Ever since...

...I was a little girl, I have been a big fan of hats. I love pretty much all kinds of hats, except for wide-brimmed hats, though I think that some people look fantastic them. Fall (and Winter, but we will cross that bridge when we get to it) is one of the greatest time for head-wear (it's like footwear, but for your head). There is the newsboy cap, which though some of the magazines have declared “over” I have just come to appreciate its grandeur. This is yet another fondness that comes courtesy of Ace. Last winter she bought a newsboy cap on clearance, and I scoffed. When I was helping her clean out her closet this summer and happened upon it, I promptly declared that I would be stealing it when I was home on break from school. She didn't like that so much.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand: newsboy caps. The biggest issue when wearing a hat is deciding what to do with your hair and especially your bangs. Here are my suggestions:

--If you have a bob, or hair that ends before your shoulders, wear your hair down and strait. Bangs should be tucked back under the hat; use a bobby pin to pin them back if they are reluctant to stay. If you have side-swept bangs, sweep and hold them to the side as you put on the hat; they should fall forward just a bit (slightly less than they do without the hat).

--If your hair is longer, and you want it back, pull it into a low messy-bun, with a few strands hanging out around your face/hair. Otherwise from the front, it will look like you have pulled a Britney and are covering up your newly shaved head with a hat.

--If you wish to wear your long hair down, wear it wavy or curly if at all possible. Brush and part your hair as you would if you weren't wearing a hat and then place the hat on your head. Try not to tuck hair behind your ears, though you can put that little section that is right in front of them ear behind your ear. If you need a good visual, you can Google “Jessica Simpson in a newsboy cap” to see several pictures The girl may do a lot of looks wrong, but she sure does this one right.

Good luck in your Newsboy endeavor's. Oh, and while we are on the subject of newsboys, you should really rent the Disney movie “Newsies” sometime. It is fabulous, and features many newsboy caps.

An important fact:

There are exactly 24 days until Thanksgiving. And you know what that means? Just 25 days until day-after Thanksgiving sales.
Get excited!

I am in love...

...with three-quarter sleeve coats. Usually they have Peter-Pan collars and big fabric covered buttons. Sometimes they are what I would call “flouncy”, which means they have an empire waist and then are slightly poofy for the “skirt”. The more flouncy ones are really cute with dresses for nights out.
If they have a straiter/more traditional “coat” shape, they are also adorable with nicer pants (jeans are fine as long as they are not distressed). A long sleeved sweater or shirt sticking out from under the shorter sleeve is not only acceptable, its really cute. If your top is not long sleeved, try elbow-length gloves. Keeps your arms warm, and looks really cute. Choose gloves in a color that will contrast nicely with the coat., or to make the look a little more casual, try striped ones. If the coat (and you!) is/are more dressed up, try embellished gloves: a bow at the wrist, or buttons going up the length of the glove, into the sleeve of the coat.
My dream: light pink coat, with gray and cream striped gloves.

I really hate...

...to do this; please know that it comes from a place of love. But I just have a few questions for the people out there, the people who insist on wearing hid-ee-odor-ous clothing. I'm sure these people think they look fine, they may even think they look great. But the truth is, their outfits could use a little...work. Thats why I am here to help.
I have to ask, what is up with...

--headbands worn around the forehead? I've seen this one on girls and on guys, and I have to say, it is not a good look. Sometimes its one of those little elastic headbands, and sometimes it is a leather thong just tied around someones head. Just because Lindsay Lohan does it doesn't mean its cute. In fact, that should be an indication to you that it's NOT cute.

--white leggings? Really? You want your legs to appear paler? Besides, I am pretty sure leggings are over. Recycle yours into “tights” to wear with boots.

--unnatural hair-colors? I'm not talking bottle-blonde's here. I mean the girls with electric blue and purple “highlights” in their hair. Its not cute, and no matter what you are wearing, you don't good. If you match your outfit to your streaks, you look like you are trying too hard; if you don't match, you clash horribly. Its a lose-lose situation, and hair that is this processed always looks very damaged.

--patterns died into hair? This is along the same lines as Crayola-colored hair. I've seen girls with horizontal stripes died into their hair. NOT a good look.

--colored jeans? It's just too much, especially those neon-bright ones. I don't care that they are all over the fashion magazines right now. I'm not anti-colored-pants; colored cords? So cute. Bright slacks? Adorable and unexpected. But denim? No thank you.

I'll admit it, at one point I considered putting hot-pink streaks in my hair. Thank the good Lord that my Style Guru talked me out of that one. And hopefully, if you have had an inkling towards any of these looks, I'll have saved you from looking back at pictures of yourself years from now and thinking “what in the world am I wearing?”.
If I have saved even one person from that trauma, I'll have done my part my for society.

I read recently...

...that “only whores wear red shoes.” I couldn't help but laugh when I heard this, mostly because I looked at my shoe rack where I have three pairs of red shoes, plus the pair that I borrowed from a friend and don't plan on giving back anytime in the near future. So apparently, I am very whore-y.
In addition to being whore-y, I am also craving fall fashion (that transition didn't quite work, but let's go with it.) I am extremely excited for one thing in particular: tights. Tights are a fantastic instrument in the never-ending battle of proper accessorizing (because they are an accessory, and should never be worn as if they were pants. Never ever).
One of the best ways to utilize tights is to use them to add color to your outfit. You know how you will use shoes or a purse or a sliver of a camisole peeking out of a shirt for just a little pop of color? This is what tights were made for, it is their sole purpose in their short life: to add some color to your neutral-dominated wardrobe. One of my favorite ensembles I have ever worn was a black sweater with a gray felt mini, bright pink tights and slate-gray flats. It was fabulous, and I cannot wait to resurrect it when the weather permits it.
I understand that that particular use of tights might be a little intense for some. So if you are timid, try pairing neutral colored tights with knee-high boots and a skirt/dress that hits just above your knee. By “neutral colored tights” I mean black, brown, or navy. Never ever should your tights be white, unless you are six. There will be just a couple of inches of your tights showing, and it will look fabulous. Since your tights are neutral, your dress or skirt should have more color in it. A red dress with brown tights and caramel boots is my suggestion. If you are more adventurous, try the same boot-dress/skirt combo with colored tights. The dress here should be neutral, and the tights can be a dark-ish color or a bright. You can also pair tights with a mini and flats, or my other fall obsession, flat-knee high boots.
I'm so aflutter about wearing tights, I've even put together some new outfits just so I can buy some more pairs. I purchased this sun-dress a couple of weeks ago. I am possibly more excited to transition it into fall than I was to wear it in the sun. It is floral, but the colors are a deep teal, orange, brown and a golden-yellow. AKA, THE COLORS OF FALL! I plan to pair that baby with my mocs (that just happen to have a turquoise medallion on the toe), a white long sleeved tee underneath, and some brown nubby* tights. I might even try a deep teal or golden-yellow to play up the colors of the dress.
With all this talk about tights, we better go over the rules:
--Tights should be opaque. They are not nylons, they are tights.
--Tights are a little adventurous, so there should be at least some neutral element to your outfit.
--Remember, tights should be a color or a neutral. No white or any color that would be prefixed by “light”. As in “light pink” or “light green”. Unless you are some genius six year old using the computer, you can't pull it off. Don't feel badly, no one can.
--Please, for the love of all that is good and holy, please do not wear printed tights. They make your legs look like you have a skin disease. A fungus even.

If you keep these rules in mind, tights will never steer you wrong. Now go buy some!

*By nubby, I mean knit; a little thicker than your average pair of tights, but by no means something your grand-ma could make you.

My sister Ace...

...and I have this thing we do when we spend time together. Its called shopping. Maybe you've heard of it?
Anyway, on one of our shopping expeditions this summer, we went to the Rack, the bane of our saving-accounts existence. Here, after perusing for upwards of an hour, we hauled our piles of clothes to the fitting rooms. As I pulled off a shirt that I thankfully didn't purchase, I heard Ace call to me for my opinion. She was wearing a pair of gray Seven jeans, and I recoiled in disgust. I told her that she should never even admit to trying those hideous things on, I mean who wears gray jeans? Probably the same kind of people who wear leg-warmers. She disagreed, but being the good sister she is, she trusted me, and reluctantly put them back.
...
About a week ago I woke up completely obsessed. My Stylist had visited me in my sleep, and I had dreamed about an item of clothing that I could not get out of my head. Before I left my dorm, I looked to see if I could find any online. By the time I got to chapel, I already had at least three outfits in mind that would look fantastic with my new Must-Have. I thought about it all through my morning classes, and couldn't stop talking about it at lunch. When my friends could no longer stand my endless chatter, I resolved to call Ace. She would understand a fashion obsession.
“Ace, I've become obsessed with something. I just have to find some! I am trying to figure out if I can just not eat this weekend so I can buy some”
“Oooo Madge what is it?”
“Grey jeans. What do you think?”