Don't you wish you were mod?

Well, stop wishing girlies! One of my bestest friends, T, offered up this amazing online store that carries excellent trendy clothes and cheeky accessories at really affordable prices - perfect for all of us frugal fashionistas.

ModCloth.com carries one-of-a-kind vintage and vintage-inspired finds, and everything from indie & retro to cute & emo...tops, dresses, purses, jewelry, la la la galore. A few pieces that really caught my eye were the Cornerstone Purse (a lovely, putty-colored clutch/tote/slouchy thing that would go so well with jeans), the Getting To Know You Dress (a happy, very vintage-y summer dress perfect for work and cocktails), the High Seas Skirt (a perfect paper-bag waist pencil skirt in an awesome, versatile deep blue), and the Age of Industry Ring (a stacked, industrial-looking piece that's looks part 90's minimalist, part 80's rapper).

The shop only carries a limited run of each of its pieces (many are sold out by the time I've decided to buy!) which is good if you don't want someone else wearing the same thing you are tonight but is bad if you're indecisive. Great for all you impulse buyers on a budget out there!

Now you CAN be mod (or retro, or indie, or emo...) for very few George Washingtons. We like that!

Turning around in circles...

...with American Apparel's Unisex Circle Scarf!

I'm sure you remember my last post about scarves and how I love them so much because of their unique ability to transform or tweak an outfit and because they're so darn affordable (See Sun 03/01 "Stick Your Neck Out")...

Well, I particularly LOVE this scarf from one of my go-to-for-basics stores. It comes in three versions: Regular Solid, Super Sheer and Tie-Dye. The type of fabric varies since American Apparel re-purposes material from around their factory (re-use and recycle people!) but it is usually some kind of lovely, stretchy, soft jersey in an amazing range of colors.

There are at least 10 ways to wear it but I'm sure your creative minds can come up with more! See the movie - pretty funky, huh?


I just bought the Super Sheer Circle Scarf in Athletic Blue, but I'm thinking about making a bunch of these myself as gifts - shhhh!

So go circle yourself in coolness!

Sexy-Crafty with GiannyL...

So, if you're like me and you are interested in fashion and DIY, you may already know about Instructables.com, an excellent online community "where passionate people share what they do and how they do it, and learn from and collaborate with others." It's a great site for ideas and how-to's for anything from technology to music to crafts.

For myself, I love to to check out what people are up to in revamping and reconstructing old clothing - a great way to be original and to recycle at the same time!

One creative gal who always stands out is GiannyL from Paraguay, an impossibly bouncy and beautiful DIY'er who makes fun, quick videos of great projects that anyone can do. Her amazing skills range from making a bikini out of an old t-shirt to converting a tired, old sweater into a super-cute dress.

Watch this video of her making a t-shirt into a swimsuit cover-up - so easy! Now if I could just figure out how to look as good as she does in a bikini...

For more info on GiannyL, visit her Instructables page or her website, GiannyL.com and get sexy-crafty!

How To Make A Bikini Cover Up - video powered by Metacafe

Low on cash? No excuse for fashion!

After waxing poetic about custom clothing, designer brands and luxury labels, I realized that I would be remiss if I did not mention my old standbys. In other words, those shops that don't require you to take a second job or feel guilty about going shopping when you haven't paid your cell phone bill yet...

My favorite go-to stores for quick, cheap and trendy are, hands down, Forever 21 and American Apparel. While the dressing rooms may not be as nice, the staff may not be as helpful and you have to do a little more digging through the racks than pricier stores, their clothes give your wardrobe just enough punch to be able to keep lookin' pretty and maintain your stylish self.

Forever 21 always has its finger on the pulse of trendy, bringing the newest colors, accessories and shapes lightning-fast to the racks, all for so little dough it's almost astonishing. For example, the purple number above is a Forever 21 Pointelle Sweater Top that I forced a friend of mine to buy in a beautiful magenta and she can wear it to work and out for a martini, all for a mere $23 (plus the cost of a cosmo) [forever21.com].

Don't let American Apparel's name fool you...this is the most "Euro" store of all. Providing low-cost dudes', gals' and kids' basic clothing and accessories in millions of colors that can be combined and turned around in just as many ways, AA is a new favorite of mine. The quirky website has demo videos to show you how to turn one dress into 20 and a circle scarf into everything from a hood to a high-waist skirt. I have multiples of both the Cotton Spandex Jersey Bandeau Dress and the Cotton Spandex Jersey Strapless Ruched Bodysuit. So cute, versatile and comfortable [americanapparel.net]!

Each of these stores has its own, great website where you can buy direct if you're not close to a retail location. Plus, they each have a decidedly international feel to them - making YOU feel oh-so-with-it and NOT cheap FOR cheap. THAT'S worth a few fashion bucks, right?