Wake up at 7:45. Throw on sweats, a hoodie, and flip flops. Throw your hair in a messy bun. Check Facebook. Grab your bag and get to class by 8 AM.

Does this at all resemble your morning routine? I know how tempting it is to get that last fifteen minutes of sleep and run out the door looking like you just rolled out of bed. Fashion is probably the last thing on your mind when you’re trying to remember things like, Where on earth is my physics book? And, Why can I only find one shoe??? However, it is important to put at least some effort into the way you look before class.

The way you dress affects the way people perceive and treat you, whether you care or not. It can also affect your attitude and level of performance in class. If you are wearing pajamas, you aren’t going to feel awake enough to fully participate in a class discussion. If you look like you don’t care, people are going to think that you don’t care (including your professors).

Obviously you aren’t going to head to class decked out from head to toe in your Sunday best (unless you never made it home, you dawg), but there are easy ways to update your outfits so you look a little less messy and … sleepy.

10 Easy Style Updates For Class This Fall

1. A scarf - throw on jeans and a plain colored fitted t-shirt. Add a scarf and voila! Instant fashion. Scarves are really in this year and there are tons of cute ones out there to pick from. You can’t get an easier shortcut to style. Find them at American Eagle, H&M, or Limited Too (yea, it’s for little kids but they have a lot of cute scarves that are only $10!). Read More »

Three days ago, I returned from the first ever Rothbury Festival in Rothbury, Michigan – a 5-day musical event featuring an eclectic range of music, from Dave Matthews to Disco Biscuits to Snoop Dogg. I’m exhausted, my feet are calloused & my cheeks are sunburnt (& freckly!), and maybe it was just all the booze, greenery & glow sticks, but my little spirit is renewed.

After spending a night chillaxin’ in Sherwood Forrest, letting my fatigued body sink into a colorful hammock for two and talk for hours with one of my new best friends over cocktails in combustible corn cups, I knew it was time for a change. A huge, life-changing, effortful change. Something about spending the weekend surrounded by happy, empowering, inspirational people (albeit a little dirty & drugged-up) was a huge, magical, sparkly slap in the face that it’s time for me to conquer, one-by-one, all the things I want to in life.

So, without further adieu, here is my list of sweet stuff I wanna learn.

1. How to give a kick-a** massage. I am OBSESSED with massages. I try to con all my boyfriends, friends, (even boy friends!) to give me little shoulder, back or foot massages (perfect after a long day at work…or shopping). However, I am just as inclined to return the favor because I know how ridiculously nice (and/or orgasm-inducing) a massage can be.

2. How to make sweet jewelry. I used to be the baddest b*tch on the block because I could make friendship bracelets with any color of the rainbow out of any type of string. Unfortunately, I haven’t practiced my art for about, oh, 10 years & I think it’s time for me to get back in the game. But, I sure will have a lot of catching up to do. Read More »

Accessories are a great way to complete an outfit and add a little zest to your look. This year we see many old trends re-emerging, a few newbies and a few twists on those oldies but goodies.

Big jewelry continues to be a major trend, so one key tip is that if you’re gonna go big on the accessories, you need to go minimally on the clothes so you don’t end up looking like a walking Vegas Strip.

Nature is a main theme throughout jewelry pieces for the summer; you’ll see flowers, leaves and moons & stars in everything from pendants to rings and especially in drop earrings, so go ahead and get in touch with nature.

One of the “must have” pieces of the season is the not-so-subtle medallion. Medallions and pendants are back, as designers turn to the seventies and eighties for inspiration. A sub-division of this trend is another one; zodiac pendants. Say good-bye to wearing your name or initials on your neck, showing off your star sign in silver, gold or even diamonds is the way to go. Read More »

For Christmas one year, my first boyfriend shocked the hell out of me by buying me this beautiful emerald and diamond necklace set in white gold (because he knew how much I hated gold jewelry). I was stunned. And pissed because I had only gotten him a new nice set of knives and a copy of The Ladies Man on DVD. I honestly didn’t think we were close enough for jewelry, or that he even liked me enough to buy me something so obviously gorgeous and expensive.

Turns out, I was right. We broke up two months later amidst screaming fights and accusations and I couldn’t wear that damn necklace anymore, not because I didn’t like it, but because he had given it to me.

I wish ExBoyfriendJewelry.com had been around then, so something good could have come from the whole relationship debacle. On the website, not only can you sell the jewelry that the bastard (or that wonderful guy you f*cked over) gave you instead of giving it back, or throwing it away, or letting it sit in your creepy Jeff shrine, or whatever, but you can also buy jewelry from similarly situated women and give it, in a sense, new life. Read More »

It is a treat fit for a queen.

The perfect indulgence for anyone with the XX chromosome combo. And even with a $25,000 price tag, this sweet treat is worth every last penny.This indulgent treat is what happens when chocolate meets gold and then pairs up with diamonds. And unlike the stuff that only looks like chocolate, this is 100% edible. As if there could be anything better for a woman (except, maybe, the same combination in a fat free version).

The genius behind the Frrrrozen Hot Chocolate at the famed New York eatery, Serendipity III, has joined forces with a luxury jeweler to create this couture dessert. And what exactly makes up a $25,000 dessert? Read More »

I don’t know about you guys, but when I hear about “Chocolate Gold” I picture sticky fingers and coins wrapped in gold tin foil. And as much as I like getting a little mesh baggie full of milk chocolate currency around Christmas time, this kind of chocolate gold sounds even more delicious.

According to fasshonburu.com, “Apparently there is a special process called PVD (for physical vaporization and deposition), during which rose gold is bombarded electronically, which makes the metal change color to a molten brown.”

Think brown gold is ugly? It’s not! It looks more like antique jewelry…which I think is goregous.

Hey, if anything, you can tell a white lie and say Grandma gave you that stunning ring.

The contrast between the dark gold and the sparkling diamonds is especially beautful…not to mention really unusual. Read More »

When it comes to being trendy, anything computer-controlled seems to get overlooked. Usually seen as too geeky to be truly chic, when it comes to fashion, science need not apply.Until I came across Skintiles.

To be quite honest, it took me a few times reading through the write-up on these things to really get what the hell they are, so let me give you a simplified run-down:

It’s like a mood ring that you can stick on your body, much like jewelry, except instead of whatever mystery substance is in those rings, Skintiles are completely electronic!

Get it? Read More »

Getting fashion inspiration from TV and movies is nothing new. I can remember riding my bike around my neighborhood during the summer after fourth grade, dressed just like the girls from Now and Then singing “Knock Three Times.”

Of course, there wasn’t a boy who looked like Devon Sawa and no mystery to solve, but if there had been… well, I totally looked the part.

Emulating a star’s style is easier than ever and with Starbrand and the CW Style Shop, all your favorite TV looks are only a click away. And what better time to try out someone else’s look than in college, when you haven’t quite figured out who the hell you are?

With these online TV looks categorized by brand, episode and character, your favorite pieces are easy to find. And best of all, no arduous searching through website after website looking for a really awesome pair of jeans. All the denim in these shops is to the minute.

They have also made it easy to shop for cute basics and affordable outerwear. It’s like having a whole rack of awesome clothes pulled from every different virtual store.

They’ve already done all the work, and for a lazy college girl, these websites are ideal. Work is a word we tend to avoid at all costs. I mean who hasn’t worn their pj’s to class at least once?

Check out the fall fashion gallery after the jump! Read More »

Cocktail rings: equal parts ridiculous, amazing, and WASP. I remember my Great Aunt Mimi’s honking rings nearly gouging my eyes out when she tried to pinch my cheeks at the Thanksgiving dinners of my youth.

I should have been more receptive to her affection — I could have inherited a few of her ruby stunners. I want them now because cocktail rings are decidedly back in style.

While these rings aren’t necessarily the most sensible of accoutrement, nothing says party like a huge, obtrusive rock on your finger.

Because of their glittery largesse, cocktail rings aren’t too hard to find — but New York Magazine already did some work for you here, and if you’re looking to spend a little less, head to that reliable old favorite Claire’s. Read More »

With my 21st birthday coming up, I want to celebrate in style. The only problem? Style costs money, and I’m in no position to splurge on a new going-out outfit. But I’ve got a secret that gets me compliments on my outfit even from the friends that have seen me in it a dozen times—jewelry.

When I’m having one of those days where everything in my closet is simply unwearable, I go with a basic black outfit—pumps, pencil skirt, and v-neck top—and make a statement with a pair of unique earrings or a bold necklace. That’s why lately, I’ve been lusting after Salonika jewelry.

Each Salonika piece, inspired by the designer’s Mediterranean heritage, makes a statement without being gaudy. If you’re bored with your basic silver and gold jewelry, check out the City necklace—a howlite stone that hangs on a suede chain. And as a bonus, howlite, which looks like turquoise, is said to have healing properties and relieve the wearer of angry energy.

The jewelry in the 2007 Salonika line will run you anywhere from $75-$280, and owner and designer Bryce Gruber says her pieces are made to last. “The quality of Salonika pieces means you’ll still be wearing them in 5, 10, or 20 years at least,” she told me.

Gruber’s pointers on wearing jewelry: Read More »