A question I'm often asked is how to wear leg warmers, a fab winter accessory that got a bad wrap because of one too many aerobics videos in the '80s. Banish those images from your mind forever and hear me out: One of my favorite ways to wear leg warmers is peeking out from underneath tall boots, over leggings, because this way you get an extra layer of warmth and just a glimpse of leg warmer. Cute and understated. Leg warmers also look great worn over flats or ankles boots and either skinny jeans, leggings or tights. To truly grasp the greatness of leg warmers, it's best to see them in action, so I've gathered together 3 photos from FreePeople.com that illustrate chic ways to wear them (click on the numbers for more product info).

[1] Over leggings with flat boots
[2] Over skinny jeans, scrunched into sneakers
[3] Over leggings, pulled over the heel of flat rubber-soled shoes

All three looks are definitely on the casual-cool side. Stick with solids and chunky knits if you're unsure about how to wear your legwarmers. Experimentation is key, however, because there is no one-size-fits-all styling solution when it comes to this accessory.

How do you wear leg warmers (if you wear them at all)?

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all my wonderful readers! I'm just relaxing with the fam back home in Chicago, eating a lot of good food and trying to stay warm. We were buried in beautiful snow back on the east coast (see pics), and well, we're buried in snow here in the Chi too. (Plus it's a lot colder here!) Hope you all have a peaceful, joy-filled holiday, and that Santa brings you everything your little heart desires. If not, there are always the post-Christmas sales, which experts are saying might be the best we shoppers have seen in decades. What are you doing this time of year?

Zappos, the largest online shoe retailer on the planet, is sponsoring a new contest that you might be interested in. Winners are eligible to win 5 pairs of Stuart Weitzman shoes, a chance to meet the designer, and an all expense paid trip to New York City! Here are the unusual details...

"To enter, contestants will need to subscribe to the Zappos.com YouTube™ channel located at www.youtube.com/zappos and create a video depicting why they think they can beat Stewart Weitzman in ping pong – a sport champion in his own right. Entries will be judged on creativity and fun.

The Grand Prize Winner will receive an all expense paid trip to New York City to meet designer, Stuart Weitzman to play him in a game of ping pong. Besides showing off their ping pong skills, the lucky winner will also win 5 pairs of Stuart Weitzman shoes from Zappos.com and a 2-night stay at the Shoreham Hotel in Manhattan on February 6 & 7, 2009, along with a $500 stipend for meals and transportation. The total grand prize is worth $3,500.00.

Check out this video at YouTube Zappos Contest for complete contest rules. The contest runs now through January 9, 2009."

A striking timepiece makes a ::cough:: timeless accessory, especially if it has, oh, I don't know, a mother of pearl face that's encrusted with diamonds and finished with a crocodile leather wristband. In the not-so-distant past, such a luxury would have been available to only the wealthiest of men, and I suppose the real deal still is, but thanks to modern technology, any bum off the street can get a cheap, made-in-China version for just $8.50 at their local mall, courtesy of stores like Forever 21.




I find this to be quite amusing, which is why I purchased the watch you see above. It's deceptively expensive-looking (my Dad asked if it was Fossil), and after two weeks in my possession, it still maintains the accurate time. My one complaint is that the wrist band is rather stiff (what can you expect for $8.50?), so the watch itself doesn't sit flush with my skin. I'm hoping I can break it in a bit to resolve that problem.

Forever 21 has a great selection of watches under $20 on their website, so hopefully if my purchase stands the test of time, I'll buy another.

Shop it: Metallic Serpent Watch, available in 4 colors, $8.50 at Forever21.com

Have you purchased a timepiece from Forever 21? Did it break within 2 days or is it holding up?

This past Friday, I posted an image of a young woman as photographed by Scott Schuman, aka The Sartorialist, and just because she was photographed on the streets of Paris, I falsely assumed she also made her residence in the City of Lights. But someone alerted me via comment that she is, in fact, a New Yorker—and she has a blog. A fabulous blog, at that.

So I stand corrected, but the good news is that there's hope for all of us: Upon reading her blog further, I learned that this self-described designer, stylist, aesthete, and fancy-maker originally hails from Austin, Texas.

For a true breakdown of what she was wearing in the Sart's photo, check out this post. (The covetable clutch, as I'm sure you're all wondering, is by Club Monaco.)

And for more inspiration, visit The Glamourai (http://theglamourai.blogspot.com/). You will be thrilled to learn its author wears a lot of thrifted, diy, and fast-fashion items, including these boots by Patricia Field for Payless (shown above). She also mixes Forever 21 with Manolo Blahniks—brilliant!