The Fashionista’s Budget Savvy Guide for Summer 2010

Hey there Fashionistas! Summer is in full swing and Fashionistas across the bay area are seeking ways to satisfy their thirst for runway fashion on a budget. Let’s face it, the recession is still going strong here in the San Francisco Bay Area where unemployment hovers around 13%. Regardless of employment status, Fashionistas around the bay area are looking for ways to save money without losing their fashionable edge. Well, look no further. I have a few ways for Fashionistas in the bay area and beyond to update a couple of looks from past seasons as well as update your look through budget savvy purchases!

1) Shop your closet. OK, so this has been said before, but let’s face it, shopping your closet is the first step towards saving money and reinventing key pieces from past seasons.

City shorts are hot this summer. They were also hot three years ago. We here at Bay Area Fashionista know you have a pair or two sitting in the back of your closet. Pull out those city shorts, because you will need them!

Tunics with embroidery and embellishments were all the rage roughly five years ago. I know you have at least one in the back of your closet that you did not have the heart to sell on eBay. A tunic with long sleeves or three quarter sleeves will be the perfect top for your city shorts. Tunics blend perfectly into the ethnic trend from Spring. This trend will continue into Fall so your tunic is very “of-the-moment.”

Belt it! You can pair your city shorts and tunic with either a solid, leather belt that loops through your belt loops or you can wear a fabulous belt on top of your tunic and add instant sass to your outfit.

2) Footwear. The hot footwear of the season includes the nude wedge, the espadrille platform and the embellished t-strap sandal. You may already have one or more of these styles in your closet, if not, Target has a wide selection of embellished t-strap sandals that are to die for! The espadrille wedge can be found at reasonable prices at stores such as Payless Shoe Source and JC Penny’s. Victoria’s Secret Catalog has a fabulous espadrille wedge for $48. The nude wedge is wildly popular and can be found at discount prices at DSW and Nordstrom Rack.

3) Beauty Products. The look this summer is clean and natural when it comes to make-up. Fashionistas can wear minimal foundation with brown eyeliner and a small amount of blue, purple or brown eye shadow. The lipstick of the season is hot pink or barely there pale pink. Revlon and Maybelline have fabulous lipstick shades to help carry you through summer. The bright blue, green and pink nail polish colors of the season are being found on the toes of Fashionistas everywhere. Target has a wide array of every bright blue, green and pink imaginable. All of the nail color at Target is under $10. Fabulous!

4) The weather in the Bay Area this summer has been hot and cold; literally. The safari and military trends from Spring are going to carry into Fall. The safari or military jacket you purchased last Spring will carry you through the cool, foggy evenings of Summer and will still be perfect when the Fall season hits. If you missed out on purchasing a safari jacket or military style jacket during the Spring months never fear! The Gap, Banana Republic and Target have affordable styles to fit any budget. You will be happy you made the purchase!

The recession should not last too much longer. As long as we, as Fashionistas, can weather the storm, we will have plenty of money left over to splurge on that special wish list item when the economy bounces back. Happy shopping and stay fabulous!

Fabulous Summer Hats!

The San Francisco Bay Area is currently enjoying fabulous summer weather. As Fashionistas in the bay area head for the pool, a key wardrobe piece is needed to protect our skin from the sun; the summer hat! Sun hats are popping up on bay area Fashionistas across the bay from Marin to Walnut Creek to Pleasanton to San Jose. There are different styles of hats Fashionistas have taken a liking to, some straight off the runway while others in a more practical form.

The runways in Paris, Milan and New York showed mid-brimmed straw hats in natural colors as well as with large stripes. Hermes showed a fabulous natural straw and navy, wide striped hat while Chanel showed a slightly larger brimmed hat in a light shade of tan. Eugenia Kim for Target produced an affordable, dark white straw hat with a pretty blue and white scarf tied around the brim. The scarf can be tied in a bow on the top of the hat or drawn through two hidden holes and used to secure the hat underneath the chin. San Diego Hat Company has a classic and easy to fold hat with two brim sizes: medium and large. The San Diego Hat Company hats offer SPF protection of 65!

Bay Area Fashionistas favorite hats this season are the Hermes hat for special events and looking fabulous as well as the San Diego Hat Company hats which offers practically for beach trips and poolside with the kids. Which hats are you wearing? We would love to know  Happy shopping and stay fabulous.

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Sunny New Nail Polish Colors for Summer 2010!

Bay Area Fashionistas are in for a real treat this warm, summer season! During the Spring months, fashionistas by the bay wore dreary, taupe nail polish in varying shades. The color of the season was Chanel’s Particuliare, which was sold out as quickly as it hit beauty counters. The Fall 2010 runways have shown a throwback to Spring 2010 with the same, taupe, neutral nails that fashionistas have become tired of looking at. Thank goodness for Summer! Nail colors in Summer 2010 are HOT HOT HOT! Chanel introduced “Riviera” which is a hot pink nail polish; it flew off store shelves. Did anyone actually see it in person? Chanel also tickled our fancy with “Nouvelle Vague,” a beautiful sage-meets-turquoise-in-a-Capitola-beach-alley-blue-green. This too disappeared from store shelves faster than we could say “here is my credit card.”

If the Chanel Summer colors have already passed you by, never fear, everyone else is here! The rest of the cosmetic world is inspired by Chanel so fashionistas will be able to find the colors of the season at most cosmetic counters in the San Francisco Bay Area. Hot pink, bright turquoise, neon blue and screaming sea green are all the rage for June through August. If you have never worn bright nails before, this may be the time to try it. After all, Fall 2010 is bringing taupe back to our fingertips and Particuliare will once again be the color of the season.

Since this is a fleeting trend, Bay Area Fashionista would like to suggest choosing the color du jour from an affordable nail polish line such as Sally Hansen. Target currently has every nail polish color on the planet in stock so finding the shade of “bright” that suits you should be a breeze. Happy shopping and stay fabulous!