Here are some photos I snapped a couple months ago at the Princess Vera Wang for Kohl's Fall 2012 press preview in NYC, which showcased designer Vera Wang's new juniors line of apparel, shoes and accessories in stores now. The collection was grouped into a couple categories for the modern day "princess," be she preppy, punk or boho. I spied all the latest "trends," from neon and polka dots to print pants, statement necklaces and loafer flats. Many of the items you'll see in my photos are now available online and in stores and they're already on sale. Oh, Kohl's.

Enjoy more photos after the jump...

See more photos from the preview on The Budget Babe Facebook page.

Here are some photos I snapped of the LC Lauren Conrad for Kohl's collection during a recent Kohl's trip, which some of you may have followed on Twitter and Instagram. (It's like we're shopping together!) On this visit, I saw dozens of summer dresses in charming prints like vintage bicycles, pink flamingos, palm trees, colorful stripes and pretty florals. Many of these dresses could be dressed up with heels and a white blazer or dressed down with flat sandals and a denim jacket - love that. Other highlights included denim cut-offs in mint green, white, coral or peach and casual cotton skirts.

So what did I buy? I scooped up some green crop jeans on sale for $45 (down from $60) from the LC line, 'So' neon yellow skinny jeans for $15, ELLE colorblock flat sandals for $22.99 and Sonoma life+ style striped espadrille sandals for $20.99, PLUS everything was marked down an additional 30% at the register and I earned some Kohl's cash good thru July 15. All in all, it was a productive shopping trip!

See more photos including the items I picked up after the jump. Have you been to Kohl's lately? What did you buy?

Last week I was at the Herald Square JCP store in Manhattan to shoot some YouTube episodes for Style Coalition TV (more on that later), so naturally I had to do some recon for you guys while I was there. This was my first trip to JCP since they unveiled their new logo and business strategy (low prices everyday, in-store boutiques, etc.) and I must say the store looked cleaner, better organized and I found lower prices across the board. In case you missed it, JCP has permanently marked down all of its merchandise by at least 40% so you don't have to wait for a sale anymore to get the lowest price. Hallelujah!

One of my favorite brands right now at JCP has to be MNG by Mango. The boutique vibe of this section really draws you in and feels special. On this trip, I found a lot of fashion-forward pieces including printed shorts in polka-dot and a colorful "Aztec" design; a gorgeous pastel blue pleated skirt; edgy tie-dye denim; printed pants (tough to get a sense of how these look from my photos but they're totally cool, trust me!); saturated indigo pieces like a maxi dress and ikat skirt; an open-front coral blazer; coral shorts and coral denim; lots of effortless summer dresses. If you thought this line was overpriced before (which it sort of was), you should give it another look. It's the exact same merchandise, without the markup. Winning.

Keep reading for lots more "off the rack" photos. Have you been to JCP recently? Do you like what you see or do you miss the old JCPenney?

Shop it online:

MNG by Mango