General Fashion


The Fashionista’s Budget Savvy Guide for Summer 2010

Hey there Fashionistas! Summer is in full swing and Fashionistas across the bay area are seeking ways to satisfy their thirst for runway fashion on a budget. Let’s face it, the recession is still going strong here in the San Francisco Bay Area where unemployment hovers around 13%. Regardless of employment status, Fashionistas around the bay area are looking for ways to save money without losing their fashionable edge. Well, look no further. I have a few ways for Fashionistas in the bay area and beyond to update a couple of looks from past seasons as well as update your look through budget savvy purchases!

1) Shop your closet. OK, so this has been said before, but let’s face it, shopping your closet is the first step towards saving money and reinventing key pieces from past seasons.

City shorts are hot this summer. They were also hot three years ago. We here at Cheap Luxury Handbags Store know you have a pair or two sitting in the back of your closet. Pull out those city shorts, because you will need them!

Tunics with embroidery and embellishments were all the rage roughly five years ago. I know you have at least one in the back of your closet that you did not have the heart to sell on eBay. A tunic with long sleeves or three quarter sleeves will be the perfect top for your city shorts. Tunics blend perfectly into the ethnic trend from Spring. This trend will continue into Fall so your tunic is very “of-the-moment.”

Belt it! You can pair your city shorts and tunic with either a solid, leather belt that loops through your belt loops or you can wear a fabulous belt on top of your tunic and add instant sass to your outfit.

2) Footwear. The hot footwear of the season includes the nude wedge, the espadrille platform and the embellished t-strap sandal. You may already have one or more of these styles in your closet, if not, Target has a wide selection of embellished t-strap sandals that are to die for! The espadrille wedge can be found at reasonable prices at stores such as Payless Shoe Source and JC Penny’s. Victoria’s Secret Catalog has a fabulous espadrille wedge for $48. The nude wedge is wildly popular and can be found at discount prices at DSW and Nordstrom Rack.

3) Beauty Products. The look this summer is clean and natural when it comes to make-up. Fashionistas can wear minimal foundation with brown eyeliner and a small amount of blue, purple or brown eye shadow. The lipstick of the season is hot pink or barely there pale pink. Revlon and Maybelline have fabulous lipstick shades to help carry you through summer. The bright blue, green and pink nail polish colors of the season are being found on the toes of Fashionistas everywhere. Target has a wide array of every bright blue, green and pink imaginable. All of the nail color at Target is under $10. Fabulous!

4) The weather in the Bay Area this summer has been hot and cold; literally. The safari and military trends from Spring are going to carry into Fall. The safari or military jacket you purchased last Spring will carry you through the cool, foggy evenings of Summer and will still be perfect when the Fall season hits. If you missed out on purchasing a safari jacket or military style jacket during the Spring months never fear! The Gap, Banana Republic and Target have affordable styles to fit any budget. You will be happy you made the purchase!

The recession should not last too much longer. As long as we, as Fashionistas, can weather the storm, we will have plenty of money left over to splurge on that special wish list item when the economy bounces back. Happy shopping and stay fabulous!


Fabulous Summer Hats!

The San Francisco Bay Area is currently enjoying fabulous summer weather. As Fashionistas in the bay area head for the pool, a key wardrobe piece is needed to protect our skin from the sun; the summer hat! Sun hats are popping up on bay area Fashionistas across the bay from Marin to Walnut Creek to Pleasanton to San Jose. There are different styles of hats Fashionistas have taken a liking to, some straight off the runway while others in a more practical form.

The runways in Paris, Milan and New York showed mid-brimmed straw hats in natural colors as well as with large stripes. Hermes showed a fabulous natural straw and navy, wide striped hat while Chanel showed a slightly larger brimmed hat in a light shade of tan. Eugenia Kim for Target produced an affordable, dark white straw hat with a pretty blue and white scarf tied around the brim. The scarf can be tied in a bow on the top of the hat or drawn through two hidden holes and used to secure the hat underneath the chin. San Diego Hat Company has a classic and easy to fold hat with two brim sizes: medium and large. The San Diego Hat Company hats offer SPF protection of 65!

Cheap Luxury Handbags Stores favorite hats this season are the Hermes hat for special events and looking fabulous as well as the San Diego Hat Company hats which offers practically for beach trips and poolside with the kids. Which hats are you wearing? We would love to know  Happy shopping and stay fabulous.

hats2010


Chanel Fall 2010 RTW Collection

Chanel has long been considered the benchmark of fashion for haute couture and ready to wear. Designers and clothing companies around the globe are inspired by the collections that Chanel puts on the runway every season. It may be no surprise that the upcoming fall season will be a reflection of what Chanel showed on the runway. As we know, 90’s minimalism was all over the runways in Paris, Milan and New York. This theme has been reflected in the ready to wear collections hitting the stores for Fall 2010.

The Chanel ready-to-wear collection for Fall 2010 will give any fashionista in the bay area a sense of deja-vu. Chanel’s collection is a sharp nod to the minimalism of the 1990’s. Black was the dominant color for suits, jackets and dresses. Asides from black, there was a large amount of charcoal and grey with a splash of red thrown into the mix. Chanel’s shoe line is almost completely black with one small hint of white trim. The signature camellia garnishes the toe box of Chanel’s flats for Fall. The handbag collection is clearly classic with a full line of 2.55 handbags and classic flap’s in mini, small, medium and jumbo. The classic collection is arriving in black, white, plum and a darker red. The red is actually quite stunning. It has more of a blue undertone as opposed to the brighter reds we have seen in the past few seasons. The contemporary handbags are classic in theme with clean lines and basic colors such as black, white and grey. Chanel is showing varying sizes of totes and shoulder bags that are variations of the classic collection. Anyone interested in a Chanel bag that is considered contemporary cannot go wrong this season. The handbags in this collection will not go out of style. They are true investment pieces. There is also a good mix of lambskin, caviar leather and sparkling patent leather. The patent plum is to die for!

The wonderful part about this upcoming Fall’s collections will be the classic lines and colors that allow bay area fashionistas to buy key wardrobe pieces that will never go out of style. Every fashionista can use a classic black Chanel tweed suit paired with a fabulous red patent leather classic flap handbag. This is the ultimate go-to outfit for any event; especially when the event is short notice! Happy shopping and stay fabulous!!