Justified Purchases?

Carla Mancini ivory leather python embossed hobo

Cynthia Rowley Precy Hobo

Juicy Couture Nina Zip-Detailed Tote

I have never been able to let myself purchase expansive purses. By expansive, I mean purses in the thousands. It's not that I don't see the need nor have the desire, but I also see starving children's faces when I pick up a YSL Roady. Thus, I resort to the Juicy Coutures and Michael Michael Kors instead. All this is so hypocritical at the same time - because I don't donate the extra money I save by buying cheaper purses. On the rare occasions, I help out. But most of the time, the extra money went to another "must-have" blouse or another "OMG-it-is-so-beautiful" necklace.

Although I am not proud of this, I am sure there are plenty of gals like me out there, who do not justify their purchases by "per-wear" but through whether they feel good about it or not. Quite frankly, I just don't feel good about dropping thousands of dollars on purses or shoes. They are gorgeous, sure! And I understand the urge of owning a piece of Gucci or Prada. But some of their items do not justify the steep price tag. Saving for months just to buy a purse that's made of cotton that has Gucci logo printed all over it and has no design into it what-so-ever seems idiotic to me (sorry to the label whores). They just simply don't worth that much.

So I discovered a few brand of purses that I think are trendy and well-made. Juicy Couture is always fun. And you can buy a few because they are not too costly. My pick for now is the Nina Zip-detailed tote picture above. Cynthia Rowley is also wonderful. She makes the most interesting and beautiful things. For those who don't care about the big names and just wants quality and design, check out Bluefly.com. It has a lot of designers that are under the radar but produces very cool and unique things, like the Carla Mancini hobo seen above. Doesn't it looks like the Gucci's "New Jackie" here?

Back to School This Fall

Hello, my darlings!

With the new fall semester just weeks away, many students are scratching their heads wondering what to wear on their first day of school. I had a hard time deciding whether I wanted to do a back to school post for high school or college. The first-day-of-school outfit seems a lot more important for high school kids than college students. Or at least that was the case for me. But picking out outfits from the junior section gave me a massive headache because, quite frankly, there is no fashion in the junior section in any department store. The most fashionable things I found was from the Miley Cyrus / Max Azria line from Wal-Mart, and we know how that goes - seemingly nice designs ruined by poor poor poor excution. Then again, expectation can't compete with a $7 price tag. So no high school back to school outfits, why don't I just stick to my own age group?

My first stop was J. Crew. And can I just say LOVE? I am obsessed with everything J.Crew makes. So my review of their fall line is completely biased - I would wear a towel dress to class if they made one. But they wouldn't. J.Crew never let me down. For those who wants quality and design, J.Crew is your go-to shop for back to school this fall. Spot light on their sequin bow ballet flats (pictured above), stripe confetti ruffle shirt (pictured above), and the amazingly trendy Remini cardigan.

I also found this cute embellished cardigan from the Simply Vera Wang line at Kohl's as seen in the picture above. Other notable goodies include: the skinny ponte pants, embellished top, and the crop jacket. Although I was not very impressed with her line at Kohl's the first time I visited the store, I must say the line is "very Vera" indeed. But the quality is not up to par. That's the shopper's dilemma, isn't it? We want quality, design, AND a good price. The combination doesn't work well on manufactures' profit projections - so we will have to settle. Maybe you can try to mix some high end items with the Simply Vera stuff to make them more presentable. Also, most of the Simply Vera line at Kohl's is on sale online. So get them before they are gone.

Now share with me: what are you planning to buy for the new season or what are you wearing back to school this fall if you are a student?

*Note: pictures are borrowed from J.Crew and Kohl's.

Trending: Who Wore It Better

I thought I should start my blogging venture with a "Who Wore It Better." Cliche, you say? Wait until I finish, Please. This "Who Wore It Better" is different because I am fundamentally invested in its outcome. It's a real competition because when I proclaim my love of fashion to you I don't just do it in vein. I mean it in the deepest way possible. How to prove it? I am putting myself up with Olivia Palermo. Juxtaposing my picture next to hers is the definition of bravery.

We are both wearing the same dress by Rebecca Taylor (although she probably got hers for free, while I got mine on sale). And to point out the obvious, her dress is white and mine is fuchsia.

Since my shoes are not visible in the picture, it's not really a fair "competition." A draw? Here is my thoughts: I wore silver sandals and a black clutch with a huge bow. My outfit was simple. But I didn't really like the shoes. I'll probably go with simple black pumps next time. Ms. Palermo's outfit, on the other hand, is entirely visible from the picture. However, I didn't like the black tights and the black shoes AND the black clutch combo. It just seems too severe to wear with such a dainty dress. I'll change the clutch to a metallic one. Or lose the tights.

Aside from the judging, I was practically giddy with excitement when I saw the picture of Olivia in the dress that I own. I don't watch the Hill or the City or the Hill2City or whatever she is on. But I read ELLE and know she is a bona fide fashionista. So it was great to know that the dress that I chose to wear on my 21st birthday last year was fitting enough for her to wear to a red carpet event.

However old that picture of Olivia Palermo is, which really doesn't matter, she was totally trending. And so was I.