The Budget Babe | Affordable Fashion & Style Blog

Your Front Row Seat at Fashion Week


New York Fashion Week Coverage

New York Fashion Week Fall 2009 is in full swing, so where should you go to get the best coverage? Check out our list of websites that bring all the online action right to your fingertips. It's the best seat in the house!

Style.com is naturally the first place you'd go for comprehensive coverage. See all the shows in "fierce, full-screen coverage," plus save your favorites to your personal lookbook.

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New York Mag has a full-screen mode for their slideshows which lets you see every single stitch, seam and pleat in amazing detail. Behind-the-scenes coverage and party pics provide even more eye-candy.

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Coutorture broke down barriers as one of the first online entities to gain bloggers access to fashion week. Now their coverage is among the best is the biz.

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  • Check out their community must-reads to see what the rest of the blogging world thinks of fashion week.

What I Wore: Valentine's Day




As tempted as I was to run out and buy a new outfit for Valentine's Day, I decided to do the frugal thing and work with what I already had in my closet—plus a few new trendy accessories. I began with this bright red dress from Forever 21 that I had worn sans tights with strappy teal sandals and a teal sash to a wedding last summer. Then I started winterizing the whole look (we're back to freezing here in the Northeast) with this Norma Kamali for Walmart blazer (cuffs rolled up); new black tights from Target; this new black belt from Target; and these new black shoes, also from (ta-da!) Target. I finished the look with a gold pyramid stud bangle by Kenneth Jay Lane (via Gilt) and this magenta wristlet from the Marc by Marc Jacobs store in Chicago. The outfit went over well with the boyfriend, who treated me to a fantastic dinner last night (we're celebrating V-Day and other things all weekend long). What I can't tell you was what I wore underneath my frock, but let's just say it was as important as the rest of the ensemble.

Have a fab Valentine's Day everyone!

Lesportsac Look-Alikes at Target

I went to Target yesterday hoping to see the just released Go International Private Label Collection 6 (I think that's what they're calling it), as well as the Erickson Beamon for Target jewelry collection (which some of you have already seen in your Target stores)—but of course, my Target didn't have either collection! Figures.

I still managed to pick up some cute things like colored tights, a cute satin bra, lace panties (I forgot how great Target's underwear can be sometimes!), this belt and these shoes (real leather uppers, not bad). Speaking of shoes, my Target did have a great selection of new footwear for Spring, including sandals, some cute Tory Burch-inspired flats (done to death, but these had a flower instead of a gold medallion) and some towering going-out heels for all your party needs.

I also cruised through the handbag section to see if the Hayden-Harnett for Target bags were on sale yet, but they were not. Prepared to pay full price (gasp), I had the black wristlet in my hands as I started walking towards the check-out, but as I examined it more carefully, I discovered the zipper was broken. No wonder it was the last one left. Boo.


LeSportsac Knock offs

In the midst of all this, I spotted some nylon bags by Xhilaration which remind me of the bright, boldly patterned bags by LeSportsac.


LeSportsac Knockoffs

I think they'd be great for travel, or toting makeup and other essentials. If you like the look, you'll love Target's prices. The End.



Left: Xhilaration Hearts Duffle, $22.99 at Target.com; Right: Xhilaration Multicolor Duffle, $22.99 at Target.com


Create Your Hot Look Contest at Wet Seal


Create Your Hot Look Contest at Wet Seal

Wet Seal's got a contest going on right now where you build a Valentine outfit using at least 3 items from their online store, then tag the outfit "V-Day 2009" for your chance to win a $100 giftcard. What got me interested was the whole "build your outfit" part—I hadn't realized that Wet Seal has created their very own Polyvore-esque tool. (Maybe Forever 21 will be next!) It's actually pretty fun, even if you're limited to Wet Seal's hit-or-miss inventory.

Sign up for a free account to save your looks, post them to a virtual "runway" and rate other looks by fellow fashionistas. One downside is that you can't resize products using the outfit building tool, but other than that, the interface works better than expected. The coolest feature is that it automatically calculates the total cost of your looks, and if you love your creation, you can add the entire outfit to your shopping bag. Now that's marketing at its best!

Start stylin' for yourself (and enter the contest!) at WetSeal.com.

Four Frilly Tops: Would You Wear One?




Like a towering, layered wedding cake, these tiered ruffle tops look good enough to eat. The yummy colors are also delicious and irresistible for spring. Paired with slim black pants and heels, I think any of these tops would be perfect for an evening out. Toss on a fitted cardigan or blazer and you could even get away with one of these fashion confections at work. What do you think, too much frill or just right?

[1] Tiered Silk Blend Top, $27.80 at Forever21.com
[2] Ali Ro Tiered Ruffle Blouse, Was $264 Now $105.60 at Gilt.com
[3] Walter Tiered Chiffon Ruffle Blouse, Was $322.08 Now $108.00 at Gilt.com
[4] Xhilaration Sleeveless Ruffle Top, $17.99 at Target.com