Elite Fashions Close Out Sale

Today I took a trip to the Westfield Sunrise mall in Massapequa, NY. As I was walking around the mall, a store called Elite Fashions caught my eye. Imagine my surprise when I realized my newly discovered store was having a close out sale. While the markdown prices weren't exactly super cheap like some other stores that have been closing down, I did manage to get a cute top with a tattoo design for only $12.99 (no picture available, sorry). I figured I might as well buy something from there before the store is completely gone. For anyone wondering what Elite Fashions is like, the style of clothing reminded me a little bit of Hot Topic but the store itself seemed to have a softer feel to it. I would say it's maybe a cross between Hot Topic and Forever 21. Anyway, anybody living on Long Island who's interested in checking out this store should head out to Westfield Sunrise soon before it closes down. I don't know if Elite Fashions exists anywhere besides Westfield Sunrise since the store doesn't really have an official website, but it might be worth looking into. While I was out there, I also discovered another store called Tinkerbell (keep in mind, I rarely ever go to this mall as it is about thirty minutes away from where I live). This store is similar to Claire's or Icing. It is filled with a lot of cute jewelry and accessories. While I don't believe this store is closing down anytime soon, they still had some pretty awesome sales. There was a "Buy 2 Get 2 free" deal on the earrings and the two earrings that had to be paid for were on $2.99 each. I, of course, was unable to resist this deal. Again, I don't know if there are any other Tinkerbell stores besides the one in Westfield Sunrise, but I thought others might be interested in looking into this store too. So overall, I would say traveling out to Massapequa was definitely worth it and I hope to visit this mall again soon. I hope other Long Islanders and New Yorkers found this post helpful. Even you don't live in NY, I hope this info is still useful in case you ever visit this area. To make up for not having any pictures from Elite Fashions or Tinkerbell, I will post a picture of the new hat I bought from Wet Seal today and give some shopping information about it (though sadly the beret I bought from there still isn't available on the site). I plan to wear this hat tomorrow so let me know what you think of it!

Houndstooth Military Cap, $9.50, shown in teal; also available in brown, wetseal.com

I Love A Beret

Here in NY, the temperature is below freezing and the snow has been falling (though I hear it's been the opposite in beautiful southern California). With this kind of weather, I definitely can't be outside without a hat. In addition to the fedora, another one of this winter's trendy hats is the beret. Since I'm an artist and am fascinated with french culture (and I also have a love for different types of hats!), I was immediately drawn to the idea of trying this trend, so I went out and bought a beret from Wet Seal a couple of months ago. I must say, I love wearing my beret! It keeps my head warm and it keeps my hair from getting wet in the snow. It also looks cute and makes me feel like taking a trip to Paris every time I put it on! While the hat that I own is unfortunately not available on Wet Seal's website, I have found some other stylish berets online that are sure to make people around you say "ooh la la" when you go out wearing them.

Chloe Beret, $16.50, alloy.com

Rib Knit O/S Beret, $9.99, shown in pumpkin; also available in dark brown, bakersshoes.com

Button Beret, $19.99, bebe.com

Grommet Beret, $31.49, bebe.com

Rhinestone Beret, $39.00, bebe.com

Solid Popcorn Oversized Beret, $34.00, betseyjohnson.com

Cable Knit Beret, $12.99. shown in purple; also available in black, brown, burgundy, camel, gray, off white, olive, and teal, charlotterusse.com

Striped Beret, $10.99, charlotterusse.com

Gwen Plaid Beret, $9.50, shown in blue multi; also available in pink multi, delias.com

Basic Beret, $7.80, shown in blue; also availabe in grey, forever21.com

Fab Crochet Beret, $5.50, shown in cream; also available in black, mustard, grey, and magenta, forever21.com

Tira Knitted Beret, $8.80, shown in blue; also available in mustard, forever21.com

Ellie Beret, $28.00, shown in gold; also available in silver and nut, freepeople.com

Chunky Knit Beret, $19.99, gap.com

Leopard Fuzzie Beret, $14.99, hottopic.com

Teal Crochet Beret, $14.99, hottopic.com

Basic Wool Beret, $10.00, mandee.com

David & Young Slouchy Beret, $16.00, shown in purple; also available in crean, nordstrom.com

Fownes Marled Beret, $5.59, shown in boysenberry muti; also available in alpaca multi and black multi, sears.com

Brick Weave Beret, $11.50, wetseal.com

Crochet Beret Hat, $10.50, shown in pink; also available in dusty pink and teal, wetseal.com

Heavy Knit Beret, $11.50, shown in orange; also available in ivory, charcoal, grey, and black, wetseal.com

Thick Oversized Beret, $11.50, wetseal.com

Loose Weave Knit Beret, $11.50, shown in burgundy; also available in grey and black, wetseal.com

I hope you enjoyed my tres chic fashion finds. I'm looking into adding more berets to my collection so if you find any more yourself, let me know. Also, let me know if there are any other hat trends that you would like me to write about in my blog. With school starting up again on Wednesday, I'm going to need to do everything I can to stay warm while walking between buildings on campus; tell me if you have any other suggestions on how to keep warm. E-mail me at Charmed42787@gmail.com or send a message on myspace. Au Revoir!

2Fer The Price Of 1

I have a lot of tank tops and short-sleeved shirts that I would love to wear right now, but can't because I would freeze to death in NY's brutal winter weather. So what's a New Yorker who wants to wear these types of clothes in the winter supposed to do? Layer them! And that's exactly what I've been doing. I simply put my sleeveless or short-sleeved top on over a sweater or a long-sleeved shirt and thus; am able to keep warm and look stylish at the same time. I must admit, I've been having so much fun experimenting with this trend. The options are endless! You can also layer if you have a nice shirt that is see-through or really low-cut and don't feel comfortable wearing it by itself. You can rock this trend in the Spring/Summer too. Just try putting a sleeveless top over a short-sleeved shirt. If you want to try this trend but aren't sure what pieces you want to layer with, there are many items that come already layered. These are know as 2Fers. A 2Fer may include (but is not limited to) the outfits I suggested above, a skirt/blouse combo that forms the look of dress, dresses over shirts, and the ever popular vest over blouse look that you probably remember seeing in previous blog entries. I will now show some more examples of a 2Fer below.

Cap Sleeve Sweater, $14.99, available in sizes S-XL, alloy.com

Double V-Neck Halter Top, $14.99, shown in black/white; also available in blue, sizes XS-XXXL, alloy.com

Juicy Couture Women's Puff "Two-Fer" Long Sleeve Hoodie with Kangaroo Pocket, $46.80, shown in heather janey; also available in black, sizes Small and Large, bloomingdales.com

Aqua Women's "2Fer" Vest, $33.60, available in sizes X Small-Large, bloomingdales.com

Abstract Floral Sweater, $21.99, available in sizes S-L, charlotterusse.com

Knit Vest Top, $24.99, available in sizes S-L, charlotterusse.com

Layered Blouse, $19.99, available in sizes S-L, charlotterusse.com

Layered Stripe Top, $22.99, available in sizes S-L, charlotterusse.com

Two-In-One Top, $19.99, shown in brown mix; also available in gray combo, sizes S-L (brown mix only available in S), charlotterusse.com

Layered Ruffle Top, $24.99, available in sizes S-L, charlotterusse.com

2fer Belted Pinstripe Dress, available in sizes S-XL, mandee.com

2fer Black Knit Top Belted, $34.99, available in sizes 5-11, mandee.com

2fer Dress W/Red Belt, $34.99, available in sizes 3-11, mandee.com

2fer Pullover Sweatshirt Full Hope, $19.20, available in sizes S-L, mandee.com

2fer Pullover Sweatshirt Love Rock, $19.20, available in sizes S-L, mandee.com

2Fer Vest Black W/Dot Top, $28.00, available in sizes S-L, mandee.com

10 Inch Faux 2fer Argyle, $16.99, shown in royal blue; also available in purple, sizes S-L, mandee.com

Halter Ruffle 2fer, $34.99, available in sizes S-XL, mandee.com

Houndstooth 2fer, $24.00, shown in brown; also available in black/white, sizes S-L (brown not available in L), mandee.com

Lace Tie Neck 2fer, $24.00, available in sizes M and L, mandee.com

Peasant Satin Giraffe 2fer, $39.99, available in sizes 5-13, mandee.com

Printed Tunic and Scarf 2fer, $24.00, available in sizes M-XL, mandee.com

Scoop Lantern Belted 2Fer, $11.99, shown in purple; also available in black, sizes L and XL, mandee.com

Ruffle Satin 2fer, $39.99, available in sizes 5-13, mandee.com

American Rag Layered Cowl-Neck Sweater, $44.98, shown in ivory; also available in purple, sizes XS-L, macys.com

Zinc Racerback Layered, Tank Top, $38.00, available in sizes XS-L, macys.com

Argyle Layered Look Top, $12.99, available in sizes Small-X-Large, jcpenney.com

Fabulosity Sweater, $22.99, available in sizes Small-X-Large, jcpenney.com

Southpole Lurex Stripe 2fer, $12.99, shown in nude; also available in red, sizes Large-XX-Large, jcpeenney.com

Clara Layered Sweater Top, $22.80, available in sizes Small-Large, forever21.com

In-Vain Mock-Layered Vest Tunic, $13.99, available in sizes Small-X Large, kohls.com

I hope the outfits featured above give you some more ideas for layering. I realize that some of the pieces I posted are actually sewn together and can't be worn seperately, but they still form the look of two seperate pieces and that is also a really cool style. The clothes that can be worn seperately cost the same price that only buying one item would cost. Isn't that awesome? You can also take the pieces that can be worn seperately and then layer it with another outfit to create a totally different look. Another advantage to layering? With the downfall of the economy, I know most of us have not been able to buy that many (if any) new clothes. If you're tired of wearing the same clothes over and over again, layering is a great way to give your old wardrobe a whole new twist. If you have any more ideas on how to layer and would like me to put them in my blog, let me know. E-mail me at Charmed42787@gmail.com or send a message on myspace.