Horse lovers tend to spend money on their horses, not themselves. This is in large part because there are a fairly limited number of fashionable horse-themed items out there. There is the occasional t-shirt or necklace, but most equestrians are unlikely to be wearing the designer riding book look-a-likes when they're not at the barn wearing the real thing.

The Stallion Bag from designer Ryan Green bucks the trend. It is casual and stylish, with a running horse design printed on the bottom of the soft corduroy covering the bag. It appeals to horse lovers, but isn't so over the top in its association with equines that it wouldn't make a great bag for anyone looking for something a little different. The "poucho" bag gets its name from the unstructured shape and large open pouch pocket on the front. It comes in cream, magenta and black (pictured). Price: $68.

There comes a time when being a little bit of a nerd becomes a desirable thing. The specific time varies from person to person, but it's a fact that brains are going to get you farther in life than your high school free-throw record will. Embracing your inner nerd on the outside doesn't mean you have to make style sacrifices, though. Take a look at this Ruler Necklace, which makes good use of those standard rulers that were once heavily-relied upon by school kids everywhere. The pieces are strung on a 16" silver chain and priced at $68. Matching earrings are also available.

[via Popgadget]

Buying clothing off the rack, whether it's in a discount or a department store, is much easier and less expensive than getting clothing custom made or going straight to a designer. But even if the actual design of the garment is good, that doesn't mean it's going to fit properly. A few years ago, an ill-fitting garment might have been put back on that rack if it didn't work out in the dressing room, but that is no longer the case. Lately, the trend is to buy clothes and have them altered to fit your body and your tastes. People are even getting their t-shirts tailored -- where once the most common alteration was to lengthen or shorten a hemline or inseam.

This taste for tailoring is known as "remaking" clothes and Barney's, for example, is reporting a 20% increase in the number of alterations made this year over last year. Requests are made for more body-conscious clothing, at a level that clothing made to fit different body types simply cannot match.

Is it worth the added expense? It is to many, who get a satisfaction out of having created something at some level. To others, it isn't worth the time or the price and they'd rather seek out brands that fit them well from the get-go than wait 2-3 weeks for their newly remade t-shirt to get returned.

[via WSJ]

Almost more important than all the books on what to eat and how to lose weight is a book about how to look like you've already done those things. Of course, it's important live a healthy lifestyle, but it's also nice to be able to look like you do. How Not To Look Fat is similar in concept to the TV shows that dispense various fashion advice, but it is a bit more direct, taking the position that the first step towards looking good is not looking, well, fat.

The book ($9.72 at Amazon) dispenses advice on how to make sure you're always looking your best, whether that involves picking more flattering clothes or sitting in a different posture (to give the impression of looking slimmer). The author, Danica Lo, is a former plus-size model, in addition to being a fashion and beauty writer, so her book reflects her personal experiences and knowledge that not everyone has to look like Nicole Richie in order to look fabulous (and not fat).

The Parameter Jumper is a throwback to a 1960's style, but it has been updated just enough not only to look more contemporary, but to look great, too. The dress has a slightly tucked waist and comes with a flattering belt to highlight the area in a move away from the more boxy 60's look. Angled pockets make it visually interesting, as well as practical, and the two-tone shift style, with a darker layer extending beneath the lighter one, adds dimension to the otherwise unremarkable gray tones. The dress is pictured with black tights, but as fall approaches, pairing this dress with some high, funky boots and a sparkly bracelet is the best way to go. Price: $274.

Coach makes some great, high-quality products. Their leather bags are always stylish and long-lasting, so they're a great choice for an everyday purse (especially if you can pick one up at the outlet store). Some of their accessories, on the other had, are a bit... excessive. For example, they have lots of little keychains and charms to hang on your handbags priced at $50 and even $60. You could buy another bag for that much!

That said, I can't get over how adorable their new Owl Keyfob is. This little guy is made of leather, with naturally dyed calfhair covering his wings and Coach's signature logo fabric on his belly, but those eyes are what make him hard to resist. $40 for a keychain isn't that bad, is it?

No, that header isn't an assertion that I'm making, since I have no idea what your house looks like. It's the title of the blog My house is cuter than yours in which a fabulous retro-chic blogger does has parties, makes aprons and all sorts of other crafty things. She knows what style she likes and she fully embraces it. One of my favorite posts on her blog is the photo tour of her house - which really is cuter than mine. Have you ever seen such a perfectly outfitted retro kitchen? I simply love the look and think that her use of vintage/old-looking food containers and boxes adds a really interesting touch to the decor.

More pics after the jump.

Continue reading “My house is cuter than your house”

Whether they're the real thing or just the pseudo-vintage variety, those old-fashioned metal signs are a great piece to add to a room. I've found them in both antique and thrift stores and even at craft stores and shops in the mall. And prevalent though they may be, they are a seemingly infinite number of designs and myriad places to put them.

My personal favorites are all the food-related ones, such as old Coca-Cola ads or even signs that promote various citrus growers, which I have found a number of here in California. You can put them in any room, but they give a particularly homey feel to a kitchen and have the added benefit of not being damaged by exposure to heat or moisture, so you can hand one over the stove.

Other design options include stores, restaurants, cheesy tag lines, vacation destinations and generic slogans, like "hot, fresh coffee!" or "ice cold beer!" Tack them in an office, bedroom or even send them to a recent grad that is looking to decorate their dorm room. As a final selling point, they're usually fairly inexpensive, which means that you can change them around as many times as your heart desires - and that's not a feature you can count on with a lot of artsy things.

In a quest to find even more ways to help the envorinment and take advanage of resources that were in plain sight, but going to waste, designer Elizabethe Hake came up with these black, rubber bracelets. This line of accessories - since jewelry would probably not be the optimal term for this product - is made from reclaimed rubber bicycle tires. The origin of the rubber is evident in the style and shape of the bangles, as they even look a bit like bike chains. Some of the bracelets have sterling silver accents, too. Overall, the idea is to make the statement that environmental friendliness doesn't have to be about "hemp and granola." Not that there is anything necessarily wrong with that, but sometimes it's good to have a more modern option.

I was saddened to see footless tights on sale at Urban Outfitters, as it could be interpreted as a sign of the coming fashion apocalypse. These un-socks, since there exists no better term to describe them, are ugly. They might not look that bad on the catologue's model, but have you seen them on a real person? It's not a good thing. Lindsay Lohan's attempts to bring back bike shorts in a non-workout context were bad enough, but we have to draw the line somewhere. And it's not going to be drawn in nylon just below the knee.