Fashion Resolutions

     With every new year comes resolutions, most of them are hard if not impossible to keep. The one goal I set each year is to find the best deals on the latest fashion. I set this goal because it is easy to keep, and I am passionate about it. If you think about it there are a lot of ways to save money on cute clothes. My favorite is trying to replicate a designer outfit. I look in magazines and designer shops only for inspiration, then i go out and try to find similar pieces for a better price.
     The only way to succeed in this quest for fashion is to keep an open mind. Look every where. So many places have  great deals and you wouldn't even expect it. For example I was just shopping at Wet Seal and found a rack of winter coats for twenty dollars. These kind of coats usually go for around sixty plus dollars. I was so excited! I got a faux leather and shear-ling jacket. I wear it all the time.
     Forever 21 is also a fabulous place to get inexpensive trendy fashion. I mostly go there for accessories, With jewelry going as low as two dollars an item and belts usually around seven dollars, the place is hard to beat. I am always there looking for hats, belts, jewelry and basically everything else.
     My absolute favorite place in the word to shop is TJMaxx!!!! I am always there looking for deals. They have the best prices for designer handbags, jewelry, and clothes. It is an awesome place to go because sometimes its nice to have a designer item or two. This place though takes a bit of commitment. It takes a while to dig through all of the merchandise. I don't mind at all because i love looking at all of the clothes and every time i make out like a bandit. It is worth the time! My favorite is the clearance  rack. The clothes are already marked down as it is and when it goes on clearance it is a dream come true. TJMaxx has everything  you could ever want and the with the best prices I have ever seen.
      I especially love the handbag and shoe department! I love a good designer handbag, but who can afford one? At TJMaxx you can get that designer bag, you and your wallet will love it! The shoes are to die for! I get all of my Steve Madden's there. He is my FAVORITE shoe guy. But some of his styles are a bit out of my price range, sometimes the shoe I want ends up at TJMaxx!!!!! I guess the prices vary from store to store, but the Madden's I usually get are around $24.99!
     Example of an outfit for a good price!

     There it is! Jacket from H&M at $19.99, Shirt for Max Rave at $5.00, Belt from  Forever 21 at $7.50, Skirt is no longer available  from April Cornell (but on sale haha), Tights from Tjmaxx at $9.99 for pack of three, and the shoes (my fav part) are from Dexter from payless at $19.99!!!

Music Mix

     This Year has brought some amazing music and some amazing concerts! There have been so many unforgettable times with listening to and meeting cool new bands!! This is a recap of the concerts I have seen  this year! And I HIGHLY suggest all of these bands! They were all amazing!
     First up is the concert featuring A Silent Film, Civil Twilight, and The Rassle! They were all simply amazing!! A Silent Film's hit songs include You Will Leave a Mark and Driven by Your Beating Heart. The lead singer, Robert has a beautiful voice and amazing piano skills. The Bassist, Ali, is the best i have heard in a long time. Spencer, the drummer goes crazy on the drums and its fantastic! Last. but not least is Karl, the guitarist has genius skill!
      Civil Twilight sings Letters from the Sky, most of you probably heard it at the end of the movie I Am Number Four. They are absolutely amazing live, and put on a great show! I want to see them again as soon as possible! And The Rassle was a fantastic surprise! They were the opening act from NYC. Their music is addicting and they are giving away their EP for free on their site! (i linked above). The top photo is A Silent Film, the middle is the Rassle, and the last is Civil Twilight.

   The next concert was in May, the radio 104.5 free summer block party, this also was featuring A Silent Film. They also had Biffy Clyro and Kingsfoil. Biffy Clyro is an AMAZING alternative rock band from Scotland! They have an awesome sound and put on an awesome rock show! They come out with no shirts on and completely rock out! I will never forget it!!
     And Kingsfoil was also a surprise! They were the opening act for this show! They are from York Pennsylvania. They are fantastic, and really funny! Check them out! The concert was in May, but it was surprisingly cold and rainy, despite the weather the, crowd was huge and ready for a show! All of the band's performances were unforgettable! Photos: Top: Kingsfoil, middle: A Silent film, Bottom: Biffy Clyro.

The Next concert was in June at the TLA in Philly! This featured Foster the People! I LLOOOVVEE these guys! I loved their music, but was a little skeptical of how they would translate their sound to the stage. I was so amazed and impressed with what they did! If any of you have a chance to see them live please do it! It was so much fun, they were amazing, i want to experience it again! Here are some photos, sorry they are not the best!

     The next concert was also in June, and was also a Radio 104.5 summer block party! This was Featuring The Company of Thieves. The lead singer Genvieve, has the most amazing voice and an energetic stage presence! This Show also had She Wants Revenge! They are absolutely awesome!! Really, have a listen to them. They have a cool and different sound! Photos: first two; Company of Thieves, bottom two; She Wants Revenge.

     In July Radio 104.5 had another concert at the Piazza at Schmidt's. This one had Young the Giant! I have loved them for a long time! They sound awesome live, and are so fun to watch! Sameer's voice is fantastic! I just ordered their tee and CD because they sold out before the show ended! The opening act was a local Philly band! They are called Alright Junior. They are so cool! I love their music and think they will be pretty big sooner or later! Check out their EP on iTunes! Photos: top four; Young the Giant, Bottom two; Alright Junior.

     Last but certainly not least was another Radio 104.5 show. This took place in August. This features The Airborne Toxic Event and The Naked and Famous! These two bands are indescribable with awesomeness! All I can say is that they were fabulous! Mikel from TATE ended the show by climbing the rafters, and mid-song Anna crowd surfed. It was truly unforgettable! Photos: Last Two; The Naked and Famous, the rest are The Airborne Toxic Event

I cannot wait for the 2012 concert season to come around!! I will keep you posted!

Fashion has to fit

     To me the most important thing to fashion is fit and proportion. Wearing clothes that are too tight or too baggy just make you look heavier than you really are. Don't be afraid of size, if you look fabulous it doesn't matter  what the number on the tag of your jeans is.
      If you have pants that are too tight, you may be a victim of the "muffin top," which is when the top of your pants pushing up your love handles. I see women of various sizes doing this. The solution is simple, GO UP A SIZE. It is not the end of the world, and in fact you will look so much better. The most universally flattering pant is narrow at the thigh and flares out at the knee.
      Skirts, I have noticed, have also become a problem proportion wise. I have seen a lot of people wearing really tight and short skirts and this is a proportional nightmare. Those skirts cut up your leg line making them look thicker and shorter. It does that because the skirt ends at the thickest part of your leg. The best way to go with skirts is either a floaty A-line that falls right above the knee or a slim pencil skirt that falls right below the knee.
       Remember that tailoring is a quick and easy fix to fit problems. For example if your pants are too long, get them hemmed. Personally I have a problem with skirts, because I have a small waist, but a large bum. I always have huge gaps at the waist of my skirt. I always make sure the skirt fits the bum, then I get it taken in at the waist.
        I love winter fashion, sweaters, tights, layering, and suede booties are my favorite things to do. I have found that this winter I love paring a chunky sweater with a pencil skirt, tights, and wedges. For example:                             

     That's my perfect winter outfit! And it wasn't expensive at all! The shoes are Steve Madden. $24.99 at TJMaxx. Tights, $9.99 (3 pack) at TJMaxx. Sweater, was a bit of a splurge at $35.99 at Old Navy, and the Skirt was $13.99 at Target.

My First Post!!!

    Hello! My name is Erica, and I am very excited to have just created a blog! I am very passionate about fashion and alternative music! I am constantly discovering new bands and I can't wait to share them with you. Alternative concerts are amazing because the tickets are so well priced. I have recently been to a ton of concerts, so I will be writing reviews nonstop! 
     I will let you in on the latest fashion must haves, but at reasonable prices. I love fashion, but I don't have the wallet to supply my addiction so I am always looking for the best deals. Fashion DOESN'T have to be expensive! I will also be posting about how to dress different figures, I speacialize in dressing curvacious figures because it is my own, but I also have experience dressing thin frames, athletic builds, "pear" shaped, tall, and short. Feel free to ask questions, I would be more than happy to answer them!  Fashion is for every one! I will give styling tips as well! (styling is my fav part of fashion!)
      I am new to this so suggestions, comments, and inspiration would be much appreciated!