I’m willing to bet that the vast majority of CC readers enjoy flip flop season more than winter. Any excuse for a pedicure makes me a happier camper than usual, but a good pair of flip flops are liberating. They’re as laid back and easy as your summer evening or weekend at the beach, and they go with everything. What’s not to love?

In my years of flip-flop perusal, I’ve noticed three big brands that dominate the flip flop contingent. I’ll start with my personal favorite and work my way through the other two recommendations accordingly:

Havaianas, available anywhere from Urban Outfitters to your local surf shop. These are your basic rubber flop, but they mold just so to your foot and are extra comfy. I own at least 4 pair of these, the brown are my favorite as they literally match everything. Sometimes Urban has 2-for or buy-one-get-one deals that inspire a backup pair. They work fantastically for just about everything, from shower shoes to the beach, or to just make a cute little summer dress more casual. They’re genius, and if you have bigger feet (like yours truly), the solid ones are often unisex or available in men’s sizes. No one knows the difference. Read More »

Retail is an interesting business to work in. Though there may be some snotty kids your age trying on the entire store and buying nothing, making you hate your life and your job more than ever, you learn that there are certain things you will always miss about that career path, no matter how hellish it may seem. One of these is the employee discount.

After spending more than a year of my college life in retail, I couldn’t bring myself to purchase clothing that wasn’t on sale. I still can’t. I was used to my standard thirty-plus percent discount. And so, walking back into that same chain which shall remain nameless, I am shocked and appalled to see that the brand’s prices have only inflated, and now there’s a handbag line that costs on average more than a Coach.

Perhaps it’s just me, but chain stores striving to be high-end is a huge pet peeve. Take J. Crew as an example, which has never exactly geared toward the sale shopper, but has always had great basics that last forever. Now this prepster Mecca is home to a pair of sunglasses that sells for $275.00. Do they say anything? Do they have an exclusively J. Crew look? No! They’re AVIATORS that every frat boy on the planet bought for no more than $12 at CVS on their way to the bar last weekend. Read More »

Madras, seersucker, Topsiders, oh my! Resort wear has hit the co-ed set in full force. While undergraduates are known as the best of the label whores, sometimes the goal of carefully planning an outfit is more than flattering your figure. It implies, of course, that you’re en route to the country club your parents can afford.

The perk of resort wear is that it’s classy and respectable until it reaches Frat Row. You can be adorable without dressing like a desperate-to-impress freshman, all it takes is a little dedication to the cause.

Collecting argyle sweaters and linen trousers can help you transition into a non-party persona for the workplace with no trouble. Here are some tips for dressing to the yuppie role without coming off as a complete douchebag:

1) Collars down. At all times. Ladies, if you’re going for the cleavage factor and rocking a Lacoste to the bar, pair it with pumps, ass-flattering denim, and go crazy. Unbutton as low as you dare, but find a cute contrasting cami to toss under that pique polo.

2) Set a limit to the number of pastels you go with. Your boyfriend can wear as much pink as he likes, and so can you, but just remember that the phrase “too much of a good thing” came about for a reason. Read More »

New York Fashion Week is here. Parties, skinny models: I’m pretty sure the champagne and nicotine is free flowing in Bryant Park.

But while designers are fending off PETA protests in between showing their new spring lines and partying till dawn, the rest of us are trying to keep our heads above water with school starting and that small thing called life.

And with the hubbub of fashion week upon us, it’s easy to forget that aside from living life, perhaps you should be living it with a bit of green gusto. After all, we are killing the planet and ourselves and everyone is doomed.

Luckily, there is fashion to keep us occupied… and eco fashion to make us feel we are doing something (anything?) right for the environment.

iGo Green, a new “green” section of iVillage, has done the grunt work by singling out some of the up and coming eco fashion designers to watch. Read More »