The Budget Babe | Affordable Fashion & Style Blog

Hollywould for Target

New York-based Holly Dunlap, creative designer of Hollywould, has designed a line of affordable accessories for Target.


What's Holly thinking? *Moth not included.

We have yet to experience this collection in person, but what we've seen online leaves much to be desired. How the shoes—which are covered in satin, lace, leopard print and patent leather—relate to the handbags (grotesque, plastic-looking brown, navy and black monstrosities) is completely beyond us.

Gotta say, we've see better-designed collections for our Barbie dolls.

Are you feelin' it? Check out the entire collection here. >>

Model Spotlight: Crystal Renn

Model Crystal Renn looks absolutely brilliant in her fall campaign for Mango. The caption on their site reads, "Model Crystal Renn shows you how to take full advantage of your curves. Why not?"




We first learned about Crystal when she appeared on Oprah back in November of 2006. After struggling to fit the stick-thin mold of what agents told her she had to look like in order to be successful, Crystal had a personal breakthrough and decided to just be herself. Since returning to her normal weight (she had dropped to a dangerous 95 pounds at her lowest), she's been featured in multiple Vogue magazines and is the first size-12 woman to earn a highly coveted Dolce & Gabbana ad campaign.

Sidenote: After watching the last episode of ANTM, we think the contestants could all take a lesson from Ms. Renn—isn't she stunning?!

See the full campaign at Mango.com >>

Quick 'n' Easy Halloween Costume

Need a cute and cheap Halloween costume, stat? Try this flapper girl look made up of deco-glam items from Forever 21. Bring back that roaring '20s vibe with a tiered flapper top and mesh tights. Add a long strand of pearls, bow-tie headband and a breezy scarf and you'll be dancing the Charleston in no time. And, if you're really ambitious, toss on a wig, a feather boa and some long satin gloves to take it to a whole 'notha level.

The best part: Not only is this costume easy on your wallet, when November 1st rolls around, you can incorporate all of these items back into your normal rotation instead of tossing them to the back of your closet—and that's something to really get jazzed about.

(Click the pic for detailed info on all the items.)

Fall Fashion: Metallic Jackets

The metallics trend just keeps getting bolder: No longer reserved for handbags and accessories, colors such as pewter, gunmetal, silver and bronze are shining brightly on out-of-this-world outerwear. Bombers and biker jackets get even edgier in these futuristic fabrics and modern silhouettes. While we've discovered that there's a metallic jacket to fit every budget, this look may not suit everyone's personality: Flashy jackets are not for the timid!




$ Forever 21 faux leather jacket, $29.80
$$ Topshop suedette bomber jacket, 91.70 USD
$$$ Mango bronze lumber jacket, $249
$$$$ Chico's pewter biker jacket, $278 $194.60