It’s never too late or too early to, as the Spice Girls say, “spice up your life.” A new year offers fresh opportunities to meet friends, learn interesting subjects, rush into love, and last, but not least, upgrade your wardrobe with a well deserved shopping trip that won’t break the bank. Jumpers, rompers, cardigans, jeggings, Levi’s, pumps, headbands, boots, skirts, dresses, scarves, sunglasses, and hair pins….so many hair pins. Keeping up with today’s great fashion icons such as Rihanna, Stevie Nicks and the indie stylista Zooey Deschanel, has never been harder without our favorite clothing stores. Living in Humboldt County, far away from our staple stores like Forever 21 and H&M, may have put a damper on your plans to turn the campus into your own personal catwalk. Fear not! There are many stores and shops in the area that cater to the fashion forward divas of today — without burning a hole in your wallet.
Revenge of the Closets
Thrift stores and vintage shops are beneficial to creating your own personal style. Hundreds of uniquely lavish dresses and pants fill these shops, hanging helplessly and hopelessly, begging to be taken home and loved. Stores such as Bang Bang!, Willow & Rags and Vintage Avenger find and artfully display these abandoned beauties for inexpensive prices. Clothes from vintage stores have character, backgrounds, and are generally more comfortable than brand new apparel. For example, to get the “faded rocker who plays football on the weekend” look, buy a pair of snug pants from a thrift store for cheap! It’s a more practical way to rock the style you love and not feel guilty. A blast from the past will bring out a new you while raiding the cotton jungle for less.
Less is Always More (Except When it comes to Outfits)
Many of us Collegiettes™ are living on a strict budget that only allows for a rare trip to Winco for an obscenely large box of Top Ramen or the use of those infamous J-points to buy the essentials — this doesn’t mean that we can’t gift ourselves! Stores like Target, Ross, and Kohl’s have sections not only for food, home and office, but thankfully clothes, as well! These shopping centers consist of trendy, inexpensive outfits and shoes for the modern woman. Of course, sometimes the cutest things that these stores carry are occassionally over 30 bucks — which causes yet another pain in your wallet. Fear not, ladies! You don’t have to splurge to stay in style. Get the basics! Layer them up 10 different ways and you’re trending happily and with money to spend on a Chai Sexual at the Library Cafe.
Oh You Fancy, Huh?
Feeling the urge to splurge as if you were Blair Waldorf? Well, you’re going to need the shoes to conquer and own that look. Finding beautiful couture shoes in Humboldt County seems almost as impossible as finding two matching socks in the laundry, but it can be done! Dannilyn’s, a fashionably urban shoe store located at 527 3rd St. in Eureka, receives shoes designed by Steve Madden, Coach and Christian Louboutin. This shoe warehouse not only has fabulous pumps and flats, but they also stock their storefront with an abundance of purses and jewelry. Stepping out into the new you for 2012 has never been sweeter when walking in your brand new chic shoes.
Establishing a new sense of style is valuable to the process of change, but it does not end there. Working on yourself as a person is more important and necessary in creating a new you. Finding the beauty within guides the beauty exterior.