One of my favorite fall combinations is boots and bottoms. Bottoms are anything that covers, well, your own bottom. Skirts, dresses, leggings, tights, pants and jeans all qualify.

Here are some really varied combinations of boots and bottoms so you can find a set that fits your personal style.

1. Look 1 from Forever 21 combines the trendy and the retro. Can you guess which is which? Although the dress is from Forever 21, it has cute, 50’s styling. Ankle boots, which were popular in the 80’s, have made a huge comeback. To spice up the look: Add a scarf, headband and black or colored tights. For something more edgy, wear leggings with the dress.
2. Look 2 from Delias is for the daring fashionista. When I saw these boots, my eyes nearly popped out of my head. Pink! And plaid! And a button! These boots include so many fashion trends in one small package that it’s hard to figure how to pair them. The best way to make these boots be the stand-out item is to pair them with other solid colored clothing. These black skinny jeans, for example, let the boots stand on their own. To spice up the look: Wear the boots with a contrasting solid color up top. Bright blue, maybe?
3. Look 3 from Urban Outfitters is all me. I like wearing muted patterns and colors–nothing too wild!–and pairing them with interesting footwear and accessories. These boots are versatile and stylish, and I can’t say enough good things about this Urban Outfitters shirt dress. To spice up the look: Add a bright-colored jacket (yellow, orange, etc.), throw on some gray tights and put on a chunky necklace.
4. Look 4 from Target is the epitome of ladylike-chic dressing. This dress is fantastic–I love winter white. The boots, though, are the real catch. Less than $35 from Target, and they look hot. I love the mini wedge. Perfect for winter, perfect with a dress like this. Add some tights or leggings if you get cold. To spice up the look: Throw on some big sunglasses and belt that dress!
5. Look 5 from Alloy is trendy, trendy, trendy. From the colored pants to the low-heeled boots, there is nothing subtle going on here. Step out in confidence–after all, colored pants are all over the place right now and be amazed as the compliments roll in. To spice up the look: Wear something patterned on top. A houndstooth scarf with a simple, chic peacoat would lend a mod edge here.

As a continuation of my previous post, I present more of my favorite online shopping destinations.

• Etsy.com

Etsy.com is addictive. With hundreds of thousands of items, you are literally guaranteed to find multiple things you absolutely musthave. Luckily, almost everything on etsy.com is quite affordable.

My favorite things to buy on Etsy include jewelry, vintage clothing and paper-related products. Most of these things are either re-worked new pieces (like American Apparel shirts with appliques) or created from scratch/by hand.

When buying jewelry from Etsy, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. If you are buying a genuine pearl necklace for around $20, contact the seller for a guarantee. Although it may be vintage and being re-sold for a steal, you want to make sure you aren’t buying something cheap or poorly made. There are so many quality sellers on Etsy that there’s no excuse for something that may fall apart or not live up to your expectations.

Keep an eye out for really unique items. One of my favorite things I’ve found on Etsy were bracelets with letters all over them made with different fonts…sort of an jewelry-themed ode to typography, if you will. The seller is taking a hiatus right now, but keep an eye on her shop space. You’ll want to pick one of these up when she starts producing them again!

Vintage clothing/items are another good thing to look for. There are plenty of home items and trinkets to be found at a steal of a price, and there is some very good vintage clothing. Just keep digging until you find a seller you like and then bookmark it!

The great thing about Etsy is that you are dealing with real people, not a large corporation. If you become a regular buyer, you can start a dialogue with the seller and maybe get alerts to new items before anyone else.

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Per bee’s request, I’ve decided to do another post detailing adorable ways to wear Lucky staffer’s “Cute Outfits of the Day.”

Like I mentioned in my previous “Get the Lucky Look” post, Lucky magazine is a great source for hunting out new trends and styles to incorporate into your own wardrobe. The only problem with Lucky? Most of the clothing featured is way out of my price range. $250 for a blouse? $400 for a casual dress? I don’t think so!

Instead, I like to see what Lucky staffers wear to the office each day—and then find inexpensive ways to copy their outfits or styles. They’re in the fashion magazine industry, so I think “Cute Outfit of the Day” is a fairly reliable source for fashionable and creative style ideas.

Here’s some of the outfits that caught my eye recently–and ways to recreate them for much, much less.

Jenny Kang, Fashion Assistant

Jenny’s wearing a mix of high and low-end clothing: H&M, American Apparel and Chloe brands are all incorporated into her outfit. I like the casual-chic look of this, and you could wear flats or Chucks instead of heels for a more weekend-friendly version.

Jenny wore a three-quarter length sleeved white blazer with her outfit, but for the warm weather ahead, I prefer this Forever 21 short-sleeved version. The price is unbelievable: less than $16! This gray tee from Urban Outfitters adds a neutral base to the outfit, and I like the extra length on it, which gives a good proportion to the whole outfit. Skinny jeans are a must–and if you don’t have a dark wash pair already, these Truck brand skinnies from Alloy.com come in petite, regular and long inseams, as well as multiple washes and colors. These Madden Girl wedge heels have a little bit of a retro flair to them, but in case CutesyGirl runs out of your size, these 70’s-inspired Target wedges will also do the trick. For a last bit of flair, throw on a purple scarf: either this one from Forever 21, or this multi-colored one from Urban Outfitters.

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I didn’t plan to fall in love. It just happened. I was enjoying a chilly, snowy weekend up in Vermont, and as I was strolling down a quaint, quintessential New England Main Street, it caught my eye. Called to me, really, from the store of a little shop. A bright, shiny, patent leather bag that held the promise of spring in its showy, lemon yellow exterior. There was no discussion, no consideration, save a quick peek at the roomy interior. I wandered in and immediately made it mine.

Looks like other StyleFeeders have the same idea. Judging by the handbags that have been added to the site lately, shade is going to be more important than shape for spring. So I say, if you’re going to buy one bag this season, make it patent leather in a primary color. Blue, yellow and red nicely offset the other bright shades that are in for warmer weather, and will give your spirits a boost!

If you’ve got the coin, this blue Dolce & Gabbana beauty is a worthy splurge:

If you’re on a budget, check out these lookers that both come in for well under $40: Alloy’s Pedley hobo in a fetching shade of yellow, and ASOS’ patent red clutch, inspired by Sienna Miller’s penchant for Chanel:

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Anyone who reads lots of fashion or style blogs should have heard of The Sartorialist. It’s an intelligent, photo-filled fashion blog filled with inspiring photographs of everyday people in interesting outfits on the streets in various cities.

A lot of the time you have to assume that the people Sartorialist founder Scott Schuman photographs are wearing vintage or secondhand finds because of the uniqueness of their clothing. Schuman does not often snap someone in identifiable clothing–i.e. anything with bold logos or recognizable graphics. The exception to the vintage assumption is, naturally, NY Fashion Week. The photos he takes in and around Bryant Park feature a lot of stylish women probably wearing a lot of expensive clothing. I doubt women wear anything from a secondhand shop to Fashion Week…unless it’s secondhand designer!

How can you emulate the cool, street-style of these women given their 15 seconds of fame via The Sartorialist?

I’ll show you.

This girl has managed to look both stylish, individual AND comfortable. Luckily, Victoria’s Secret makes a dress similar to the one she’s wearing:

Her gray shoes add a bit of flavor, where black shoes would have just melted into her tights. Try these from Payless. They’re cute and really inexpensive. To finish off, a black coat with a great cut and trendy quarter-length sleeves.

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Elle Macpherson said this great quote:

“I used to wear heels because I wanted to show people I wasn’t ashamed of being tall. But I don’t wear them any more because you don’t have to wear heels to be beautiful. I can’t even remember the last time I wore heels.”

I was 5′11” by the time I was 15, and ever since then I’ve dodged questions about my basketball playing, volleyball playing or modeling ability (or lack thereof.) To clear things up: I played basketball in junior high, never cared for volleyball and the only time I model is for THF.

Nearly every tall woman has similar problems. Finding pants is impossible. Every knee-length skirt looks mini on you. You may have long legs, but you can’t find pajama bottoms to cover your ankles. Being tall as a woman is simultaneously the best and worst thing in the world. You feel empowered when you walk down the street, but end up in tears in the dressing room because pants just don’t fit.

I harbor such a hatred of changing rooms from all the disappointment of never finding pants that, to this day, I’ll rarely try anything on. I’d rather buy it and take it home and return it, than stand in a barren, too-bright changing room trying to pull pants down on my hips so they fit my 37-inch inseam (35 inches, plus two extra inches to allow for heels).

So, to save you the toil and trouble of searching for pants long enough to fit your legs, I’ve picked out some of my favorite styles in denim and trousers for spring…along with complimentary shoes.

Alloy.com is a tall girl’s fantasy. Pants and jeans come readily in 37” inseams, running all the way down to the petite 32”. Skinny jeans are perfect for tall women, too. They compliment your long legs, and you don’t have to worry as much about length, since skinny jeans look fine hitting you at the ankle, or slightly above, depending on what shoes you want to wear with them. This black pair is super-flattering in cut and wash, since everyone looks good in black pants.

Try skinny jeans with a punchy colored shoe for spring. It will update the look and bring it out of the dark winter doldrums.

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