Well, there's not avoiding it; it's that time of year! Time to put the flippy-floppies away and pull on something warm and waterproof. For those of us who live in cold, wet parts of the world, we may as well say goodbye to any form of footware other than boots for the next several months. Someone recently messeged me with a fashion question about what boot to buy, and it inspired me to share my two-sense with everyone.

Now lets face it, the "Classic Ugg" style boot had its moment in the sun at least five years ago, but they're still everywhere you look. Notice my quotes around the term Ugg, because virtually every popular store that carries boots has a version of this shoe by now. "Uggs" are about as common as a pair of jeans or a hoodie, at least where I live. For me at least, I think this look has more than worn out its welcome in the fashion world, and I feel that there are so many more fashionable, more unique boots out there these days. However, we can't ignore the fact that classic "uggs" have a lot going for them; they're warm, they're comfy, they're slip-resistant, they're (hopefully) waterproof, and they're very versitile.

I couldn't help snickering to myself recently when my friend (who comes from a wealthier family than mine) complained that her authentic knit Ugg brand boots had leaked in on her the first time she wore them in wet weather. She was angry that she'd paid $140 for this boot that she'd seen on the Ugg website and couldn't live without, only to have them be useless against the elements. She was even more upset to learn that I'd bought a boot that looked almost exactly the same for $40 at Payless... I'd saved $100, and get this? They didn't leak!

I could go into all the reasonably priced lovely fashion boots that are more unique for this year, but that would take forever. Instead, I'd just like to show you some quick research I did on the Ugg style classic boot and its various prices. I hate to see girls wasting hundreds of dollars on namebrands when they can achieve the exact same look they want for way way way WAY less.

^Ugg $140

^Famous Footware $59.99

^Bakers $59.99

^Macys $50.99

^ DSW $49.95

^charlotte russe $29.99

^payless $34.99

^walmart $12

So, the prices speak for themselves. Now, obviously, I haven't tried out every single boot to see which is the warmest and which is the most waterproof, but the proof is in the pudding, as the saying goes. My friends complain that their expensive Ugg brand boots leak, so if you can't have your cake and eat it too, you might as well have your cake. In other words, get your cheaper non-namebrand boot, get the look you want, and get to keep tens or hundreds of dollars. Don't be that girl who spent all her money just to blend in with the croud anyway.

Hello all! Its been in style for a couple of years now, but not everyone is totally confident in their tights/shorts pairing abilities. It's a very basic outfit choice that barely requires thinking in the morning. Shorts with tights are the new jeans.

^^ Above, I've photographed myself wearing the same lower half of the flannel shirt outfit from two weeks ago. In place of the tunic, I've switched in a decorative t-shirt and a black vest from H&M. As mentioned in a previous post, the boots were $50 at WetSeal, the sheer black tights were $1 at Walmart, and the shorts are cut-offs from an old pair of jeans. In this post, I'll inspire you with a few simple and a few more edgy takes on this simple style.

^Here are two really easy versions of this look. The first combines ideas from two of my recent entries; a pair of cut-offs or inexpensive store-bought denim shorts and a plaid/flannel shirt. To make a simple country outfit like this and add an urban flair, she's paired it with sheer black stockings with a run or two in them, and a pair of loafers.

The second look is a little more main stream. What I mean by this is that without the opaque black leggings and scarf (see my post on scarves), this outfit would look a little boring and out-dated. All of these things look like clothes I wore 5 years ago. But if you're like me, you know that clothes from a few seasons ago are not immediately ruled out. Keep simple outfit staples like tank-tops, basic shorts, and winter boots because these things are versitile and timeless. By adding two extremely basic and inexpensive accessories, the leggings and scarf, these old clothes are now brought up to today's standard of edgy fashion.

^As much as I never thought I'd be glad to say it, certain 90s fashions are coming back. One of these is the large sweatshirt (see previous post). If you happen to still own and fit sweatshirts you wore ten years ago, this is a simple matter of digging each of these items out of the back of the closet. If you trashed all your big sweatshirts a few years ago like I did in 8th grade, you may have to check thrift stores for a cheap throw-back from yester-year. Pairing a large sweatshirt (horizontal stripes being another thrend of the 90s) with a pair of cut-offs, opaque black leggings and loafers or flats, you have a quick and easy vintage look for chilly days.

^On that note, you can go even larger with the shirt. Try a sweatshirt that's entirely too large for you, cut off the collar so it hangs off the shoulder, taper it to your form with a thick belt, and contrast the large top with a pair of cut-offs and sleak tights. Something like the second look shown here is more of a one-of a kind find. Whether you shop thrift or boutiques, you can probably get lucky and find a loose-fitting sweatshirt with something unique about it like swquins or rinestones.

^^There are all sorts of quirky tops you can use to off-set the basic denim shorts/tights combination. A loose tunic or a wide-fit short-cropped top, for example, are both vintage fashion taken from the 80s and 90s. Choose the mood of your look through choice of color and shoes. The first two looks are more edgy with the black boots and strappy pumps. The third photo takes more of a playful approach with fun colors and Converse style sneakers.

^Create more of a school-girl or business look with the shorts and leggings by choosing a non -denim along with things like vests and blouses. Choose nuetral colors for this style like black white and gray combinations, or browns and tans. (photo submitted by confessi0nal)

^^As we have moved away from the denim topic for a moment, more of a classic look is achieved by selecting shorts made of slack material such as tweed or pinstripe. Just by simply replacing the denim with something more formal, you change the whole feel of the outfit.

^^Here, a similar pair of businessy, slack material high waisted shorts are dressed up and then down. The first look is very classy with a blouse, neat cardigin, and bow tie. The second photo shows how the similar pair of shorts can have a nerd-chic/rocker look by switching out the semi-formalwear for a fun t-shirt and what I called 'skippy' sneakers in the 90s. Also, see my post on the knitted beret she's used in her ensemble.

^^ Another style I used to be really unlikely to be cought dead in, which has now come back with new flavor, is high-waisted jeans... More to the point, cut-offs made from high-waised jeans rather than the actual full length jeans themselves. I'm sure the mall boutiques will be selling a version of this soon enough, but in the mean time, save money and be ahead of the trends by getting a pair of 80s/90 jeans from the thrift shop and cutting them into shorts. As you can see above, simply choosing the color and opaqueness of the tights and style of the shoes can make for a totally different look each time. I really like what the third girl did with the open-toe espidrilles.

^^A really cute look for those cool fall days before it gets too cold to do without a real coat, try throwing a sleak blazer on top of your shorts/tights/t-shirt look. The denim and t-shirt dress down the more formal looking blazer, tights and loafers.

^^ Here are two very different looks with the same basic elements. The first is more neat and clean-cut because it uses dark denim, perfectly rolled up, and crisp, new looking stockings and clean Converses. It's playful and fun but still classy. The second look is more 'grunge' style by incorperating slightly battered-looking boots, tights with runs in them, and a t-shirt that's a little loose fitting.

^^ Another look that contrasts classy and grungey is the leather/swade jacket look. The contrast between something hard-core like the jacket and something girly and classy like the tights makes for an interesting rocker vibe.

^ Other types of jackets can be used as well for more caual types of looks. The first photos emphasizes the blue denim by choosing a dark corderoy jacket and black tights. The second tones down the shorts by pairing them with similarly-colored tights and offsetting it all with brightly colored shoes and a light denim jacket.

^^ You don't always have to choose black stockings. Simply selecting a quiet, but not-so-nuetral color like navy blue can add livelyness to the outfit without going overboard. Or, you can lighten up the whole look by choosing pale colored tights and shorts.

^^Switch it up a lot by choosing a pattern. Wearing one out-of-the-ordinary print like argile stockings or floral shorts can make this simple style %100 more unique.

What do you think of this look??

*Next weekend's post will be on VESTS. If you have a cute outfit using a vest, please take a photo in it, upload it to your photo blog and send me the link in a messege! Thank you!!*

If you've been a subscriber for a few months now, or if you've scrolled back far enough in my past entries, you may have noticed that I've previously made a post on "The Man Shirt" which had a brief section about oversized flannel shirts. I've since collected even more photos and examples of this trend, and as it becomes more popular, I thought I'd give more in-depth of an inspiration to all of you. Here is a brief eveolution of the flannel shirt:

                    A                                  B                           C

(A) Men's flannel shirt ($14 at Kmart or close to nothing when found at a thrift store or father's/brother's/boyfriend's closet).

(B) "Plaid Tunic" ($20 at Charlotte Russe)

(C) "Dress-length flannel shirt" ($20 Forever21)

For your refference, other nicknames for this trend are 'tunic' and 'night dress'. The going price in most womens boutiques for this shirt is around $20, but I firmly believe that the same look can easily be achieved for cheaper with whatever men's flannel shirt you can find, paired perhaps with a thick belt around the midsection and a pair of tights.

^^Here is what I did with this look. I'm still shopping around for a good price on a plaid shirt, but I have in the mean time found a 'tunic' in the clearence section of Charlotte Russe for around $7. I've paired this long, collared blouse with a cut-off and rolled-up pair of jeans that had gotten too big for me. To add a feminine flair, I threw in a pair of black shear tights ($2 at Walmart) and edged it up with a pair of cowboy boots ($50 at WetSeal which is pretty expensive for me lol).

^^Another thing to remember is that if you're having a hard time finding a long tunic or over-sized flannel shirt (or if you're a little nervous about trying out this edgy look head-on) you can achieve a similar, 'safer' look with a normal fitted women's plaid shirt. It's easier to work with because since its already the 'right' size, you don't have to worry too much about contrasting the manly quality of the larger shirt with feminine accessories. Just wear the small fitted shirt with other simple outfit staples. This look goes really well with skinny jeans.

^^ Here is how the fitted plaid shirt looks with a simple pair of athletic short-shorts.

^^ Here is a similar look with athletic short-shorts, only this time paired with more of an over-sized plaid top.

^^Personally, I don't prefer the athletic/pjs shorts look for myself. I prefer to add some structure and make it look more like actual clothing (hehe) and wear it with denim shorts/cutoffs or denim skirt.

^^ Here is a look similar to the one I tried. It incorperates the longer tunic with shorts and shear black tights. This girl's look is a little classier than mine because she's selected dress shorts (shorts made out of slack material) rather than the light blue jean cut-offs I used. She also spruces it up with the midsection belt I've mentioned above.

^^ My favorite rendition of this style is where a long or 'dress-length' plaid flannel tunic is worn with a midsection belt, shear black tights, and a casual black shoe or penny-loafer. If you are confident enough to pull this look off, more power to ya! If you're like me and feel kind of awkward or naked in this look, or don't think you have the body for it, don't worry! There's an option for you:

^^ As mentioned before, a pair of short shorts on top of your shear tights helps you feel less naked without overpowering the look. Another way to go is to trade out the shear tights for a pair of opaque leggings. These can be worn as pants, so you don't have to worry about anyone seeing your underwear like you would wearing the shear tights. It's more comfortable and less restricting than the shorts option, and doesnt take away from the outfit as much. This is also a great solution on colder days.

^^ Keep in mind that you don't have to own plaid to pull off this look. a similar style is achieved with either a solid colored tunic like the one I showed you from my closet, or a plain colored flannel of your dad's or someone's. The solid color allows for either more of an understated look (if you're not a flashy person and you want the fact that you're not wearing pants to make enough of as statement without adding loud patterns), or if you want to make your statement with a bright colored- tunic rather than a loud patterned plaid.

^^Here are a few ways to make a plaid shirt part of a layered look. For both of these looks, start with a pair of sorts. The first girl made for a heavy, dark expression by choosing a dark denim for the shorts, and then by layering the plaid shirt on top of a band t-shirt and under a dark denim jacket. The second girl makes more for a playful look by choosing light blue denim shorts, and by layering the plaid shirt over a flowy white sleeveless top. The light colored hat helps with the fun/flirty/playful expression.

^^ Lastly, if you are lucky enough to have a really long plaid top ("dress length" tunic or really large men's flannel) you can skip the tights or leggings for knee-highs.

Well, this has been my longest post ever... Sorry about that. As you can see, there's a million and a half ways to go about this look, so have at it!

*Want to become a model for this website??!? All you have to do is photograph yourself in any outfit you would like featured on the site, and when I've gathered enough info on that trend, I'll post your photo in an article. Look for a statement like this at the end of every post informing you of what I'll be featuring next! Next time, I'll be featuring ANIMAL PRINT! If you have any animal print, put together a look, photo shoot, upload it to your photo blog and send me the link in a messege or comment! Thanks girls!!