Build A Bag

With three weeks left before I take that 14 hour plane ride overseas to Australia, I have begun to wonder what all may I need to entertain myself for those slowly ticking hours, and more importantly, what will I put it all in?
Wanting to make more of a statement aside from “A-typical college student with a black The North Face backpack,’ I set upon the task of finding an adorable, durable, and affordable carry-on bag.
After scouring the Internet, I stumbled upon a gold mine of a find. With the ability to custom make your own tote; bag company LeSportsac gives you the ability to create a bag uniquely you. Able to choose both the type of bag and print, you have the power to create your perfect bag, for any season, need, or style.
The bag styles include the standard tote, hand, and travel, but the site also boasts many more styles with a variety of uses. Lesportsac gives you the option to not only create your standard everyday bag but also provides unique styles for personalization, including baby bags, backpacks and luggage, all with the ability to be customized, and even monogrammed, to fit your style.
With so many choices and spring on the horizon with summer in the distant future, you can create an adorable tote for days at the beach or spring break trips. This little Style Scout, getting ready for a big adventure and long plane flight, looked for a big bag with functionality. My personal choice? The travel tote for the plane and the bucket tote for the beach.
The travel and bucket both come with inside pockets, in which to fill with travel necessities; passport, Burts Bees honey lip balm, Ipod, and of course, lots of gummy bears. These two choices also came with the greatest choice in prints, a blessing for the picky girl, but brain chaos for the indecisive one.

Lesportsac showcases a variety of prints including a psychedelic watercolor blotches, retro and antique florals, as well as adorable heart patterns. Though there are a variety of prints available for certain bags, including the travel and tote bags, other bag’s pattern choices are limited, some available only in four patterns.
Aside from the bad outweighed by the good, there is a print to match every personality and a style for every occasion. For a girl looking for a bag to fit her personality, style, four books, laptop, DVD player, and latest fashion magazines for a long plane flight ahead, this bag building option is just the ticket for your travel bag woes.

Ahoy Matey!

As the pirate themed clothing of the fall and winter (think vests, skulls scarves, etc.) sail into the past, nautical inspired clothing is ready to drop anchor in your local stores. A trend that is revived year after year, the sailor inspired clothing trend has once again boomed this spring and stores from Urban Outfitters to Nordstrom are filling their racks with nautical prints, anchor accessories, and striped attire.
With stores filling up on trend pieces such as these, it’s hard not to spend your hard earned cash on these trend styles. Learn to resist the temptation, as the key to saving money while expanding your wardrobe is versatility, and the rule of thumb when choosing any piece is longevity. When a garment, shoe, or accessory can be worn in a variety of ways, its versatility translates into longevity, allowing pierces to carry over from season to season, saving you cash while keeping you stylish.
With the case of trends, such as that of nautical clothing, one would be wise to spend less on the ‘trends’ and more on the basics. So, how do you fulfill your desire to be a darling sailor girl, without splurging on a two-month trend, all the while creating versatility in your wardrobe? It sounds almost impossible but it can be done. Just listen to this little style scout!
To get that ‘ahoy matey’ look for less, while adding versatility to your wardrobe, just buy the basics in nautical colors. Mix up basics in red, yellow, white and blue to get a sailor inspired look while adding pierces to your wardrobe that will translate into the coming seasons.
First adorable must have? These patent leather yellow sling backs! Pair them with a navy blue zip up ($40), add a white striped tank ($15), skinny jeans and a red bangle ($4) for a trendy nautical look.

The beauty of piecing together basics to fit the current trends is that as the seasons roll on, these pieces can be re-worked to fit the coming seasons and trends. In the approaching months, wear the striped tank under a cream or blue cropped jacket to suit your summer evening. Pair the bangle with a day dress for your afternoon shopping excursions and for back to school, pair them with jeans and a purple cardigan.

Like Christina belts out, ‘back to basics’ is the way to satisfy your trend fulfilling desire. By buying reasonably priced basics, you can save your cash to buy those must-have-can’t-live-without pieces, because love=longevity and longevity in fashion is as priceless as buried treasure.

The American's Will Soon Be Coming!

I think I would get along just fine with the British. I like tea, Prince Harry (more fun!), and of course, Top Shop. This British ‘trends’ store is comparable to that of Forever 21, but with cuter shoes and questionable bell-bottoms (I mean really…who buys bell-bottoms? Has Kate been sporting them around town without my knowledge?).
Following much of the same trends as Forever21, Top Shop is stock full of jersey tops, tunics, and style hits and misses, and like Forever, you have to dig and search to find that gem of a piece for a fraction of what it would have cost you elsewhere. Lucky for you, this little style scout has done the hard work for you! I have come up with two adorable must have ensembles that will make you the cutest thing this side of January. So flip over your couch cushions, scrape together some pennies, and go online to snatch up these pretty little things.



With shift dresses still finding their way into stores this spring, snatch up a pair of patent leather Mary Jane heels from Top Shop to spice up those shapeless dresses. Add a pair of leggings or tights and some fun jewelry and you will be making those dirty skater boys shift around in their seats to get a better look at you!
Whip lash inducing outfits are allowable with the sprint weather breezing in (though still out of sight for those of us in the stormy northwest), so snatch up this dainty blouse from Top Shop, add a pair of cropped jeans and printed flats and you will have all of the necessities a girl needs to be stylish in the coming months. Accessorize this outfit with simple jewelry such as medium sized gold hoops or a bangle, but don’t try and tough up this outfit with the clunky jewelry of winter, lighten up! It’s spring after all!

I Heart Melie Bianco Handbags!

I first discovered Miss Melie Bianco’s handbags at a small boutique in my college town. After leaving my favorite shop and school behind for the west coast and my adventures abroad, I was worried I would never again find a store that carried my much beloved line. But, luckily I have become an Internet search maven and my endless and tireless search for these handbags has finally come to a (sigh of relief) end.
Melie Binaco Handbangs have a wide range of style and personality that I haven’t found in many of the more expensive name brand handbag lines, most of which rely largely on reformatting their print and color scheme for every new season. Bianco’s handbags line is diverse, both in type and style, and this variety allows one to shift through the styles and pick one that fits their personality and needs. With affordable pricing, ranging from $45- $70, these handbags will allow you to carry more cash in them than you spent on them.

My personal favorites? First and foremost, this patent leather shoulder bag in wine. The color is amazing and trumps the standard black and brown handbags that are so prevalent (though I am victim/investor to and in this trend as well). Colorful handbags, though they seem hard to match to clothing, should be not be over thought, but if you love the bag and not the color, it comes in cream, black, and white as well. Though, if you are looking for a bag that makes an impact utilizing colors that will match more of your wardrobe, consider this beige contrast tote. Already have something to tote all of you mini goodies (i.e. cell, lipgloss, etc.) during the day? Pick up one of her evening clutches to stylishly stash all your necessities. Her multicolor clutch in grey or camel is a great and unique (in a good great grand wonderful way) and has a removable chain, so you can either carry or tote your bag in your little hand or on your little shoulder, whichever you please.

Fun and Fancy Free Flats!

With Australia on the horizon, and a great deal of traveling ahead, I decided I had better find myself some comfortable, bright, and fun shoes to sport during my time down under. With leopard and cheetah dominating the printed shoe scene (guilty of owning flats in both prints), I decided to buy something a little less standard and a little more fun and fancy free to add some pop to my basics. First pair in my cart? A set of blue floral print mary janes. Made with basic cotton and rubber soles, these almost slipper-like shoes will add a girlish touch to my wardrobe and give some of my darker tops a little burst of color and fun. Paired with skirts or jeans, and also featured in black, red, and leopard prints, these fun and easy shoes will make an impact on my wardrobe, and for $14, they won’t make one on my bank account.
For those unaware, Australia and the U.S. have opposite seasons, which means that fall fashion is just hitting the stores there as we speak. Keeping this in mind, I chose a pair of navy ballet flats with a white polka dot print. With nautical inspired wear sailing into stores for our upcoming spring, these navy flats will suit the style of all you fashionable girls here in the US, while helping me to be stylish as the Aussies go back to school. At $40 dollars, these flats are mid-range price (mid-range for this lowly intern who works for free) and are so versatile and interchangeable with the seasons I would have paid more for this find.

For a girly girl as irrational as I am, I was very reluctant to pick up a pair of sneakers for my semester abroad. I don’t think I have worn a pair of tennis shoes outside the gym since high school! But, knowing that adorable (and practicable) sneakers were out there, I continued my search and was very happy for it. I found these pretty and fun 80/20 printed slip ons. With a heart printed on one shoe and the stripes continuing on the other, these original slip ons were perfect for this on-the go girl.

With my shoe quota now (almost ;) ) met for Australia, what will I search for next?

Low Prices, Mega Style Statements

If you New Year’s resolution was to save money, I have the style bargains the year. These versatile pieces work with a variety of outfits and styles, and for the fraction of the cost of designer wear. For flats that could have been crafted by Marc Jacobs, Delias designers bring to you a truly adorable and versatile flat. In either blue (take that leap, you’ll thank me later) and black, these bow topped toe touch-ups can be worn with a variety of outfits and occasions. For this lowly intern, these price savvy flats will work in the office with a pair of cuffed knee length slacks or, for those workin’ for the weekend, these $26 beauties match perfectly with this equally adorable floral woven shirt ($28) from forever21.com. Throw in this vintage satchel ($25) from alloy.com and a pair of dark or black skinny jeans and your outfit will be turning heads (esp. my favorite dirty skater boys) left, right, and around. Going out later? Throw on these purple ankle boots ($27) from wetseal.com, switch your satchel for this adorable reptile hard hinge clutch (12.50) also from wetseal.com, and pull on some tights/leggings and this Lux watercolors babydoll top ($60) from urbanoutfitters.com. Clothes can be cute and affordable, you just have to look...or read my blog.

The Must Have Dress

My New Years resolutions? 1. Eat my vegetables, 2. Make time for yoga, 3. And of course, add to my wardrobe! The first thing on my list? Day dresses! With Australia on my horizon and hot weather in my future I decided the best addition to my closet would be a bevy of day dresses. My dress obsession? Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent metallic jersey slip dress. But unfortunately for this lowly unpaid intern, the $145 price tag is a little out of my league. Adorable alternates are out there and my latest discovery, bluefly.com, had the perfect substitute, this BCBGirls grey jersey ‘Tania’ embellished dress. In a standard color, this dress has a number of style possibilities with the help of colorful tanks, accessories, and cropped jackets. Pick up one of these adorable day dresses and pair it with leggings, a cropped jacket and boots, and continue to sport it well into spring with colorful tanks and a pair of flats. With work, class, and going out on the town, these versatile dresses will take you from place to place with style, and with all the personality you choose to add.