Fall into Fashion

Everyone’s probably going to call me crazy, but I can’t wait for fall to come! Yes, I know that means I’ll have to give up my 9-hour shifts at the beach and summer night bike rides to get fried seafood and ice cream, but it also means that I can dust off my booties, peel the dry cleaning plastic off my jackets and stretch out those tights! While I love going to the beach, I’ve always thought when it’s cold out, you can always do things to keep yourself warm; layer on cute sweaters and jackets, drink yummy hot chocolate, sit around a fireplace with a nice glass of wine – but when it’s hot out, what can you do??

I love transition fashion, especially fall fashion; the layers (jackets!), the accessories (scarves!) and the all around cozy feeling when there’s a brisk breeze in the air. Layers are good for the New England fall, it might be upper 50’s to 60’s in the morning for the walk to the train or your favorite coffee shop, but that lunchtime walk or the mad dash home might be in the 60’s or even 70’s – So I always try to be prepared for all the crazy weather patterns rolling through. I need to restock my collection of jackets every year – it’s my thing, I love jackets! I think I’m going to have to get our Bubble Hem Topper to add to my collection and get me through the fall – actually on second thought; I just love this entire outfit!

Tell me, what’s your favorite season and the must-have piece to get you through it?

by yn

In need of some Karma points?

If you’re like me, you own a few pairs of athletic shoes for all your exercise needs. I have a pair for running outside on pavement, a pair for running in the woods, and a pair for tennis. (Sounds a little ridiculous right?). And when I buy a new pair of sneakers, I always hold onto the old pair “just in case.” It’s always good to have a back-up pair, right?

Well you may feel differently when you think of the millions of people around the world who can’t even afford one pair of sneakers. You can help by donating your old sneaks to an organization called Soles4Souls or Shoe Bank.

Soles4Souls is a shoe charity that gives “gently used” shoes to those in need. The Soles4Souls team coordinated relief efforts for the Asian tsunami and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, netting over 1 million pairs donated for these disasters. Shoe Bank has provided shoes for 20,000 people every year, both in the United States and abroad.


I know I retire a pair of running sneaks after I’ve clocked 350 to 500 miles, but the pair I wear on the treadmill hardly looks worn. If you have gently used sneaks like these, you can mail them to one of these locations found on there website:

www.soles4souls.org

www.shoebank.org

And here’s a fun idea! Before sending along your lonely pair, why not compile a collection from your friends, family, and fellow exercisers? Shoes for all ages and sizes are needed. Ask and see if you can set up a donation box at your local gym! What shoes go around come around!

Dancing Shoes

In case any of you don't know... I am a huge fan of going out dancing. It's usually a priority of mine over the weekends. The only problem is that I can't wear heels that are too high or the next day I am really in pain...or even by the end of the night. Don't worry ladies! I have a found a solution to my problem. I now wear heels that are a little bit lower, like these shown in the picture, the heels are only 2.5 inches! It's great! I can still show off my style without crying about it later! What do you think???

By LB

Camping in fashion, who says you need to rough it?

Last year my boyfriend and I started camping. We were so excited picking out the tent and equipment, planning our trips. We were having a great time, so what if it rained sometimes, we had snacks, drinks and my mp3 player. Then we realized it rained every time we went, ugghhh! After one weekend of setting up and breaking down in the pouring rain, I got home and went online and found some used travel trailers. I printed them out and subtly put them in front of him and mentioned what a happy camper I would be in one of those. This year we are traveling in style in our new camper (I think he got the hint). If it rains, oh well, turn on a movie and make some popcorn, after all we are camping!

Camping has become quite popular in this economy. You can travel to so many places, have a cheap place to stay with a lot more amenities than a hotel and cook your own meals. It has really attracted a variety of people from all walks of life. Most girls turn up their nose to the thought of camping (mosquitoes, bug spray and furry animals lurking around, yuck), but I enjoy the relaxing calm of being outdoors, seeing new places, the extra exercise and sitting by the campfire with a drink in hand. Never mind the fact that a lot of these places are like resorts with pools, boat rentals, hiking and biking paths and planned activities. With so much to do you have to pack accordingly, ok so I over do but at least I have choices.

And who says just because you are “roughing it” that you can’t look good (and be comfortable) while sitting around the campfire. There are the essentials; swimsuit, tees, tank tops, shorts, capris, active wear, sneakers, accessories (Yes girls, even camping you can accessorize!! Our cadet cap looks so much cuter than a baseball cap!). Just look at how sexy a ruffled shirt looks with a pair of jean shorts (get this look). With all these styles and great prices, you will be a happy camper. Now that you are fully equipped, get out there and enjoy the great outdoors!
by Izzy

Express Yourself

I have loved making collages since i was a little girl - i would go through magazines, tearing out fun pictures, clothes, quotes, even just colors or patterns. then i’d go through the pile and put them together on a page in an interesting way, and put it up on my wall. (luckily my parents let me put stuff on my walls, or i’m not sure what i would have done with my various creations!)

I found this really fun site - polyvore.com it’s pretty much a place where you can create digital collages. they have hundreds, maybe thousands, of images you can use, already on the site. or you can go to other websites and import images. or if you don’t want to create your own, you can just look through the many ‘sets’ that other people have made, and comment on them if you want to. and i think they sometimes do contests where you can enter and/or vote for your favorite. so i was looking around the site - there are SO many ‘sets’ done already. some sort of basic ones, and some that are really fun & creative. just for curiosity’s sake i searched for metrostyle.com - and to my happy surprise there were already some sets created using metrostyle images! how fun! when i realized how easy it is to import new images, i decided i had to try it. so i created my own set using some new & old metrostyle product. i was pretty proud of my little creation, i hit ‘publish’... and nothing. i can’t find it when i search ‘metrostyle.com’. i’m a little heartbroken about it. i can’t figure out what i did wrong! i looked at their ‘help’ (didn’t help at all) and i emailed them (unfortunately, no response yet). luckily, i can still see it if i log in. i grabbed the image info so i can share it with here. have any of you tried this yet? were you able to publish & then find your set? if so, please help! even though i’m sad that i can’t find my own ‘glitzy glam metrostyle’ set i still love the site - it’s great to see other people’s creativity - give it a try!

glitzy-glam metrostyle by metrostar on Polyvore.com

by shirley

Fashion Speak: Princess Seams

What they are:
Princess seams are long rounded seams sewn into the front and/or back of women’s clothing to add shaping. They are designed to closely follow a woman’s shape.

Why we love them:
Princess seams bring out the best in a woman’s body! On slender women, they give the illusion of curves. On full-figured women, they give the illusion of a smaller waist.

By: Bren B

How would Carrie Bradshaw handle the recession?

One of my favorite Sex and the City episodes is when Carrie Bradshaw realizes that the down payment for her apartment had gone to her shoe collection. Finding herself in financial dire straights she says, I spent $40,000 on shoes and I have nowhere to live?

I will literally be the old woman who lived in her shoes!

I can relate. I may not have spent $40,000 on shoes (Not yet, anyway), but I do have enough of them that if I ever find myself homeless, I reckon I’ll be able to fashion myself a pretty sizeable cardboard-box-home from all of the shoe boxes I’ve collected over the years.

So how would the iconic Sex and the City character handle today’s economic woes? She would probably end up in a hospital or perhaps she would go back to her ’80s stuff and start bringing it out again. Maybe she should have bought a very similar shoe style with a not so similar price tag...