Mad for Mod.

This fall go mad for mod with short tunics, leggings, tights, and bright, bold primary colors. Channel your inner Edie Sedgwick and remain eternally chic. A few mod inspired pieces should be a part of every woman's closet as they are versatile, easy to pull off and always looks cool.

Above is the total mod look from OutFitKit purchase this outfit here for $34.99.

Contest - Win a complete outfit from OutFitKit

A couple of weeks ago, I started blogging over at Bargain Styling. And to introduce my readers to OutFitKit I am having a contest.

For more information, and to enter head over to www.bargainstyling.com.

Personal Closet Summer Clearance Sale at OutFitKit

While browsing the internet the other day I stumbled across a new site called Personal Closet . They allow you to sell your old clothes, shoes, and accessories free of charge. The only fee is paypal.

You have to dig around to find anything really good but it is a great place to get rid of unwanted clothes. You can even donate your earnings to charity.

I have moved some clearance items over there from OutFitKit. You will find a lot of great deals on summer skirts and other things I have picked up along the way.

One of my favorites:



You can purchase this skirt for $13.00 here.

Fall for OutFitKit

Fall is right around the corner. Today, I picked up some cute new outfits. You can expect to see them on the site in the next couple of days- www.outfitkit.com.

A couple of big trends that I noticed were:

Plaid, plaid and more plaid. It was everywhere. I saw it on shirts, shoes, pants, skirts, handbags, and jewelry.

Rust. I love the rust colored orange that is all over the place. It looks particularly well on us redheads so that makes me happy. I featured a rust colored dress on here a couple of weeks ago: Handmade in Harlem.

Wide leg jeans. I have to admit these are very figure-flattering and comfortable. I have a pair that I absolutely adore.

Keep on the lookout for new outfits.

Pop Concert Outfit 101: Justin Timberlake

Justin Timberlake is my guilty pleasure. I love, love, love him. Well, maybe not Justin, the tangible person, but definitely his music. This is coming from the girl whose favorite band was the Beatles in the fifth grade. While my fellow classmates sported NKOTB paraphernalia I proudly wore my Beatles t-shirt.

He came to NYC last February and I was beyond disappointed that I did not get to see the show. Much to my excitement he is coming back to NYC this week and I have tickets! My sister and I are planning to dress as close to teeny bopper as decently possible for a couple of 20-somethings. We can get pretty crazy when left to our own devices so this should be very interesting. I will definitely give an update on Friday.

For those of you who might be attending a pop concert and want to look cute but not too childish then I have the perfect outfit for you




You can purchase the outfit here for $34.99.

Backyard Party

Party time! My brother-in-law is on a 2 week leave from Iraq and we are very excited to see him. We will be celebrating with a backyard party.

This will be my first backyard party in ages as they are practically unheard of in New York City. My brain has been contemplating all week about what outfit I was going to wear because August in Oklahoma is brutal. And as I am a fair-skinned redhead, (the party starts at noon)I need sun protection. How do you look cute, fun but respectable without dying from the heat?

My solution is - a hat! I love hats. And I have the cutest hat for the party. So for those of you out there whoe are planning on going to a picnic/party outside during the hottest part of the day here is an outfit for you-





You can purchase this outfit here for $34.99.

Tour New York City in style

Tourist season is in full swing in New York City. We have had no less then 6 people come visit in the month of July. This weekend there were 8 people in our little 900 square foot apartment with 1 bathroom. I like having guests. I especially like having people who would not be able to afford a trip to New York City without the use of our free apartment. $200 a night hotel rooms tend to put a cramp in one's budget.

The most frequent question that I get from visitors is, "What should I bring." My answer, "As little as possible and an extra bag." If you are saving money by not having a hotel room that means you have money to shop. Usually, there is at least one day devoted to shopping.

Even though I suggest packing light there are few tried and true rules that I stand by when giving advice on what to bring.

1. Leave the white tennis shoes and white socks combo at home
2. Leave the college football/local NFL team/sports attire at home
3. Bring comfortable shoes
4. NYC is hot and humid in the summer so light, comfortable clothing
5. Leave fanny packs at home
6. A backpack is acceptable but a cute tote is better!

And my last tip is - have fun with your clothes. You are on vacation in NYC and this is the place to break out of your shell- even if it is only for a few days.

Here is my suggestion for a fun, cool outfit for a trip to New York.







You can purchase this outfit herefor $34.99.

Lookin' Cute in Tulsa

I just got an e-mail from a very satisfied customer in Tulsa, OK with the heading, "I LOVE THE DRESS," just like that in all caps. She is planning on wearing the dress out on the town tonight and she will look fierce.

This particular person e-mailed me about another dress but she wasn't sure if it would fit. After getting her measurements, discussing how she likes her clothes to fit, and her age I knew that I had the perfect dress for her. I had not even gotten the chance to put it on the site. I immediately listed it and she bought it.

One of the joys of running OutFitKit is getting an e-mail from an excited buyer who just received their outfit.

Here is the outfit she purchased:





I found this dress and another on the same day. They are both made by the same company and they were so unique. Here is the other outfit:





You can purchase this outfit here for $34.99.

Pink is the new Pink?

Pink is all over the fashion magazines for Fall. Bazaar did a full page about the incandescent pink trend. I walked past the H&M on 125th street and saw no less than 10 deep pink frocks in the window. Personally, as a flaming redhead I cannot wear pink. Two winters ago, there was a reporter on the local news channel that had red hair. She would wear the most hideous furry pastel pink hat on cold days. It was so bad I wanted to write a letter and tell her never under any circumstances should she wear that hat. It really is too bad because a bold, deep pink jacket or shirt can really make you stand out in a sea of black.

Pink looks beautiful on a dark complected or dark haired person. Even blonds look great in pink. Us poor redheads are just out on this trend. Most of the magazine articles pair it with black and only as an accessory or one item in an outfit. Going head to toe hot pink probably isn't your best bet.

If you are not ready to take the plunge and wear a hot pink shirt, skirt, or pants here is an outfit that gives you bold pink in a small dose.







You can purchase this outfit for $34.99 here.

Handmade in Harlem

In the summer on 138th street and Lenox in Harlem the Salvation Army sponsors a street fair. The majority of booths are Harlem residents who sell used items. This is not a typical street fair in New York City, which usually consists of the same five booths repeated for 20 blocks. If you are looking for lemonade, crepes, sheets, grilled corn, or $2 jewelry then head on over to an NYC street fair.

I have actually found a couple of really neat things at the Harlem fair. The first item was an adorable used Esprit bag for $5. The best part was when I opened the bag there was a five dollar bill in it so the bag was free! The other great find was two elder woman (for lack of a better term) who sell awesome hand made tote bags. Last summer I think I bought no less than 5 bags and I still use them all the time. They have held up beautifully.

It is not very often that I get to use handmade/local goods in my outfits due to the price point but today's featured outfit includes an awesome hand made tote that I got from my street fair friends on 138th street.

I have to say that this is one of my favorite outfits to date:






You can purchase this outfit for $34.99 here.

Summer is the time for music and sun dresses.

Summer is the time for music festivals. I have had the pleasure of going to both Coachella in CA and Bonnaroo in TN. They are two very distinct music festivals with unique fashion.

Coachella is the hipster festival in CA and it is in the middle of the desert. The sun beams down for about 10 hours a day and you have to keep yourself protected. The fashion was all over the place from goth chics to hippie kids.

My suggestion for a festival or outdoor concert similar to Coachella is this:



It will protect your shoulders, keep you cool in the heat and you will look awesome.

You can purchase this outfit here
for $34.99.

Bonnaroo is in TN and it definitely has a hippie vibe. It is also incredibly hot but the sun is not as brutal, however, it is much dirtier. By the end of the weekend I was covered in head to toe dust. White would not be a great option for this festival.

Here is my pick for a concert or festival with a hippie scene:





You can purchase this outfit here
for $34.99.

Red, white and blue with Jane

Normally, I shy away from theme dressing. It tends to be cheesy and if you are 12, traumatic. A horrendous jumper dress with christmas trees my mother made me wear when I was 12 still haunts my dreams and my photo albums.

However, when I saw this skirt I just couldn't leave it in the store.


This outfit including the below accessories can be found on www.outfitkit.com for $34.99.




It was just too cute. I must of been with the game because this month's Jane Magazine freatures red, white, and blue items for under $25. They add a little caveat that you should wear it July 3rd so you can be fashion forward, which is too cute!

They also feature a pair of Bamboo brand flats. Bamboo is one of my favorite shoe companies and we have several pairs on www.outfitkit.com.



Get your complete July 3rd outfit today!

Shop on the cheap

I am not a fashion diva. I don't care about labels. I don't care about the next big designer. I don't covet the "it" bag. I appreciate design. I appreciate art. I appreciate style. I just don't need to spend trillions of dollars on clothes. I certainly would not down anyone who is into fashion but it just isn't me. (If I could afford it I might feel differently but I doubt it.)

I like to look stylish, cute on the cheap without running into 12 people wearing the same outfit, which means not shopping at the major discount stores such as Old Navy, Gap, Wal-mart, or Target. Occasionally, I shop Forever 21 but try to limit that to basics. H&M used to be good but they have really increased their prices since I started shopping there around 2003 and they became more popular.

So here are my basic guidelines for shopping on the cheap without going to major discount chains.

1. Be open-minded. Just because you think a place is a ghetto store doesn't mean they don't have good stuff. You just might have to dig a little. Oftentimes, those places get stuff from other stores that hasn't sold. For example, I got a great pair of jeans at Family Dollar that I wore forever. I still have a bag from FD.

2. Check the fabric. Steer clear of stiff fabric that just screams cheap. You should also check for any holes or tears in the fabric.
3. Dig, Dig, Dig. You have to use your intuition and eye to spot fashion-forward items in discount stores. I once got a darling dress at the Lot store. I think it was supposed to be a night gown but it worked.
3. Accessories. Discount stores are great places for accessories, specifically, handbags. Again, you have to have a good eye but you can generally get a cute bag for less than $10.
4. Thrift. Of course, thrift stores can be a great place for vintage items. I don't shop there for outfitkit but I do for my personal wardrobe. Again, I steer clear of vintage clothing stores. They tend to be expensive but you generally don't have to dig as much to find something good. I stick with the Salvation Army or Goodwill. My sister picked up a great Betsey Johnson dress for $7.00 at the Salvation Army.

Fortunately, I live in NYC, which is basically a giant shopping mall. The discount stores to shop are basically endless. You may have to be a little more creative in other parts of the country.

You can make it super easy on yourself and shop with OutFitKit. Below is our most popular outfit of the week. You get the complete outfit including dress, jewelry and a purse for $34.99 Add shoes and they ship for free.

Off to shop

Heading out today for more outfits for the store. Check in tomorrow at www.outfitkit.com. for new outfits.

My favorite outfit of the day is the retro print sunflower dress. I really love the unique print.