Topped it off with a pair of old shoes and thought .... these do Suit Mee

Call me Frugal Franny but these days .. who isn’t. I had to attend a school function tonight and was picking out an outfit. I decided to go with the safe jeans, tank top, and sweater so my tatas weren’t hanging out and I didn’t look like I was going to shake my ass at the club. I knew there was still room for error in my shoe selection. The sweater I wore was tan, black and had gold accents. I have a pair of plain black stilettos but I felt those were a little, hello my name is lucia and I strip on the weekends. My other choice was a pair of over the knee black boots (that I am absolutely obsessed with) but these felt a little like hello my name is lucia, I appeared alongside Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. Then I saw them. A pair of black, two strap Mary Janes. I bought those years ago from a Bakers store in Philadelphia, I can not tell you how much they were because seriously these puppies are old. I’m talking high school old so at least five years but since I am a believer that you will always have somewhere to where a piece of clothing, I never throw anything away. You never know when somebody is going to invite you to a Britney Spears Hit me Baby One More Time look a like party. Anyways, the shoes were perfect. They were high but Mary Janes so definitely complemented the sweater. It wasn’t too much. Perfect for the atmosphere I was
wearing them in.

Mary Janes............


save the dayyyy


the moral of my short story is that you don't need to have the newest clothes, shoes, or accesories. I actually think it's more fun to take something that has been out of style for a while and attempt to mix it in a way that makes it new, fresh, and bold. Look through your closet and challenge yourself. Out with the old and in with the ..... well Old!

Peace:Love:Fashion
Lucia

Oooh La La .... I have a secret

Scenario (April 2009):: I'm at a bar scanning the room, not for guys, but checking out outfits and accessories as usual. I spot a bag, not just any bag. A beautiful, white, leather, medium sized, wonderful, vibrant, amazing…. you get the idea, I’m gaga over the bag. I could tell it was a designer bag and could pretty much smell the real leather from where I was standing. I had two options: a) creepily make my way over to where the girl was and snag a feel of white chocolate or b) be a big girl, go make small talk, and then jump the girl and steal her purse. Ok I went with option c. I approached the girl and chatted, then complimented her fabulous purse. I was waiting to hear the price, the knife that would pierce my heart. My close-up enabled me to get some new details about it, it was definitely a Michael Kors and even prettier within inches of distance. Well, I eventually asked the inevitable and you won’t believe the news. The girl informed me she paid around $200.00 for it, seriously, seriously, seriously, how, where, when?????? I needed answers and fast. She went on to talk about a website, Ruelala.com, in which you have to be invited in order to become a member. She explained that this website offers private sale prices for a number of designer clothes, accessories, handbags, jewelry, bedding, pretty much anything you can imagine. She had me at private sale prices. She was sweet enough to swap e-mail addresses and that was my in.

This is for all of you out there who don’t have the cash flow to spend the designer price tag. Rue La La is a division of Retail Convergence Inc and is really changing online shopping. It’s not an E-Bay or an Overstock, there is no anxiety that you won’t get what you paid for. Rue La La offers boutiques for two days, changing every two days. Betsey Johnson, French Connection, Rock and Republic, Tom Ford, Michael Kors.. to name a few. The boutiques are for men and women.

If you are interested, I’m offering you my link to go check it out for yourself. Trust me, You will not be disappointed. http://www.ruelala.com/invite/ldwyer055
Go out there and find your gaga bag.
Peace: Love: Fashion
Lucia

These boots are made for Walking . . .

Boots ..... are everywhere and I LOVE it. Short, cropped, detailed, high, over the knee, biker, rider, your options are unlimited. I'm going to have to say that the UGG boot phase might be on its way out. There are just so many other fun options to choose from, why pick plain, jane tan (even though I will openly and freely admit they are super comfortable and I do own a pair of my own) especially when you know every other girl you walk past will have on the same exact pair. Be fun, be fabulous, instead pick a pair in your closet that you wouldn't pair with your skinny jeans or leggings and own it. I went on a boot frenzy in Charlotte Russe before it started getting cold. They had super cute boots that ranged from $15.00 - $35.00. You can't go wrong if you take this route because this way, if they end up going out of style, you have the piece of mind knowing you didn't break the bank buying them. I predict, however, that boots will be following us even into summer style, especially the short, cropped, and biker style. They look amazing with mini skirts and bare legs, or leggings.






VERSUS





Basically .. three for the price of one. I got the first three pairs of boots for under $100 and I actually got the Uggs as a Christmas gift so I'm not sure of the price but I'm assuming the Ugg's cost more than that. Seriously though, Ugg's are super comfy and warm. They are definitely the first pair of boots I put on when a) it's snowing or b) the temperature is below 30.

Below is an example from Teen Vogue:


She is rocking biker boots with a mini ! ! Soooo Cuteee!

Peace: Love: Fashion
Lucia

Express Saleeeeee

MY MOO MOOOOO sweater: express $20.00 : black leggings with zipper detail by pockets : Forever 21: $20.00 : black long sleeve shirt: Max Rave: $9.99: Black leather boots :Gianni Bini on sale $50.00 : black hat : New York and Company : $15.00

Express always has an amazing sale after Christmas... the BOX sale. Yes it is a pain to dig through boxes but seriously if you need a staple, like a white t-shirt or long sleeve shirt, it is totally worth it. I recently just bought a christmas tree green long sleeve shirt for $10. A steal since I know I could wear it underneath sweaters, fancy it up with jeans and the right accesories, or even just to work out. Other purchases I ended up being really excited about were: a huge, comfy, grey, moo moo sweater that is so warm and best part : it was $20.00. The amount of material alone on this sweater is worth way more than that haha but again it is a versatile piece that I can wear with jeans, leggings, black pants and boots. Definitely worth the money. I ended up splurging on one item, a ( i guess lime green ) Herve Leger look a like bandage skirt. It was $60.00 but because of the color, it could be worn all year long. Fall, winter you could easily pair it with a pair of black tights and summer go bare legs with a lighter color shirt and sandals.
Soooooooooo..... I say hit up an Express store near you. The boxes await. The sale lasts until Monday. Clearance boxes start at $9.99 but now you get an extra 30% off!!!! Really, they are giving stuff away here people. Also, if you log on to the express website www.express.com you can get a coupon for every $60.00 you spend, you get $15.00 off.
Now is the perfect time to go out and buy sweaters if you live somewhere cold. This time of year, you will get the best deals. Old Navy, Gap, Express, those stores always have awesome steals on sweaters.
I'm going to upload a picture of my moomoo grey baby that I love. Did I mention you could get away with eating anything with this sweater on, the style is comfortable and flexibile so you aren't constrained to the fabric. It is not a clingy sweater.. which I'm not really into clingy so ...
Go out there and try stuff on, be daring, be bold... be your best critic.
Peace: Love: Fashion
Lucia

Project Runway

Ok, I'll admit it. . . I am not a religious follower of the show. I mean trust me, I have seen most episodes mostly due to my living arrangements with a fashion design major for two years. Anyways, it blows my mind seeing these designers take a couple scraps of fabric, thread, ribbon, leather, lace, sometimes household items, and recyclable goods which then turn into amazing, out of this world pieces. I definitely am not creative enough to be on that side of things in the fashion world but it makes me appreciate every single piece of clothing I put on each day to the fullest. Does that sound cheesy? Of course it does but it is the truth.
The designers on the show this season, which I believe is on it's seventh, have really inspired me tonight. They are all kind of just going for it, throwing their heart and souls out there, being who they are and not caring. That is what fashion is about. Being yourself. You have to feel good in the clothes you put on your body or else, well let's just say I hate the thought of not liking how I look in what I have on.
This year I'm going for it . . . which is why I'm attempting the whole blog thing. Fashion has always been a part of me, it relaxes me, excites me, inspires me, reminds me, it evokes so many emotions. I guess I feel if at least one person gains something from these couple words I post every now and then, or enjoys it, then I'll be happy. I want to show the world that fashion isn't scary.. not matter what size or shape you are. If you own it, with confidence, you can make anything work. I want to share my ideas, thoughts, feelings about fashion from my perspective.
Now, let me make things clear. I am not a poet with words nor am I a fashion guru, designer, socialite, blah blah blah or expecting to become any of the previously mentioned. I am a regular girl with a passion. I used to live in a miniscule town in Pennsylvania. I had to get out of there because of the size. I then moved to Auburn, Alabama where most students tend to look the same, no offense ( a lot of khakis, polos, lacoste, gym shorts and spandex?<--- whoever started that trend needs to be given a talking to). Currently I live in Athens, GA which is a pretty decent size town with an array of people, hipsters, rockers, prepsters, you name it, Athens got it. So I'm kind of in heaven. I feel a bit like I could walk out of my house in a neon pink bra top with pants and still would not have any second looks. Lately, I've grown into who I am and since I've been here, done my own thing. Put stuff together I like and just went with it. Again, I think fashion is all about confidence and eye. You have to imagine in your head what you want it to look like and see yourself wearing it.
Why the blog? ? ? I know that is still the question I'm going around in circles to answer. I'm not sure myself. One night I felt compelled to just do it. I want to be able to come on here and talk about fashion and what I'm feeling. And to be honest I'm sick of reading Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Teen Vogue (yes I still read the teen version because I sometimes feel regular vogue is too over my head) only to find beautiful designer clothes worn by actresses, socialites, reality stars that are so over the top expensive and then asking myself, how can I put this together with my budget? I'm a graduate student. I'm poor. Let's be honest here, the magazines do an amazing job of making the clothes appealing and wearable but at the same time, I know that if I walked out of my house in some of those outfits I would be committed. I'm not in anyway saying being different or over the top is a bad thing. I'm just offering my opinion, my perspective. I want to share with the world my love for fashion which does not have anything to do with the price tag on my clothes or the design label that comes with it (because let's face it, most of my clothes, almost all, do not have a design label). This blog is for the real girl who maybe at times needs an idea for an outfit to wear to a party, or date night, or casual get together and doesn't have hundreds of dollars to go out and spend. That is the amazing thing about fashion, you can take a $2.00 top, dress, pant, necklace, skirt whatever, and worn the correct way with a certain style, you could make it look like it cost $200.00. But, like I said, this isn't about cost. It's about you feeling confident. That to me is what I want to portray. If you lack the self esteem or the confidence, you may just need a style do over. It will change your whole attitude. That's my aim. I want to change people's attitudes towards fashion. Some girls dread waking up in the morning and picking out their outfit. Most of us don't have the closet Cher had in Clueless. That's okay. A couple of regular items and a little bit of creativity and personality can go a LONG way.
My idea is to post maybe some pictures, some ideas, some thoughts. I'll try and keep up with the latest fashion news and blog about that. Mainly though I just want to inspire people to not be afraid and take risks.
Be your own best critic......
Peace: Love: Fashion
Lucia