Category: affordable fashion
My Closet Euphoria

Vivetta dresses, tops, and cardigan. Brunello Cucinelli sweater. Junya Watanabe top. Valentino sweater. Oscar de la Renta blouse. Miu Miu top. Preen turtleneck. Erdem top. We Are Handsome top. Top from Moda Operandi. Eudon Choi top and sweatshirt. Ganni sweater. Elie Tahari top. Tommy Hilfiger blouse. Chicwish top. Dorothy Perkins top. Ringnor cardigan. Chicnova top. Ralph Lauren Collection jacket. Ralph Lauren Black Label cape. Emanuel Ungaro jacket. Yoins blazer. Stella McCartney top. Chesca cami.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Love This Site — Kissmiss
When I think about what to wear in the evening, I think of a dress. But finding the right wow-factor dress always seems to be harder than you think. Unless you’re getting your dress custom-made (which I feel like only celebrities do), you’re going to have to select a dress that was made for the ideal type of a given size. You know, the person that is, say, size large on top, size large in the middle, and size large on the bottom. Most people aren’t like that – everyone’s body has its own quirky idiosyncrasies. Personally, I have very narrow hips, so I need a smaller size for bottoms than I do for tops. What ends up happening when I buy dresses is that they look big around the hips and thighs, especially after repeated wear. And then I started noticing Nicki Minaj’s style and saw that a matching top and skirt has the same overall look as a dress. Especially when so many club dresses have cutouts anyway!
Alice + Olivia, Alice + Olivia, Calvin Klein
Jeremy Scott, Jeremy Scott, Tom Ford
Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Brandon Maxwell
Plus I love matching. I love coordination. I love themes. I like a bold color and especially a bold print. The “effortless style” ethos never appealed to me. I believe that effort is a virtue. Let’s face it, outfits that are well-planned tend to look more visually striking, on average, than honestly effortless outfits. The way I see it, if you’re going to do a certain look, really do it. Don’t hold back. What’s better than cute? Cutecute ♥♥
Nicki Minaj, Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian, Cara Delevingne, Rihanna
Gigi Hadid, Katy Perry
Katy Perry, Gwen Stefani, Chanel Iman
I’m in good company, both on the Spring 2018 runway and with celebrities. The look of a matching top and skirt — the monochrome effect — is a tried-and-true strategy to fall back on. No matter the year or the season, designers and celebrities turn to it again and again. Our current fashion landscape is no exception.
That’s why I like Kissmiss. A site dedicated to sultry clubwear, they make sure to have a special place for bandage 2 piece top and skirt sets, of all colors and shapes, decadent to minimalist.
My favorite look from them is the Greta Wraparound Bodycon Dress Set. It’s $49, which would be quite affordable for a dress for going out…but remember, it’s actually even better than that. It’s two pieces for $24.50 each! That you can later pair with other things! That’s a pretty good deal.
This post is sponsored by Kissmiss Dress.
Neighborhood Store — Beacon’s Closet
When I moved into my senior dorm at NYU, I was pleasantly surprised to see a clothing boutique on my block. Now I have walked past a lot of boutiques in New York, but I got super excited about this one because it was affordable. Beacon’s Closet is a consignment store with a focus on designer labels and unique vintage items. Yes their mascot is a hipster baby (or a hipster old man), yes there are a lot of quirky things in there, but they truly have something for everyone. The small, high-ceilinged room was absolutely packed with inventory, with sections for long dresses, clothing by color, shoes, jewelry, hats, glasses, scarves, belts, and handbags. Because there are so many things to choose from, if you put in the time you can find plenty of pieces that complement your personal style. For me, that means feminine and sophisticated. I spent five hours there on my last trip, and this is what I found:
1. Maje top 2. Tibi skirt
Forever 21 earrings
Vintage velvet purse; bracelet from Croatia, from my father
3. Ella Moss dress 4. Lazarus hat
Vera Bradley purse; poster from my mother; Forever 21 stackable rings
Style & Co. shoes
5. Elizabeth and James dress 6. L.K. Bennett penny loafers
Vintage lariat necklace
H&M earrings; Forever 21 bracelet; Forever 21 ring
Chanel handbag
7. Cynthia Rowley blouse 8. Kors Michael Kors shoes
Forever 21 skirt; custom poster by Sir Shadow, from the 2015 Harlem Fine Arts Show
Vintage clip-on earrings
Xhilaration bracelets; Harajuku Lovers ring; vintage purse
9. Yumi Kim top
Bebe reversible skirt; Jennifer Moore purse
Anna Belen headband; Xhilaration espadrilles; poster from the NYU Bookstore
Bracelet I have had since I was little, of unknown origin; Lady Gaga concert ring; Hello Kitty ring, found on the floor at Forever 21
10. Halston Heritage dress
Van Eli shoes; Charter Club handbag
Narmi watch
11. Sportmax dress
Vintage purse with abalone shells and wooden handle
This dress is comfortable and convenient — it zips in the front and has spacious pockets!
Earrings from Iran, from a friend
Bracelets from my mother; Forever 21 ring; Sbicca espadrilles
12. Nonoo dress 13. Marc Jacobs flats
Purse from my great-aunt; clock from Indonesia, from a friend
My wardrobe has always been a mix of fast fashion, vintage, and gifts from family and friends, so I am very happy to have found Beacon’s Closet. They have four stores in NYC, and a website for everyone else! Happy shopping.
Dorm Decor — How to Make a College Dorm Feel Like Home
Maybe it’s because the place is called a “dorm” and not an “apartment”. Maybe it’s because “dorm” is short for “dormitory”, a word that makes me think of Hogwarts and other boarding schools for people between the ages of 11 and 18. Maybe it’s because the dwelling is used in conjunction with a specific institution (a university), as opposed to being a dwelling amongst the dwellings of people whose activities and occupations have nothing to do with yours. But for whatever reason, outsiders to the college experience, or even those people who graduated more than a decade ago, tend not to think of a college dorm as a home.
Yet besides being where the heart is, a home is a place where you live on a longterm basis. It is the place where you wake up in the morning, keep your possessions, entertain guests, watch TV and update your social media, spend quality time with a loved one, and curl up under the covers after a long day. For me, the place where I do all of these things is an NYU dorm in the East Village. At New York University (NYU) I live 3,000 miles away from all of my family members in California. And because Manhattan is the second most expensive region for housing in the United States, my plan was always to live in a dorm for four years. Now I am on Year Three, and my plan has been going well. Along the way, I learned the three most important ways to make your dorm feel homey:
1) Move as many of your possessions as possible to your dorm
2) Invest in interior design hardware that is compatible with dorm regulations
3) Use empty space in unconventional ways
I moved 90 percent of my California clothing items to New York and have purchased many wonderful things during my college years, and I keep all of it in one dorm room. I got the stuff out here by packing multiple 70-pound suitcases and shipping large boxes, but fitting everything in has been the greatest challenge by far. What changed everything was investing in command hooks and a portable clothing rack.
Besides being easier to use than a heavy hammer that could crush your fingers if you drop it, command hooks are great for college dorms in particular because they can be mounted and removed without leaving a mark on the wall (no paying for damages when you move out!). I have 50 command hooks in my dorm, and they can be used for every clothing item imaginable.
BELTS
Lineup inspired by Christian Grey’s playroom
Command hooks work for all types of buckles:
Small rectangle (Desa) Large horseshoe (my mother’s) Sash (Forever 21)
Large square (Apt. 9) Small horseshoe (vintage) Large circle (Forever 21)
Snaps (Forever 21) Hole punch (vintage)
SCARVES
Scarves of all lengths and shapes can fit on a command hook:
Infinity (Apt.9) Short (Ben Berger) Small square (Vintage)
Large square (Grand Bazaar in Istanbul) Silk (vintage Georgiou) Pussy bow (Payless)
Long and thick knit (Gap)
HANDBAGS
H&M, vintage Kathy van Zeeland, vintage, Candies’s; Forever 21, vintage, Apt.9, Chateau, Sears
Vintage Pylones; Loungefly Loves Hello Kitty. I came across this Hello Kitty command hook for $7 at Target.
NECKLACES
One standard size command hook can hold at least 13 necklaces
PORTABLE CLOTHING RACK
My dorm came with one closet, which is enough space for my jackets and coats. What about everything else? I found a two-rod,wheeled clothing rack for $27 at Kmart, and it is large enough to hold my dresses, jumpsuits, tops, skirts, jeans, leggings, and pants; in other words, everything that won’t fit in the standard closet!
Dress by City Studio; skirt by Forever 21
MAKE USE OF EMPTY SPACE — THE TOP OF THE DRESSER
While I am not allowed to remove this dresser, I can use it to display my jewelry.
Sunglasses by Foster Grant, Girlprops, Target, and St. Mark’s Place
Bow from American Apparel; Blue watch made by my mother, gold watch, vintage; Dried rose given to me by a boyfriend in 2012; Box of rings hand-decorated by my sister; Purse by Magid (from my grandmother in Istanbul)
Left to right: Claire’s, my mother’s, vintage, vintage Ethel & Myrtle, Forever 21, vintage, Forever 21
Vintage, vintage Ethel & Myrtle, Forever 21, Forever 21, Barbie Girls, Forever 21, gift a friend brought back from Iran
Forever 21, vintage, my mother’s, my mother’s, my mother’s, Claire’s, Forever 21, H&M
Watch, vintage Narmi; Bracelets: gift a friend brought back from India, Forever 21, my grandmother’s, Macy’s, my mother’s, Macy’s, gift a friend brought back from India
Earrings, street vendor in Berkeley, CA; Brooches: vintage, vintage, vintage, vintage, gift from my grandmother in Istanbul, vintage
Sophie, gift from a friend, vintage Betty Boop, vintage Le Baron, Xhilaration, vintage Adrienne
All of my rings are kept in my ring box; a small purse can store bracelets when it is not being worn
The top of a dresser can also store shoes.
Lamp, gift from a boyfriend in 2013; Heels: Forever 21, Style & Co., vintage Colin Stuart, vintage Caressa, Nina
DESK SHELVES
We line up our shoes on closet shelves, so why not desk shelves?
Fioni, vintage BCBG, vintage Nine West, Divided by H&M, vintage Style & Co
Nine West, vintage Linea Paolo, Rue21 etc!, Sbicca, Xhilaration
YOUR WORK SPACE
As you can see from the books, computer, and printer, this desk/shelving unit is primarily a space for me to do my work. Yet there are actually many ways to make your work space aesthetically pleasing, and even ways to store accessories!
My “fun books” (non school-related)
A vase of fake flowers is a romantic and permanent way to decorate a home. I found my four roses at PANY in Chelsea, a shop stocked entirely with fake flowers in hundreds of varieties. I found two matching vases for the flowers at Pier One. A vase without water also comes in handy for headband storage and display. Speaking of niche boutiques, Anna Belen in the Upper East Side is a cute shop that specializes in affordable headbands and other hair accessories.
Headbands: Topshop, Anna Belen, Anna Belen, Anna Belen, Forever 21
Shoes as bookends: Divided by H&M, Albano (from Istanbul); An Aldo clutch rests on the desk; fashion magazines
THE HEATER
The top of a long heater can be used as a shelf for shoes, provided that the vents are not on the top (mine are on the front side).
If your heater takes up this much space, you might as well make use of it!
Forever 21, Aldo, Elle for Kohl’s, Forever 21, Shiekh, Alba
NAVIGATION
I have lived in New York for three years, and I still do not have all of the subway routes memorized! A large subway map on the wall acts as a display piece and helps me plan my routes in advance (so I never have to ask for directions).
PETS
I can’t speak for every college, but NYU does not allow pets in a dorm, unless they are fish. So I bought a Grumpy Cat with an NYU scarf to keep me company!
Grumpy Cat hates this picture.
Once you are finished with all of your housecleaning, you can sit and relax!
On me: Vintage A. Byer top, H&M tiered skirt, my mother’s pearl earrings, Forever 21 “Happy” necklace
On wall: MG Collection, vintage, vintage, gift from a friend, heart purse designed and sewn by me, Magid (from my grandmother in Istanbul), Mary Frances taxi purse
I moved into this particular room at the beginning of the last Fall semester, and am staying here for the Summer term. By the time the Summer term is over, I will have lived in this dorm room for a full calendar year. Seems like as good a reason as any to make a request that I stay in this room as a senior!
No matter what school you go to, how many roommates you have, or how long you plan to stay in a dorm, there is always a way to make your space reflect your taste, and to make your dorm feel like home.
Trend of the Day — Black Puffer Jackets
I was overjoyed to find out that puffer jackets, specifically black ones, are trendy this winter. I have spent the past month in the San Francisco Bay Area with its temperate climate, and predominantly indoors besides. But next week I will be back in Manhattan in all its chilly glory, and I have a feeling that my hip-length bouclé jackets aren’t going to cut it anymore! Whether I am walking to class or taking the subway to a sushi restaurant in the Upper East Side, I usually put on an ankle-length black hooded puffer coat (and whatever I want underneath). Here are some puffer jackets of various lengths to help you get through a cold day!
1. TBR high-neck puffer jacket, $15
2. T Tahari, $100
3. Phase Eight, $150
4. French Connection, $290
5. Burberry London, $796
6. Red Valentino, $985
7. Donna Karan, $1,223
8. Moncler, $2,065
A Kiss on the Lips
The lips are one of the most beautiful and expressive parts of the body…so it only makes sense that they would be picked up as a common motif in women’s clothing. Whether you crave the delicacy of a pale pink lipstick, the pop of an Andy Warhol piece, or the edginess of an Ed Hardy tattoo, in today’s trend landscape it is easy to find an item you will want to kiss as soon as you bring it home (just take your own lipstick off first).
1. Alice McCall dress, $440
2. Liz Black dress, $2,480
3. Romwe blouse, $14
4. Giles shirt, $420
5. Hallhuber t-shirt, $14
6. Philipp Plein t-shirt, $545
7. Choies sweatshirt, $27
8. American Retro sweatshirt, $291
9. MSGM jacket, $478
10. MSGM coat, $3,162
11. Choies skirt, $24
12. MSGM skirt, $310
13. Soho Girl jeans, $30
14. MSGM trousers, $192
15. Au Jour Le Jour shorts, $154
16. Adriana Degreas swimsuit, $329
17. New Look thong, $6
18. Mimi Holliday thong, $61
19. Mancienne sandals, $31
20. Rupert Sanderson sandals, $835
21. QQ Trend flats, $21
22. Philipp Plein sneakers, $814
23. Stephen Webster necklace, $4,100
24. Delfina Delettrez mono earring, $6,311
25. Solange Azagury-Partridge ring, $2,300
26. Lydia Courteille ring, $17,719
27. Alison Lou bracelet, $1,495
28. Overstock sunglasses, $10
29. American Retro scarf, $160
30. Anna Coroneo scarf, $325
31. Studio DKS by Deborah Shavlik carryall, $46
32. Diane von Furstenberg pouch, $158
33. Melie Bianco clutch, $35
34. Sarah’s Bag clutch, $1,645
35. Miss Sweety handbag, $21
36. Philipp Plein handbag, $2,985
37. M.R. backpack, $29
38. Manish Arora backpack, $747
39. Unique Vintage umbrella, $13
40. Diane von Furstenberg iPhone case, $48