What can Brown do for your wardrobe?

Well, we saw what (Michael) Brown CAN'T do for us, but that's a whole different matter. Earthy tones are what Fall clothes are made of. Every year there's a particular color that stands out--I hear that this year it's mustard yellow--but pretty much every earth tone will work. Brown is a particularly versatile color--safe and classy like black, yet less severe and formal.

A couple of pieces from the online version of the $15 Dollar Store are actually pretty good. I didn't like the offerings at the Santa Monica brick-and-mortar store, so I'm surprised there's such good stuff here. But there's a caveat--just because something is cheap and it's a particular brand doesn't mean it's good, since there are some subpar products under the same clothing label. The retail price is some indication of the quality; even though the markup is high solely because of the brand, it can't be *that* high if it's crappy...people aren't stupid.


This Sweetees halter is really cute--I just like this particular sweetheart styling. Simple, yet elegant; the good looks are derived from the simplicity (circular reasoning, I know, but what I meant is that the top manages to look good without relying on embellishment). Instead of tying at the back, the strings come out through the front and you can adjust the ruching. The dangling strings makes it look like you're wearing a long necklace. Too bad this is selling out so quickly--there's only large left. Not worth it at $52, but $15...well, the quality of Sweetees things aren't bad, they tend to be cute and soft, so why not? Even though it's "Fall" already, the weather is weird this year...still quite hot as of this afternoon. A nice zip- or button-front cable knit sweater will keep you warm and still shows off the piece.


BCBG Stretch Slacks--talk about a good price! $15 instead of $98 is a fairly substantial discount. I don't know why the pant pockets look weird here--usually BCBG stuff are pretty fitted. Maybe it's just the manequin. The size 2's are already gone. It's impossible to tell the quality of the fabric, but then again, even cheapy slacks are about that price. Since it *is* BCBG, I suppose that it can't be any worse.


This Hotkiss crochet top is pretty too...being a "junior's" brand, it's arguably lower-end (I certainly wouldn't pay $52 retail on it), but I still like it.


Now for something a little more sensible--a Rampage corduroy blazer. They call this "dark yellow," but it looks golden brown to me. Since my really fitted corduroy blazer, which I got last year from some teenybopper mall store, was $22, this isn't bad at all (about even after the $6.95 shipping). It's definitely something that'll last for years. Only mediums and large's left, though.