How-To Look: Glee's Rachel Berry

I'm just one of the many who have been touched by the Glee mania that hit last season. I'm not ashamed to admit that I am yes a huge choir nerd and Glee's exactly the show to cure my huge obsession with musical theater. But with still a month left to go before the show's 2nd season premiere (Sept 21st @ 8pm on Fox), I'm in a huge Glee withdrawal. So to heal my empty void, I'd thought I'd mix a little glee with fashion and do a character feature for my blog. Everyone's familiar by now with Glee's own Rachel Berry, the outspoken diva of New Directions, and have come to recognize her dorky style on the show. Known for her sweet cardigans, school girl skirts and knee-high stockings, Rachel Berry has become a statement for the prepster style since her first appearance on Glee. While some would laugh at the idea of Rachel Berry being a fashion icon, there's no mistaking that her nerd chic style has become very popular amongst the masses. It seems everyone would like to find a little piece of Ms. Berry for themselves, and, let's face it, we may not all be able to sing as well as her, but there is a way for us to mimic her cute style - minus the expensive Hollywood stylist. Below I've featured some of the pieces I found to match outfits that Rachel Berry has worn herself on the show - all of them not too hefty on your bank account. The sweaters and polos both come from Old Navy, which may I say, has jumped on board the Rachel Berry bandwagon. I found so many different sweater and cardigans on their website quite similar to items the character would wear in everyday life. I wanted to feature them all, but had to narrow my choices down. My suggestion: If you are that in love with the Rachel Berry style, shop Old Navy this fall to grab a look just like hers that's not too expensive.

1: Sweater Old Navy $26.50 2: Skirt GoJane $9 3: Polo Old Navy $20

4: Sweater Vest Old Navy $24.50 5: Skirt Nordstrom $22 6: Polo Old Navy $26.50

If your not that into the Rachel Berry style but love the nerd look anyways, I recommend taking a look at the new Nerd Shop - Forever 21's new twist collection featuring bright cardigans with cute caricatures like glasses and bows, stylishly trimmed blazers and prep school skirts - most pieces under $30. Below is one of my favorite looks from the collection with some accessories I found to match featured off to the side. It's definitely worth taking a look!

Forever21 Twist - I Love Nerds

Glasses FredFlare $11 Stockings Forever21 $3.80 Oxfords Forever21 $22.80

While nerds may have been bullied through the centuries, there's no denying now they're finally fighting back. Rachel Berry makes being a nerd look cool, and now this dorkey cute style has become a new statement for fashion sure to stay for years to come!

Trend to Try: Lace

Lace seems to be every where this season. Whether it's on a skirt, dress, or top, lace is definitely in for fall and a trend worth delving into. Featured in a soft color palette of pink, taupe and ivory, lace pieces are sure to add a romantic and vintage touch to any look. Even better, lace doesn't just have to be for the girly girls. It can be both edgy and laidback working with anyones style from rocker to boho. It's just a matter of using your creativity to find the perfect lace pairing. Below are just a few of the cutest lace pieces I found online and all of them within a reasonable price range. And if your not into the soft colors, a few of these items also come in darker neutrals like black and gray. One suggestion though would be to check out Charlotte Russe online. They have a whole section devoted to the lace trend with tons of cute options ridiculously affordable. It's definitely too good to pass up!

1: Skirt $29.50 Buckle 2: Cardigan $18.50 Wet Seal 3: Tank $26.50 Delia's 4: Top $15 Charlotte Russe 5: Dress $27.80 Forever 21

My Fall Must Haves

As a way for you all to become more familiar with me, I decided my first fashion feature would be on the pieces I am hoping to add to my collection this fall. That way you get a little taste of my style and get to see some cute and affordable pieces that may interest you for fall as well. In a few weeks or so I am hoping to finally go shopping for school and when I do these will be the things I am looking to buy:

1: A blazer courtesy of Charlotte Russe. I have been in love with the boyfriend blazer ever since it came out onto the scene. I particularly like the style with the longer bodice and rolled up sleeves revealing a pattern on the inside. I have been looking for about a year now for a boyfriend blazer with that certain look with no luck whatsoever as most of the ones I found were $60 or more and I was just not interested in paying that much...until I recently found this blazer from Charlotte Russe that has everything I want and all for the low cost of $32. It was like a fashion miracle when I found it, and I'm now more determined than ever to buy it!

2: Vest from Delia's. This style of vest has been popping up everywhere I look lately and I am now fully enticed to get one for fall. I think it's the perfect mix for the go between of summer and fall. I have been looking on all the fashion sites for a vest similar to this one and after all my digging this was the one that caught my eye the most. It's a little pricey at $39.50 but for me it's a must!

3: Dress from Charlotte Russe. I love wearing cute casual dresses around campus and to class and I really want to invest in a few more for fall. This one featured here is just one of the cutest I found online. I love the sparkles around the neckline and the champagne color of the skirt really exudes the spirit of fall for me. There's more where this one came from too! If I were you, I would check out Charlotte Russe online because they had plenty more cute day dresses all for bargain prices. This one right here is only $29 which for me is a total steal!

4: Skirt from Delia's. As you will come to know, I am obsessed with the clothes from Delia's and this skirt is just one of the many items I have fallen in love with from their fall line. I have been looking to add more floral skirts to my collection, and the minute I saw this I knew I had to have it. The soft ruffles and floral pattern are just perfect for the fall season and would add a very romantic touch to any look. I'm crossing my fingers when I go shopping it will still be in the store! The price isn't too steep as well at $34.50.

5: Bag from Lulu's. As I've been surfing fashion sites lately, I've found shoulder bags featured all over the place. Normally, I like to wear large hobo bags, but, after countless times of me falling into my purse because I can't find anything in there, I'm interested now to try a new style of bag like this that's a little smaller and hangs more easily. If I decide to get it, I hope to find one similar to this because I think the rich brown is perfect for fall and the size is just right. The price is also perfect at only $23.

6: Boots from Wet Seal. So I have an old pair of boots like this that are so worn and dirty now that I've been looking to replace them for a while. The downfall though was that all the styles I liked were way too overpriced for me to even think about buying them. Then, I found this pair featured on Wet Seal and was overcome with joy at the fact that they are only $29.50! They come in 3 other colors, but I'm hoping to get the grey pair to switch things up a bit as my old pair is black. I love casual boots like this for fall to keep my feet warm in the cooling weather and to also add a kick of style to my outfit!

The Beginning

So for my first post, I thought I'd start off by letting you all know a little bit about me and why I started this site. All throughout my freshman year, I was told by countless professors that we needed to start a blog because journalism today is moving more and more towards an online genre and it would help us get ahead in the industry. I knew immediately that I wanted to do a blog on fashion, it just took me a while to figure out exactly how I wanted it to work. You see fashion is pretty much my life. I've known since I was 12 that I wanted to work for fashion magazines someday, and I literally cannot wait until that happens for me! However, fashion can have its downsides sometimes, and one of those is the cost. Clothes today are just so expensive and for college students like me who don't have much money to spare, it can be hard to splurge on new additions to my wardrobe. I admit I can be a crazy shopaholic sometimes, racing into a store just picking up whatever I like and not really taking the time to look at a price tag only to find later I spent way too much money on clothes that I end up wearing only once. So when I really took the time to think what kind of fashion blog I wanted to do, it hit me that I should start a blog on finding the best fashion deals. It would be a way to not only help myself save some extra money when it comes to shopping but also help the tons of other women out there who pay a fortune for cute clothes. As I have become more and more bargain conscious, I am starting to see that there are some really cute clothes out there that don't ask much from your wallet. There are plenty of pieces within an affordable price range, it just takes a little digging to find them! That's why I tend to get annoyed with some magazine fashion features today. It seems all they do is put clothes in there that cost in the hundreds and thousands! Now for the millionaires of this world I'm sure it's not a problem, but how are us girls out there on a minimal budget supposed to afford clothing like that? I refuse to believe that being stylish means paying a fortune to look good. From this day onward, I am working for the girls on a fashion budget! I promise to use some of my best digging on the web to unearth the fashion that is both chic & cheap for you and me! So if you're tired of paying an arm and a leg to look hot, follow me and I'll lead you to the deals you've been waiting forever to find!