"The Pea-Coat is the new Parka"

The pea-coat is a trend that has been around for decades. The crisp materials and symmetric buttons have been a staple in closets of many. The colors are pretty much limitless; however, the color navy is emerging as the “new black”. The perfect fall 2012 pea-coat is one with an exaggerated collar, and an oversized fit.

Let There Be Beanies!

Let’s be honest beanies are the epitome of complete and utter awesomeness…and a wee bit of laziness. Being said beanies are a convenient way to make an outfit effortlessly complete. During fall time especially the versatile hat brings a slouchy laid back sense of style.

-          Think of your beanie as an LBD (little black dress) it’s crucial! Always keep a black beanie as a go-to piece. It will ultimately match almost every item of clothing you own.

-          Nude beanies are also a staple. They look great with a loose fitting tee, and a bright pop of lipstick. This all together will create a fresh, young, vibrant appearance.

-          White or cream crochet and knitted beanies I usually associate with fall and winter. The light shade of the beanie gives a whimsical feel. Pair it with a lightweight sweater, skinnies and brown riding boots.

-          With a fringe blunt bang haircut, place the beanie above the area with the bang. It will show off your beautiful eyes, and edgy hair.

-          Don’t be a tease, unless you’re showing off your lovely locks. The peek-a-boo beanie is where you tuck your hair inside the hat, except little strands of hair in the front. (PS….it looks great if the hair doing the “peak-a-booing” has a slight curl or wave.)

-          Beanies can be purchased at just about every popular clothing store. H&M and Forever21 always have them in stock. They just around $5.

Berry Trend

Purple, maroon and plum oh my!  The berry trend has relentlessly been seen throughout fall.  The darker colors are a great subtle pop when paired with grays, whites and blacks.  I took a trip to H&M recently and purchased a few pairs of maroon and plum denim.  Wear them with a striped black and white tee, and a gray knit scarf; the look is classic yet cozy.

The berry colored pants were purchased for a mere $9.95.

Topnotch Fall Flats

Flats are almost an essential in every girl’s closet, well for me at least.  I recently ordered Topshop’s studded flats in black, and although during the fall-time I like to rock some combat boots, I've continually worn these go-to shoes.  The studs add even more edge to the faux-leather.  Wear them with a pair of skinnies and a floral lace top and voila! you have the epitome of soft chic.

The colors also come in mint, nude, pink and a classic caramel; go to Topshop.com for more info.

Cashmere Sweater - A Fall Necessity

A good cashmere sweater in a basic or tonal color such as black, off-white, gray, or brown is the ultimate staple of any comfortable and stylish cool-weather outfit.  The luxurious wool keeps you warm and comfortable all day, with a remarkably soft texture.  Cashmere is extremely soft, and very lightweight.  You can barely feel a cashmere sweater on you, and the smooth texture of the wool feels great.  For its lightweight qualities, cashmere's warmth is unmatched.

Where can you find a good cashmere sweater?  Pretty much anywhere, as cashmere is the best you can get for a fall sweater.  Try Banana Republic, Polo Ralph Lauren, Lacoste, Nordstrom, or ASOS for great cashmere sweaters.

I promise that after a few times of wearing a good cashmere sweater you'll realize what a good investment it was!

Spiker Water-Resistant Styling Glue by ICE Hair

This is definitely a one-of-a-kind hair product.  I have some of the thickest hair out there, and most gels I've tried either don't work, or lose their hold after several hours.  Spiker by ICE Hair is the one exception that I've found.  I just started using this stuff, and it really works.  Unlike most gels, Spiker doesn't leave your hair looking greasy or wet, and I am often questioned on how I get my hair - despite its thickness - to stay up so well and look so natural.  It's all in this product.  The consistency of Elmer's school glue, this stuff can be worked into either damp or dry hair, and the possibilities are endless.  You can do anything with it.

I love it because of the tough hold it gives while leaving my hair looking natural, and because of its long-lasting affect.  I run cross country after school every day, and my hair doesn't move an inch despite constant sweat and running.  If I go to bed with it still in my hair, I'll wake up with the exact same style.

This is a definite recommended product!  It costs $15, but a tiny glob of this glue can work itself into even the thickest hair.  Although you can't buy online, check out the product here so you can look out for it at your local salon.

Mixing Patterns During Falltime

Whether it’s stripes and plaids, or florals, paisleys and polka dots, wearing two patterns at once can be surprisingly chic.  However, there are a few things to keep in mind….

-Choose patterns that share a neutral background like brown, black, white or gray.

-Always make sure the patterns have at least a few colors in common.  For example if you’re mixing a navy stripe shirt with a floral print skirt, make sure that a similar blue is part of the floral design.

-If you are the daring kind mix up the scale with various prints: a teeny-tiny polka dot shirt with stripped pants.

-With mixing patterns comes caution, don’t go overboard!  Only two pieces in one outfit should have a pattern, and there should be at least one other element like a cardigan, tights, belt, or skirt that is completely plain.

-H&M, Topshop, and Forever21 are all great shops to purchase items to practice mixing and matching.

Autumn Must-Have Rainboots!

'Tis the season to be rainy is what is often heard during falltime.  A wet walk in the city or to your car doesn't have to dampen your style.  Rainboots have made an upgrade leaving their juvenile look behind for a unisex waterproof sneaker vibe.  Keds have created a line consisting of tribal and flirty floral prints.  The low height of the shoe makes them look unusually interesting, and will definitely be a attention grabber.  The boots are available online at Keds.com and are $65; however, if you order them online you receive 20% off!

Online Essentials Intro & Part 1 -- ASOS

Hey all,

This is a new series that I'm going to be doing over the next week or so called "Online Essentials," which I'm doing in order to provide you with a collection of online stores that will provide for all of your fashion needs.  In each part of this series I'll review the site, discuss pros and cons of shopping there, and provide other information to help you decide if it's somewhere you would like to shop.  I am in no way affiliated with any of these sites, so each post is simply for the benefit of the reader.



In part one of "Online Essentials" I'll be discussing ASOS, the UK's largest online fashion store.  The online store carries brand-name clothing along with their own line of ASOS clothing, all of which is targeted to young 18-35 year-old consumers.  The company has country-specific websites for the UK, USA, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, and Australia, and ships to over 190 countries.

The reason I personally love ASOS is its broad product selection, free shipping as well as return shipping, and great outlet/end-of-season sales.  If you shop around at ASOS, you're guaranteed to find something that you like at a low price.  The fact that they have free return shipping is a huge plus as well.  Online shopping for clothing has always scared me because I worry about the fit of the clothes and returns if they don't fit.  With ASOS, if something doesn't fit right, or you simply don't like the color or pattern when you receive it, and can't seem to match an outfit, all you have to do is send the item back.  You never have to worry about the clothes being what you want, because if it isn't, there's not problem at all.

ASOS provides other features on their site that I personally love, including an extensive men's and women's look book, an outfit creator, and a section on fashion trends.  All of these tools link directly to the items themselves, and if ASOS doesn't carry the item or a similar item, it's linked to another store.  Using these tools you can pretty much cover all of your fashion needs in one spot.

Why trust me though?  Check out ASOS USA or ASOS UK and leave a comment to tell your opinions!

And remember to check back this week for new additions to the Online Essentials series!

New Hollister Fall/Winter Styles

To follow up the post on American Eagle's new styles, I decided to go ahead and show off the new Hollister styles.  To start off, Hollister is releasing lots of new flannels, dubbed the Clobberstones Flannel Shirt.  Next up are some new jackets, consisting of the Hollywood and Ormond Beach jackets.

For long-sleeve tees, Hollister is releasing two new Huntington Beach Tee styles, coming in a gray with orange detailing and a blue with lime green detailing, along with two new Henley styles.  Those are the Abalone Cove and Royal Palms Beach henleys, coming in ten different color options combined.

If you're looking for something warm to pull over a tee, two new hoodies (Dockweiler Beach and Capistrano Beach) coming in 19 colors combined, and a new Cabrillo Beach Sweater in eight colors, have been added.

Other notable additions include three new styles each of Hollister Classic and Hollister Skinny Sweatpants and the So Cal Scarf, coming in red and blue and green and blue.

Although relatively expensive, the styles themselves are good, and I think that Hollister is making a good release for the upcoming cold.  Highlights for me are the new henleys, the new Dockweiler Beach Hoodies (I like the simple look), the colorful flannels, and the scarfs.

Now for the pictures...

Hollister

New American Eagle Fall/Winter Styles

Temperatures are starting to drop, and the new cooler-weather styles are being released.  American Eagle released their fall clothing recently, and it looks great.  I'm seeing lots of color, lots of plaid, and lots of flannel.  Instead of talking too much about the new looks, I'll just let you have a look:

 

The new field jacket is one of my favorite new items, although costing $100.  Its durability and style would allow a good amount of use, and getting your money's worth would be easy.  You can find it at American Eagle, and all of the other styles as well.

Check back later for when I introduce other fall styles, including Topman, Hollister, and Abercrombie & Fitch.

Hollister vs. Abercrombie & Fitch

So what's the real difference between Hollister and Abercrombie and Fitch?  Besides the price, pretty much nothing.  I have found both to be of good quality, and if you compare the products that both carry at a given time, they are practically the same.  I'll use the Hollister Harbor Beach Sweater and the A&F Schofield Cobble Sweater as an example.  Look at the two below:

Big difference?  Not really.  Besides the price.  The Hollister sweater costs $44.50, and the Abercrombie equivalent costs $68, nearly a 50% markup.

So why is this price difference?  Pretty much the only reason is image.  Hollister and Abercrombie are both owned by the same company, and target young college kids and teens.  For that target market, the clothes they sell represent a preppy image.  Abercombie is just a way to target a more high-end market, even though the clothes aren't any different.  It's all in the logo stitched on the chest.  I guess the moose costs more than the seagull.

If I shop at one of these, I usually stick with Hollister, or shop clearance at Abercrombie.  Why get the same thing at a higher price?