Sale!!

                                               

Although it seems crazy to shop in (economic) times like these, and for winter clothes (when winter is half over) nonetheless, I assure you, it is not. All the stores have great deals right now, and if you're looking for a great place to shop, here's a quick guide:

Art Effect, on West Armitage Avenue, a store usually on the pricier end, is advertising a 70-percent-off sale. 

Mint Julep, at 1013 Armitage Ave., consistently stocks their store with half designer pieces and half bargain clothing. The deal there: 50 percent off any already-marked-down items. 

Department stores! John Delacruz, the visual merchandiser at H&M Clothing Store on Michigan Avenue, had this frugal tip: "Go to any department store, like Barneys. They have to get rid of all their winter stuff, so their sales are huge." Another idea: go to a department store and try things on for size. Then go home, and type the item into EBay--most likely, it will have exactly what you are looking for. 

H&M: Buy one/ get one FREE on winter coats. (This is only for a limited time but they continue a similar deal for longer.)

 

Forever 21, now with a second location on Michigan Avenue; always cheap. 

(Look for an extended version of this article, and more tips, in the DePaulia next week!) 

Interview with a Student Fashionista

 I asked Stacie Wolf, a fashionable sophomore at DePaul, some questions about her style:

Who or what influences your style?

Stacie: I'm an art major, so I am particular on unique avante garde textures and structure. I love clinched waists. I love the late 40s look, I love New York; I love street fashion. I love ethereal and slightly sexy/romantic touches. 

Where are your favorite places to shop?

Stacie: SHOPBOP[.com], vintage stores, and Neiman’s, and H&M is awesome for well-priced, very trendy, quality pieces.

Has your style changed since coming to college/DePaul/Chicago?

Stacie: Yes, college and the city have influenced how I dress, not DePaul though. I was cut off from my parents for spending money on clothes, so I am now very much interested in investing into practical nice items rather then impulsive silly things. My roommates and friends also made an impact.

Flashbacks

A few weeks ago, I went to a ‘high school’ themed party. One of the party planners said they chose this theme because they had little time to plan and this theme “was easy for people.” This makes sense: I see a lot more high school gear being sported around campus than I do DePaul gear. Is it a trend, or just easier/cheaper? I’m willing to guess the latter (this excludes the sort-of-trendy fad of wearing “vintage” t-shirts from the Goodwill or Salvation Army that advertise high schools the wearer didn’t even attend). 

But the question is… is it acceptable? Of course we all do it, but by wearing our high school apparel, we’re holding onto memories that we say  we’d rather die than return too. Remember going to Applebees after basketball games on Friday nights? Remember sneaking out and drinking in friends’ basements? Remember prom?? These may be parts of our past that we don’t talk about, but our shirts and sweatshirts are screaming it.

  Although no picture is necessary this week—you can all go in your closets and multiple high school shirts, I’m sure—I decided to include the front side of a particularly ridiculous t-shirt my class had made for junior year basketball season:

Front: putting the nasty…

Back: back in dynasty.

(Note: we barely won a game, let alone created a dynasty. How terrifying.)

They still make these?!

I came upon the idea for this post while at a sleepover—yes, a sleepover—this weekend. (Hold the laughter/judgment/whatever, the ‘sleepover’ was a sorority retreat, and it turned out to be the perfect break from sometimes-stressful college life. I found that sleepovers are underrated—I encourage everyone to give them a second chance.)

 Anyway, Saturday evening, thirty-some girls trudged through the snow toting blankets, pillows, midnight snacks and overnight bags. We changed into our pajamas almost immediately, and one of the girls, Lauren, shocks us all with one piece, zip-all-the-way-up, feet-attached, patterned fleece PJs. (Lauren, by the way, is not a toddler. In fact, the PJs were a present for her 21 st birthday.)

 Now this might not be worth mentioning for any other reason than its pure hilarity (see for yourself, picture to the right)—however, I have truthfully heard quite a few people mention these one-piece outfits lately. Is there some charm to them? Are they really that comfortable?! (I imagine I would feel very constrained in them, not to mention going to the bathroom would be an ordeal.) There must be something to these PJs, although, as of yet, the only people I know that own them are Lauren and the four-year-old I baby-sit.

 I think they might catch on, so I’ll help you get ahead of the fashion curve. Check out these sites for tons of adult footed pajamas:

Pajamacity.com (this site lets you shop by height)

Thepajamacompany.com (solves the bathroom dilemma with some drop-seat options)

Footedpajamas.com

As for the fashion and trends at DePaul, it seems that all there is to talk about is sweaters, coats, gloves, boots and everything else students are wearing to combat the extreme cold. If we can't actually be warm, though, we can at least talk about it! Sure, we still have a good seven weeks or so, but it is never too early to start thinking about Spring break. In fact, a company called Pantone* started thinking about it last Fall. They released a document predicting popular colors for Spring 2009, gave interesting reasons for each pick, and spotlighted a designer who is featuring that color in his or her Spring line. 

The 1o colors are pictured to the left; for full descriptions, go to: 

http://www.pantone.com/downloads/articles/pdfs/PANTONE-FCR-sp2009.pdf

*Pantone is a really interesting company that deals solely with color. They develop and predict color trends, then put that knowledge into the creation of paint, fashion, home wares and especially graphic design. 

**Also, a question: Where are people going for Spring break this year? It could have a major effect on what you wear..

Have everyone's hands disappeared? Because it has been at least a month and a half since I have seen anyone's as I walk around campus. Pockets, gloves, mittens and hand warmers have completely taken over. In-public texting, for one thing, has decreased significantly because of the serious health or injury risks associated with exposing bare fingers--people are forced to talk to one another on the sidewalks and in-transit! My personal habit of constantly picking at my fingernails has also rapidly decreased because of the mitten-created blockade to my hands--unfortunately, though, no one can see my much-nicer-looking fingers. 

It is interesting to see how people make due with such dilemmas: the risk-takers wear finger-less gloves. I recently read in the Tribune and online that these are a big trend this year. But in sub-zero temperatures, even those are dangers. Most people stick with the tried-and-true types of gloves or mittens--ones that render all hands unmovable. 

Yet there are ways to make due with the weather, and to look cute at that. Next week, I plan to lay out some of those ways (not to mention on a college budget). For now, pictured here is Evelyn Loomis, a sophomore at DePaul who bundles up more than anyone I know, yet somehow manages to look significantly better than the Michelin Man (whom I keep confusing puffy-coated students for on campus!).

Myth Busters: Is everyone really wearing Uggs?

Over the course of this quarter, I will be making posts to the blog about fashion, trends and fads seen around campus. Let's face it, though: at first glance (or second or third) DePaul might not look like the fashion capital of the college world. But I plan to uncover the hidden world of fashion at DePaul for everyone to see and be inspired by, but let's start small.

Over and over again, I hear people talking about the (annoying, they say) prevalence of Ugg Boots on campus. "Every girl wears them!." they say, but is it just perception, or is every girl really wearing Uggs?

I arrived at the Loop an hour before my 10:10 a.m. class to do some research. During that time (I sat in the DePaul Center Starbucks), I saw 15 pairs of Uggs (three of which I noticed right in front of myself—also Ugg clad—in line for coffee), a few questionable pairs of knock-off Uggs, and, fortunately, zero Man Uggs. It is worth mentioning that I noticed quite a few other brands of boots as well: North Face, Timberland, etc.

When I noticed a pair of high-high-heeled boots (at 10 a.m., really?!), I thought how glad I was that those had not caught on. I don't know who (Australia?) made Uggs 'the thing'—as my research found them to be, myth un-busted—but I'm glad they did: it isn't all the time that something so practical is made fashionable. Someone should tell the lady with high-heeled boots.