Chic and Actually Cheap: L.L. Bean

Leather Driving Loafers in Dark Tan, $49.95
Great for running around shopping, or when your feet hurt too much to rock heels at work. So comfy!

Quilted Riding Jacket in British Khaki, $49.95
Classic with jeans, loafers and a sweater. Even better: skinny jeans, tall leather boots and a long scarf.

Ribbon Belt in Raspberry, $8.95
At that price, grab Navy too. Versatile colors for any season, when you absolutely must wear a D-ring grosgrain ribbon belt.

Double L Cable Cardigan in Lake, $29.95
Make it more than a basic cardigan with a ruffled cami, or full tweed skirt, or leave it open and belted over the cardigan with a bright blouse underneath.

Chic and Actually Cheap: Gap

Doesn't it bother you when you read magazine titles like "Fabulous Finds Under $100!" only to find $85 belts, $99 clutches and $70 rings on the list? Don't get me wrong - I love a great accessory. But $100 for something that don't cover you hoo-ha's does not a bargain make.

Another example: Moschino Cheap and Chic. $1,000 dresses and $600 might be cheap for Anna Wintour, but for many stylish young women, those pieces are not only financially impossible but also impossible to justify.

So I'm doing my own Chic and Actually Cheap hot list, in the season of Best-ofs and Top Tens. For each of my regular shopping watering holes, I'll provide a list of great finds under $50. Almost everything is on sale now, and you can trust there will be even greater markdowns after Christmas. But what's really great is that stuff you'll continue to wear for the next three months are on sale: sweaters, jeans, trousers, skirts, dresses, and even outerwear. No need to buy out of season.

Enjoy!

Chic and Actually Cheap: Gap

European Shift Dress, $49.99
Rock the sexy secretary look by pairing this with tall, open-toe Mary Janes and a cardigan, or rock the contrasts with knee-high leather boots and a cropped leather bomber jacket.

Cropped Textured Jacket, $44.99
Wear it to work with a full skirt, wear it to happy hour with jeans, or wear it to the Met with wide-leg trousers and wire-rim glasses.

Striped Sweater Dress, $43.99
This is best worn with knee-high riding boots and teeny accessories. Let the stripes (and your beauteous curves) be the focal point.

Sheer Ruffled Blouse, $42.99
You absolutely must rock a cami under this or a sweater over this to make it work appropriate, but it'll look Paris-inspired when the blousy top is paired with a structured skirt and black tights.

Tie Neck Tank, $18.99
Beautiful and work-safe with winter-white trousers, or play it safe with black. Bare arms in winter mean you can't pull off a skirt with this top, but it's great for your company Christmas party or for the bar afterwards. Ladylike but sexy.

Button-Closure Sweater, $48
Get it done preppy-style by wearing a polo or Oxford underneath, and letting a button or two go at the bottom. I love the idea of this with a wool pencil skirt.

"Sometimes I'll talk on the phone while I'm shellin' peas.

Oprah calls it 'multitasking'."
- Mama Smooter, Sweet Home Alabama

Self-pedicures and TV, online shopping and iTunes downloads, driving and drinking coffee, baking and laundry... multitasking is an art perfected by most women I know, including myself. And while it's great to take "me" time to concentrate on the pleasure of just reading a book or eating a meal with no distractions, more often we find that we'd rather get as much done simultaneously as possible, due to a shortage of time.

Well, as the Times and CNN keep reminding me, America is in a recession, and it's being compared to the Depression. So now we're not only short on time, but short on money as well. It would be easy to be miserable in this situation, but here are some great style and beauty multitasking strategies I've found, to keep you looking fabulous through the winter without disrupting your nest egg.


Wellies
They keep your feet dry while stomping through puddles on your commute, or walking your puppy through the park. But they can double as snow boots too, when you put thick wool or fleece socks under them. Wellies also look great under skinny jeans, and with the right tights and sweater, a skirt too.

Benetint
It's called a cheek stain, and works wonders for brightening up your complexion. But you can also use it on your lips under gloss, for a naturally red look that lasts.

Jersey dresses
Sleeveless, floral, lightweight, no matter; your three-season dresses take on a fourth season of style when you layer them under sweaters. A cable cardigan is a safe bet but can still leave a spring vibe. Try one of the new chunky shrugs, a longer, wide-collar winter white cardigan, or a tweed blazer.

Cropped and capri pants
As long as they're not seersucker or white jeans, your shortened twill, denim and cotton pants look like skinny jeans or pants under knee-high riding boots. Or, very dark, medium-weight cropped pants with knee-high boots look very now.



Benefit 10 bronzer
This boz is half bronzer, half pink highlight. When used on cheeks, it highlights cheekbones and gives great summer color. Lately I'm using it as eyeshadow: the brown hue on lids and the crease, and the highlight for my cheeks as well as brow bones.

If you like basic sweaters...

... try some solid sweaters with details.

When I'm feeling tired and hurried in the morning, and I don't feel up to rocking the easy dress because of the necessary heels, I love the 1-2-3 punch of cami-cardigan-slacks, with flats if I want to be comfy. I also love to wear glen plaid, pinstriped and houndstooth pants, so I often purchase solid cardigans to keep the pattern under control and offer maximum combinations with pants and skirts, not to mention jeans.

But here's the rub: a solid, button-down cardigan, while classic, can get redundant. Plus, they demand more intense jewelry, a scarf or other accessory, and if you need to think a lot about accessorizing, the morning gettin'-ready ritual will slow down and muddle your pre-coffee mind.

For the purposes of this post, I'll suggest some great sweater looks to be paired with slacks. Skirts, because of the delicacies of volume and hem, are another topic altogether. Besides, if you're pairing a sweater with a dress or skirt, it's easier to look more dressed up than with pants, even if you're wearing flats. I'll also only offer solid or mostly solid options, so these pieces can become staples of your wardrobe, and easily rotated. A black cardigan with a ruffled neckline is something you can wear more often because of its subtlety. But an orange argyle sweater vest is a bit more... conspicuous.

JCrew Cashmere, $398
Pocket placement creates curves, and the large buttons and collar dress it up.


NY & Co., $25.86
Mixed textures and an open structure make this a great addition to dark, straight pants.


NY & Co., $23.06
The shirring and tie add femininity.


Banana Republic, $79*
The ruffle draws attention to the neck and face, and the wrap style flatters the waist.
Banana Republic, $130
The funnel neck is an unexpected pair with cropped sleeves. Because of the volume, keep the paints well-fitted.


JCrew, $118
The crystal buttons and color blocking add character to a classically shaped cardigan.


JCrew, $168*
The tie front adds a sweet detail. Dress it up with heels and a statement necklace.


JCrew, $188
The dark buttons and pockets balance out a full chest, and this is still basic enough to get a wear a week, even in a bright color.

Cheers,
Hayley


* - a layering piece underneath is necessary for work-appropriateness. With solid cardigans, try patterned or embellished camis.

In a Sentimental Mood

Everyone has played that word-association game - someone says a word to you and you give the first associated answer you can think of. Summer? Flip flops. Beer? Bottle. Fire? Ice. Britney? Crash.

You get the idea.

Well, being the sentimental sap I am, I have associations for almost everything in my life. The Jupiter flute I bought in high school reminds me of the European tour my college wind ensemble did, and the dried flowers in a vase on my bookshelf remind me of my first apartment. And naturally, I have pieces of clothing and accessories that have strong sentimental associations. Not like a Sweet 16 dress or engagement ring, which are sentimental by design, but select items from my life that, somehow, have become reminders of times gone by. Some will make more sense to you than others, but even if they make zero sense to me, they still hold the power to take me back to a nicer place, a simpler time or a tackier fashion choice.

Abercrombie & Fitch Wool Sweaters circa 2001*: young college girl in cold New England.
I'm talking classic A&F, which resembled prep school gear more than the destroyed, suggestive pieces of tightness they market today. Before it was cool, I loved my classic, simple wool sweaters and still have a few today that have become practically retro.


Bath & Body Works Cucumber Melon Lotion: summer in high school.
Don't you get nostalgic thinking back to the days when a scent designed like a salad was your go-to choice to seem sexy in the summer?

North Face Denali Jacket: older college girl in cold New England.
Yes, they were ubiquitous, and still kind of are, but it was the jacket to have 4 years ago, and I wore mine within an inch of its pilled, over-washed life.


Chandelier Earrings: my favorite college bar.
This was one of my favorite trends ever, for the fun factor and easy-on-the-wallet nature of the trend. I had dozens of pairs, and wore a new pair out to the bar every night. When even Beyonce moved on, I did too, paring down my collection to a handful of understated pairs, but whenever I feel heavy door-knockers on my lobes, I can still taste the Long Island iced teas.


LL Bean Monogrammed Boat-n-Tote: Lake Shaftsbury, Bennington, Vermont.
This adorable little town in southern VT is a great weekend place in the summer, and my mom and I would go together to do the lake and go south to Tanglewood. I've had this tote for around 3 summers, and it's come on every trip to the lake with me.


Black letter sweatshirt: pledging madness, freshman year.
My house isn't shown, but after going through a very chaotic period of "membership education," the right to finally wear this sweatshirt was a big deal. Until sophomore year, of course.


Hot Tools Hair Iron: sophomore year dorm.
Pre-party, I would wake up from an energizing nap with the most cow-licked head of hair you can imagine. While my 3 suitemates would struggle with hair driers and the like, I would, as my roommate B would say, "Go into the bathroom looking like a mess, and come out with the silkiest straight hair ever. It's so unfair."


Blue Floral Kimono Dress: Vegas, summer of 2007.
I wore this dress with my first (I know, right) experience with Gray Goose, at Pure in Caesar's Palace. Mistaking smoothness for weakness, I was eventually tricked and ended up having quite an interesting night. Woke up in this dress (and shoes and jewelry) in Mandalay, at 8:30am, ready to gamble.


JCrew Terry Popover Hoodie: Jones Beach, NY.
Walking on the boardwalk, in the sand, playing volleyball, drinking and grilling, this hoodie's been there.


What's on your list?

Cheers!
Hayley

*- Yes, I'm aware this sweater is Bean, but this is what A&F sweaters looked like when I shopped there, around 94-02. Spring of 2002 started the tight, bright, message tee shirt era and I haven't looked back.

The Unsung Hero of American Classic

Around 10 years ago, when I was a young, surly, rebellious teenager, I thought I was stylish, edgy and, dare I say it, a trendsetter. With my abundant black eyeliner, wallet chain, flannel shirts and skateboard-intended sneakers (I didn't), I "sassed" my mother when she would show me catalogs featuring women her age, wearing Oxfords, moccasins and "skorts." I was dedicated to newfound love of underground punk music and bad influence friends, and had no interest in looking like I was about to go kayaking in Casco Bay.

Within a short time, however, I slowly began to gain a great appreciation for a New England-based company which chose quality over advertising, and classic cuts over trends. Once I got over the initial difficulty of ordering through a new catalog without the opportunity to see how I sized up in a store, L.L. Bean became my go-to source for slippers, sweaters and coats I knew would last me for years. The Best Thing To Come Out Of Maine earned a permanent spot in my shopping rotation my senior year of high school, when I discovered their indestructible wool sweaters, $30 boat shoes and one of my favorite things on the planet: the Bote & Tote Bag. Monogrammed, of course.


While some items in the catalog are more expensive than others ($30 River Sweater next to the $200 Hudson Bay Point Blanket), two things are always certain: the item will always look good, and the quality is the highest. What I mistook in 9th grade for boring, middle-aged duds were actually classic, American items meant to get you through multiple seasons for multiple years, both in terms of appearance and function.

L.L. Bean doesn't have the high-end, Ivy League Brat appearance (or clientele) as, say, J.Crew or Lilly Pulitzer. These are both stores I love, surely, but what L.L. Bean has over them is history, and a subtly prep, polished appearance unlike any other brand, which will be noticed by those in the know, those who matter, those whose mothers have been putting the catalog in front of them since junior high.

Below are some of my favorite pieces from Freeport. There are items for work, play, lounging and activity... everything but evening. Who knew Mom was so chic?

Galway Jacket in charcoal herringbone, $99


Bayside Twill Blazer in stone, $59


Baby-Cable Button-Front Cardigan in sun, $49.50



Pinpoint Oxford Shirt, 3/4 Sleeve in blue stripe, $35.50




Rockport Plainfield Boots in milkdud, $160

Wicked Good Moccasins in natural, $49.50




Bean's Toggle Coat in camel, $199


Casco Bay Boat Mocs in navy, $44.50

Cheers,
Hayley

PS: I'm saving Bean's Home Collection for another post, because their flannel bedding alone is worth it.