fete always features fabulous foods, beauty products and fashions that make me want to go out and spend more money! She very much is "a bon vivant when it comes to chasing after sinful gourmet treats or tracking down the newest beauty potion."
3. Frugal in Virginia - Dana at Frugal in Virginia definitely knows a thing or two about how and when to snap up the best deals, especially when it comes to grocery shopping. Since following her blog, I have saved hundred of dollars at places like Safeway because she educates readers on every little deal out there. And believe me, people, that is no small feat.
4. Lifestyles of the Fit and Fabulous - My sister (who's a Division 1 tennis player in college) is also a huge health nut. (I mean that in a good way.) She lives and breaths health and nutrition and has a fabulous body to show as a result (no butch tennis player body here, chickadees, think more a tan Anna Kournikova). Sis just started a blog to share her wealth of knowledge and I'm proud to be able to feature it in my list. :)
5. A Gai Shan Life - Reading this blog is like watching a well-done reality show. Revanche lets us in on all the little details that make her a three-dimensional character to us digital folk. From her monthly financial snapshots to pics of her latest Mac 'N' Cheese masterpiece, I love checking in to see what she's up to.
   
6. Fortuna Finds - Everytime I read Fortuna's blog, I end up laughing out loud. Writing with subtle, humorous wit is a true art, and she's got it down pat. Good read, cracks me up every time.
   
7. She's Little and Lovely - If you like me, then you'll love Emilita, who through myriad emails back and forth I've found is essentially my doppleganger. As we are both tap-dancing journalists, I highly suggest checking out her blog, where she posts insightful observations on life, fashion and -- most importantly -- makeup. ;)
   

Oh, and if you're feeling especially bored tonight and need something to do, head on over to the Budget Fashionista, where my America's Next Top Model post was featured in their latest roundup! Goodnight and God speed.

Surprise! PMS linked to shopping

Not like we don't already know that a little retail therapy is, well, therapeutic when Aunt Flo comes to town, for any still in doubt a new study out by a British professor suggests that there is, in fact, a correlation between menstrual cycles and that urgent need to spend money at Banana Republic.

According to the study, which surveyed 443 women aged 18 to 50, in the 10 days before their periods begin, respondents were more likely to go on a spending spree than at any other time.

Psychologists believe shopping could be a way for premenstrual women to deal with the negative emotions created by their hormonal changes.

"Spending was less controlled, more impulsive and more excessive ..." Professor Karen Pine told the BBC News."The spending behavior tends to be a reaction to intense emotions. They are feeling stressed or depressed and are more likely to go shopping to cheer themselves up and using it to regulate their emotions."

Not surprisingly, most of the purchases made by the women around their cycles were for adornment, including jewelery, make-up and high heels (i.e., items that make you feel pretty but don't have to be bought in a specific "size", as bloating can make you go up a full clothing size).

Just something to keep in mind the next you have that hankering for a pint of Ben and Jerry's ... and 28 pairs of shoes from DSW. [BBC]

Lo Bosworth hearts cheap bags

Guess it doesn't matter what you make these days, my pretties, as everyone is jumping on the fashion-for-less bandwagon. Case in point: Lo Bosworth, LC's best friend from Laguna Beach and The Hills (vapid, guilty pleasures of mine), was spotted last week at LAX near a luggage carousel rocking the very Hayden-Harnett for Target bag I (ahem) blogged about in back in December.

(Source: FadedYouthBlog.com)To be completely honest, Lo is my least favorite character on the show, and one of my least favorite "celebrities" in general. Perhaps it's her catty passive aggressiveness, and the fact that she acts more innocent than she is. But I digress. C-lister Lo may not be a good barometer of what everyone (especially everyone in Hollywood) is spending on clothes and accessories these days, but it's humbling to see at least one member of "The Hills" cast who publicly wears something us "poor" folk can afford. Hey, at $10,000 per episode, you know Lo hasn't backed herself into a corner at all over how much she can plunk down for a handbag of her choosing. Oh Target, you cross so many class lines! Now if only someone could snap a pic of LC trolling the sale racks at Forever 21 ...

If you want this gem of a Hayden-Harnett for Target bag from last season, all the Hayden bags and accessories are still on clearance at Target, no telling when they will sell out. Lo's canvas flight tote has now been marked down to $34.99 from $49.99.

Fashionable Fridays: Breakfast at Tiffany's

The most famous brunette on a budget of all time was none other than Miss Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Sure, she was in hot pursuit of sugar daddy for the duration of the film, but that girl knew how to make a dollar stretch. From having breakfast at Tiffany's (standing outside with a croissant and coffee, admiring the jewelry displays in the window), to living in her sparse yet adorable one-bedroom apartment and making her $50 from the powder room take her into another week, Holly was the poster child for making her pithy amount of money work for her -- especially in the fashion department.

If we're talking fashion in movies, one need not look further than this film. The 1961 classic starring Audrey Hepburn is eponymous with what being stylish is all about. Unfortunately, the real costumes used in the movie have little to do what being on a budget is all about, as Givenchy himself outfitted Audrey in all scenes, making anything near the "real deal" for us normal folk dreadfully out of reach.

According to The Comic Critic, Hubert de Givenchy was the first couture designer to break into costume design in film with Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Audrey Hepburn was formerly Givenchy's favorite model, and was cast in this part pretty much as a clothes hanger for Givenchy. He previously designed her gowns in the 1954 movie "Sabrina" and the 1957 movie "Funny Face." His costume designs in this film created the fashion classic for American and European women of "the little black dress", plus a strand of pearls and an up-do hairdo. It also launched Givenchy into the American mainstream fashion designer market.

I remember dressing up as Holly Golightly one Halloween in college, and from that moment on I realized that looking as stylish as Audrey was really an effortless task (fake cigarette holder and gaudy costume baubles aside) and didn't have to cost as much as a $20,000 Givenchy gown. With that in mind, here are outfit inspirations from the movie. Some items are pricier than others, but the ensembles are a good guide when you're out shopping and need a little help. Let me know if you've stumbled across any good Holly-esque deals of your own!:



Untitled - by Mischulka on Polyvore.com



Cat! - by BrunetteOnABudget on Polyvore.com

This Old Navy trench coat (above) is a steal at $49, and I currently own these pointy flats from Target ($17), which I love. The glasses and dress are from Forever 21. Click on the pictures for pricing.

Holly and Paul ("Fred baby") at the Tiffany's jewelry store, spending the day doing things each has never done before.


Dearest laitae/Agnes, - by BookLovers'Charm(weRblesd:D) on Polyvore.com


Breakfast at tiffany's tribute - by LolaHaze on Polyvore.com



breakfast at tiffany's - by tasbeeh on Polyvore.com



Holly's sleeping - by BrunetteOnABudget on Polyvore.com


And if you're in love as much as I am with Holly's claw-footed bathtub couch (above), I did find one place online that sells it ... but it's $4,000. Boo. Finding an old claw-footed tub and cutting out one side may have to be my next art project. It can't be that hard, can it?

If your thirst to look like Audrey is still not satiated, check out eHow's "How to dress like Audrey Hepburn."

Must Have: TopShop Heels

Confession: I cried a few days ago. No, it was nothing marital-related (Love and I are doing fabulously, by the by), and I wasn’t hit with any horrible health-related news from family or friends, thank God.

Instead I was sitting front and center (okay, so it was the nose-bleed section, but it was still center) at Britney’s "Circus" concert, cheering with 50,000 other screaming fans. I've always been a Britney fan, the height of which was during my college years at UC Santa Barbara. As I've matured and she subsequently regressed, I felt I still had to stick with her. I was a fan, after all, and I don't think people give enough weight anymore to what being a true fan is. Would you give up on, say, your best friend just because she shaved her head, started dating a tres trashy man and began attacking people with umbrellas? Exactly. So it was when she began performing what originally kicked off her tumultuous foray into fame, “Oops, I Did It Again,” that I could no longer contain myself.

“I LOOOOVE YOU BRITNEYYY!!!!” I shrieked at the top of my lungs. So overwhelmed with emotion and nostalgia of the "better times", I began to cry as I replayed a montage of her turbulent career inside my head. Love, who I had dragged to the concert as my date (lucky, lucky man), sat in his seat looking up at me with amused and shocked disbelief. Of course, I didn't blame him for not understanding being so moved by something so seemingly trite and shallow that you begin shedding tears. He is a straight man, after all.

But similar emotions began ebbing to the surface again today when I caught sight of one of the most fabulous pairs of shoes I’ve seen in a while and had to choke back tears of want:
One word: Ruffles. Okay, four words: Ruffles, zippers, high heels. I’ve fallen in love with the way the soft femininity of the ruffled leather tones down the gritty masculinity of the zippered piping. Must. Have. Now. Even better? They’re actually (gasp) affordable! These Emma Cook platform sandals are $190 at TopShop.com. Sure, they aren’t Target prices, but they also aren’t $900 Louboutins, either. Splurging a teensy bit on yourself never hurt anyone, did it?

These streets have too many names for me... - by *pebbles* on Polyvore.com

"Recessionistas" need not wear jellies

Sigh. Just when I thought the Today Show "fashion on a budget" clip with Bobbie Thomas wasn't bad enough, we now have another video clip from Mtv's new House of Style, hosted by my former sophomore year high school crush's (Leonardo DiCaprio's) current girlfriend, Israeli model Bar Rafaeli. If you haven't seen it yet, don't bother setting your DVR, as it was so much cooler in the '90s. But I digress.

In this clip, aside from learning that one of the "must haves" this spring are $175 high-heeled jellies (yes, jellies), there's a segment where model Jessica Stam takes you shopping in her closet to teach every recessionista how to get the most out of what you already have. Sounds good in theory, except Jessica's closet is a little different than the average girl's. Her pointers? Set up a bag swap, where you and your friends can trade $1,500 handbags (like the Marc Jacobs one she is holding) betwixt one another. Fun!

Other tips include:

• She "loves" white t-shirts, and suggests pairing them with black skirts. Groundbreaking.
• "Hitting up" your brother and/or dad's closets for baggy flannel shirts you could wear as jackets in the summer. (The last time I wore flannel was when I pined after Jordan Catalano, endlessly listened to Nirvana and thought it would be so cool to move to Seattle and learn the intricacies of brewing good coffee. This was junior high, 1994, people. Needless to say, I'm not a fan of the flannel comeback, and there's really no reason to wear your father's and brother's clothing.)
• Cut your jeans into shorts (i.e., cut-offs). Revolutionary (and tacky).

I'm still waiting for a really good segment on dressing well on a budget. So far I've been disappointed with what I've seen. Kind of the same feeling Angela Chase had when she found out Jordan cheated on her with Rayanne Graph. Okay, maybe not that disappointed, but you get the point.

To see the House of Style clip, visit Jezebel.

Hypocrisy thy name is denim

According to the Wall Street Journal last week, "If there is a silver lining to a financial crisis that threatens to leave the entire country dressed only in a barrel, it is this: At least we won't be wearing denim." Oh really?

Never has a single fabric done so little for so many. Denim is hot, uncomfortable and uniquely unsuited to people who spend most of their waking hours punching keys instead of cows. It looks bad on almost everyone who isn't thin, yet has somehow made itself the unofficial uniform of the fattest people in the world.

Um, insensitive much? Although I prefer wearing dresses and skirts when the weather permits, I like wearing denim jeans (dark bootcut or skinny 7 for all Mankinds, thankyouverymuch), and I'm not "fat". (That is unless a size 6 is now the threshhold marker between "small" and "large".) The WSJ columnist has a problem with denim, but I think he comes off as elitist and snobby. Not everyone looks like a farmer in denim, unless of course you're wearing overalls (a la Tai in Clueless), which is always a big no-no.

If hypocrisy had a flag, it would be cut from denim, for it is in denim that we invest our most nostalgic and destructive agrarian longings -- the ones that prompted all those exurban McMansions now sliding off their manicured lawns and into foreclosure, dragging down the global financial system with them. Denim is the SUV of fabrics, the wardrobe equivalent of driving a hulking Land Rover to the Whole Foods Market. Our fussily tailored blue jeans, prewashed and acid-treated to look not just old but even dirty, are really a sad disguise. They're like Mao jackets, an unusually dreary form of sartorial conformity by means of which we reassure one another of our purity and good intentions.

Obviously there is a time and a place to wear jeans, but I think this is almost offensively melodramatic. What do you think? [WallStreetJournal.com]

Fashionable Fridays: Spring is in the air

Finally! This has been a long, hard winter, people, with many a split end, chapped lip and disgusting, pale-as-a-vampire complexion. Now that the sun is out, I'll be dusting off all my warm-weather dresses (almost half of my closet), giving myself that facial I've been coveting, getting a pedi and basking in something other than spray-on tanner...which I use sparingly, at best. Don't judge.


flowers - by Maja Konestabo on Polyvore.com


Spring time in Paris - by BellaMarie on Polyvore.com


Untitled - by babydoll<3 on Polyvore.com


Untitled - by sugarsugar on Polyvore.com


Summer wishes.... - by Faithfashion! on Polyvore.com


for *Sanja* - by graziana on Polyvore.com


iloveyou.... - by ★♥Chelsea♥Paige♥★ on Polyvore.com


Annie by safetysuit - by AshleyCullen on Polyvore.com


Untitled - by VwDiiva93 on Polyvore.com

Fashionable Fridays: The Little Black Dress

Hello, chickadees! It's Friday and you know what that means -- a roundup of my favorite looks in fashion. This week I decided to, once again, scout out little black dress (or LBD) territory since there are so many different ways to be creative and make a black dress pop. If you know of a must-have LBD, let me know, I'm always on the prowl. Enjoy!


Little Black Dress - by eMgIrL<3 on Polyvore.com


Elegance (for Jerica) - by Samara996 on Polyvore.com


For ... Ana / *Anči* (only on weekends)/ - by AnseV on Polyvore.com


The Little Black Dress - by abbey.x on Polyvore.com


Little Black Dress - by brokenfairytale on Polyvore.com


little black dress - by Medea on Polyvore.com


Black Rose - by ♥GlamGrl♥ on Polyvore.com


I Tried - by SGLover on Polyvore.com


Ribbons & Pearls - by pamdavid on Polyvore.com

Another 15 bite the dust?

One of the most fascinating things about 2009 -- aside from the fact that I'm hitting the ripe age of 27 in April, and thereby officially old -- is how many retailers will go belly up in the rising economic tide. Perhaps it's the Machiavelli in me. There's obviously saturation in every retail niche, some more than others, and the current malaise seems to be just the concoction needed to vet out the superfluous. Who knew how unnecessary Linens 'N Things was in the face of many a Bed Bath & Beyond? Or a Target, for that matter? Even with the undeniable allure of office supplies and our addiction to Post-Its and personalized paper clips, even Office Max couldn't stay afloat, what with a Staples seemingly on every corner.

So which companies will fail to survive what's started out to be a difficult 2009? U.S. News placed their bets on 15 firms they don't see living past another year. Among them? Sbarro, Six Flags, Blockbuster and Claire's Accessories. Claires?! The mecca of uber-affordable jewelry? Now where will we duck shamefully into in every mall, our heads low among the throngs of teeny-boppers, while we fish for giant cocktail rings we'll eventually tell our friends we bought at expensive places like Bloomingdales? One more lie, squashed. Thanks economy.

Another possible casualty they predict? Krispy Kreme Donuts. "The donuts might be good, but Krispy Kreme overestimated Americans' appetite - and that's saying something." [U.S. News]