Don't Shun the Shoes

Todays topic is something that is undeniably imperative to us middle fashion girls: SHOES. Shoes are what bring an entire outfit together. They're the big red bow on top of the presents under the tree. If you have an amazing pair of shoes on, the rest falls perfectly into plalce. 

Shoes tie the entire outfit together. When paired with an outfit correctly, they will bring out all the different colors and make you look close to perfection. 

But buying shoes can be difficult. You don't want to go to inexpensive because the quality of the shoes is compromised and they will most likely fall apart. Although, at the same time you don't want to spend too much on them because you will most likely be paying for more than they're worth.
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I want to tell you girls about the shoe store "Journeys." They carry all types of shoes and brands and always match the season.

Earlier when I was talking about the quality of the shoes being compromised, I wasn't lying. Lets take UGGS for example. Girls love these shoes but the price is steep, selling at $169.99 for the classic boot even at Journeys.
So instead of spending all of that on a single pair of UGGS, they get the knock-off brands from Target, or Walmart for $20. These fall apart within months, never do they last more than a season. This I know from years of experience of doing the same.  That is until I discovered a secret at the Journeys shoe store. Let me tell you a story...

Last year, in the middle of July I went to Journeys on a mission to buy my first pair of UGGS.

Weird right? Who's buying UGGS in the middle of Summer? That's the point. They aren't in season, so they are a heck of a lot less expensive.

Also, here's another secret: every single pair of adult size UGGS have junior size equivalent. My adult size 8 where equivalent to a junior size 6. The best part being, the junior size UGGS were about $50 less.

They didn't even have them in store! They went online and had them shipped to the store, free shipping, and then called me and told me when they were in.

Ready for the grand total? $90! I got $170 shoes for almost less than half the price, and you can too! Do exactly what I did and you'll have your own pair of UGGS that you can admire all summer while you wait to wear them. 

So here's my main point and your fashion homework girls, buy your seasonal shoes, your UGGS in the summer or your Birkenstock sandals in the winter. Always check for junior size equivalents, they are almost always less expensive. You'll get the shoes that have amazing quality, for the Middle Fashion price.

Do any of you have any other tips of buying seasonal shoe for less?! Let us all know in the comments below!!

The link to the Journeys website is: http://www.journeys.com/ 

Until next time, my Middle Fashionistas!

The Little Locals

I'm sure we all have our own favorite stores that we dream of being able to shop at. Nordstroms, Urban Outfitters, American Apparel, Free People, the list goes on and on. However much we dream about shopping at these stories, the actual act of shopping at them is a rare occurance. 

While the clothes stores like these sell are undeniabley cute, the price of them will in turn undeniabley break the bank. 

I personally love the faux vintage, boho style and this leads me back to Free People. Free peep is a type of store that carries vintage looking clothing, for prices triple that of ACTUAL vintage clothing. 

For example, take a look at the shirt to the left. No matter how cute it is, it's $148...bank officially broken. 

However much I love Free peep, I love having having a bank account more and there is just no way we middle fashionistas can justify spending 148 dollars on a single shirt.

My secret for today is to seek out what I like to call, the '"little locals." In order to do that, we must consult...the 'Gram. Instagram that is.

Instagram is stuffed with little personal accounts created by people who make their own jewelry, and clothing. They promote their pieces through the pictures that they post, and provide links to the websites where they sell their products.

I love these little online stores because not only are you getting some amazing pieces, you are also supporting those who work hard doing what they love and making their dream possible.

Now, I am going to give you ladies, a couple of examples of jewelry from Free Peep, and a just as cute equivalent from a little local 'Gram business. My personal favorite is found on the site Etsy and is called "TheInspiredSpirit"

To the left is a quartz stone necklace from Free People listed for $178, and that's a lot for a necklace.  




To the left is a picture from TheInspiredSpirit on Etsy, and it also is a quartz stone necklace. This necklace, looking almost exactly like the one from Free Peep, is listed at $44.45


The comparison is insane, and the prices are insane. To be able to get virtually the same necklace, for a total of $133 less, is truly the work of a middle fashionista. 

This goes for almost anything girls, even undergarments. Victoria's Secret is everywhere, and they have hooked thousands of girls into not just buying their products, but growing obessessed with the need to have only their products.

Take a look at this...
This is a bra that has been taken from www.victoriassecret.com and it has been priced at $258.  That's right, $258. 

Now, take a look at this one... 

Hand-made and found on Instagram account name "LA with Love." Link to their online store provided, this bra is priced at $44.99. BAM. 




Why pay more for something that does the same thing? Clearly it makes more sense to shop at the little locals than the big chain stores that suck your last quarters from your pocket!

If you liked the quartz necklace here is the link to where you can find it, TheInspiredSpirit: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheInspiredSpirit?ref=l2-shopheader-name

If you just want to take a look at the online shop and have your life changed, here's Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/

If you liked the bra from LA with Love: http://lawithlove.storenvy.com/products/12072911-eyelash-strappy-bralette

Your fashion homework for today is to search the 'Gram for little locals that make and sell their own products. Do so, and your bank account will thank you. 

What are your favorite online, little locals?! Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time, my middle fashionistas!!

Ladies and their Leggings

Right now in 2015, a specific article of clothing has penetrated every single girls wardrobe. Although there will always be those moms and grandmas who do not necessarily agree, the style has dug its claws into every girl in this the century we live in today. 

Sure our mothers mothers may not approve of all of us young ladies sporting leggings. Especially not in our every day choice of clothes, but let's be real, what DO they approve of. From those odd little computers in our pockets, to poking holes in our faces, and let's not even mention the boyfriends who are too scared to come to family dinner, I, and clearly millions of other girls find the approval of their leggings not a priority.

But ladies that does not mean that we can take this wonderful creation lightly. If there is one thing to invest in, it is a good and sturdy pair of leggings.

Sure I would love to walk into Target and only drop maybe 15-20 bucks for a pair of everyday comfies. But, in all reality, those 20 dollar leggings are guaranteed to wear out, and thin down, within a couple of month. I know this because I've done this many, many times before. They are just not worth it ladies. I promise.

What I would like to tell you about is LULU Lemon, a name I am sure you all know. But, I've decided not to talk about LULU because LULU would be hard to put into the category of "middle fashion." Go ahead and check them out, but prepare for your jaw to drop at the price of them.

Instead let's talk about "Fabletics" by the beautiful Kate Hudson. She has made an effort to create a brand of leggings with the LULU quality, for half the price.

I have just recently received my first pair of Fabletics and I love them just as much as I love my LULUs. Actually, even more because I didn't have to spend that much on them!

Take a goooood look at the picture above ladies. Fabletic leggings for $40. And for a sweet surprise, if you go directly to their website at http://www.fabletics.com/, take a quick fashion quiz, you can get an entire outfit, a matching top with your new favorite pair of leggings, for only 25 DOLLARS.

Who can argue with 25 DOLLARS. 

You can sign up for a monthly membership at around $50 a month, but that would get to be pretty expensive. Although you would get some discounts, perks and free things once and awhile with the membership, buying as you go is also an option.

So here it is girls, stop buying leggings that will be see through in a couple of months, stop spending $80 on LULU, when you can spend $40 on fabletics.

And I'm not the only one!! Check out http://www.thevalentinerd.com/fabletics-review/ this review goes into lots of detail about the process and how to get started! Take a look!

Fashion Homework for this time ladies: Get yourself some darn fabletics leggings and walk around in see through leggings no longer!

Have you guys ever had Fabletics? If so, let me know how you like them in the comments below!!

Catch ya later my middle fashionistas.

How to look like the Bacon Lady

Throughout the past couple of years, an angel has graced the fashion world. When I say angel I mean the flawless CARA DELEVINGNE.

Cara Delevingne is considered one of the most widely known high fashion models. She’s amazing. I mean, let’s be real, she has “Bacon” tattooed on her foot. Amazing.

Not only is her bacon foot amazing, but also her style. The list of widely known companies that she walks and models for is to extensive to name. But, just imagine a very, very long list. The majority of the companies on the list, being very expensive, and very high fashion brands.

So how do we middle fashion ladies, without the bank account of the world’s highest paid model, get Caras look?

Good news ladies, good news. Famous bacon lady previously did some modeling for widely known H&M. Personally, one of my favorite places to be.

Below, is an insert from Cara’s H&M campaign. I have never been a fan of polka dots, but we cannot deny that this is a cute outfit! For fall, when it’s still a tad chilly, not cold enough for a jacket, but not warm enough for a tee, a lightweight sweater is perfect. No need to talk about the flats, because they’re clearly on point. You could wear something like this for spring time too, but you would probably want lighter colors.

To the right is a baby pink, pearl knit, lightweight sweater. I picked the baby pink color because spring is here and I deemed it more relevant! But it does come in plenty more colors, black included. Also taken from H&M, you can get this adorable sweater at the price of $17.95.

To the left, is a look-a-like pair of pants taken from the H&M website. Being jersey pants, you’ll never have a second thought when it comes to comfort. At the price of $12.99 you have a pretty good start to looking like bacon lady.

Finally, the shoes. Basic pair of black flats will do just fine, and you'll be able to wear them with almost anything. These are $12.95 at H&M, hardly breaking the bank.

So here we have it ladies, a full Cara Delevingne look-a-like outfit. All currently available at H&M’s website www.h&m.com; the outfit as a total costs only $43.89! Hell yes ladies, hell yes.

Although the entire outfit is up to Delevingne standards, which therefor makes it up to my standards, I am going to cut your homework short to a basic necessity: buy the black flats.

The flats are a must, and I know you know this too. So go buy the shoes, always buy the shoes.

In addition to that, you guys should check out The Style Blog by Nelia Belkova. She did a great post all about H&M and their style for this past years fashion week in NY. Stuffed with pictures and suggestions, if you love H&M, you'll love this post! Here's the link: http://styleblog.ca/tag/hm/

Want to know how you can get your favorite celebs look without breaking your bank? Let me know and I'll do a post telling you how! Leave your comments below!

Until next time, my middle fashionistas!!

What is "Middle Fashion"

           

    There is one guilty pleasure that I know everyone has. Spending far to much time on it than we would all like to admit, it’s called Instagram. We sit and and stare and follow tons of people we don’t know, why? We like the way that they look, the pictures that they post, we obsess over how to get people to like OUR page, and the way that WE look. It’s all about how you look when it comes to the gram.

                Even celebrities obsess! And who do you think has the most followers in the short 5 year history? Well, on a list of the top ten most followed people, the Kardashian/Jenner clan holds 4 out of the 9 spaces (Instagram itself was naturally number one on the list, so I’m not counting it.)

                Kendall Jenner, a name we all know, is somebody that we hate to love. She’s a beautiful model and easily the most successful out of the Kardashian/Jenner monopoly.

My girl KJ has a ridiculous number of followers on the gram. Everyone and their mothers want to know what she’s up too. Fellow fashion blogger, Joshua Lockhart says, “What will you find on Kendall’s account? Lots and lots of fashion. Furthermore, most of the time, she’ll be modeling it. With that said, if you’re a fashion fanatic, then her account may very well be worth following.” Why? Cause her insta is awesome. Her style is bomb. But her bank account is MASSIVE. We all want to look like Kendall Jenner, and I’m here to tell you how you can do that.

   

             Let us call it, “middle fashion.” How can we get the KJ look without the KJ book. Check book that is. Because our checkbooks are restricted, spending a sh*t ton of money on a single shirt just isn't going to happen. I, Laura Nelson, self-proclaimed wannabe (but broke) fashionista, with a burin’ passion for fashion, am here to assist my fellow wannabe (but broke) fashionistas in how to get the high fashion style, and how to maintain that style, without breaking our small and feeble bank accounts.

                We are not fashionless girls, but we are not high fashion girls, and that’s ok! Because many of us won’t ever reach the point where we can drop a couple thousand on an everyday shopping spree. But, I have a secret: you can without a doubt make yourself look that way. We are middle fashion, wannabe (but broke) fashionista girls. Be proud and own it.

                Here is your fashion homework: Go follow my girl KJ on insta, that is if you are not part of the 20.8 Million people who already do ;)

                Let me know if you ladies are interested in reading about any specifics about the middle fashion ways in the comments below!  Until next time, my middle fashionistas.