When you’re suddenly bedridden on a three-day weekend, courtesy of a particularly nasty cold, reading magazines is a cheerful way to pass the hours (unlike blowing your nose through entire boxes of Kleenex). In doing so, I was inspired by a section in Glamour magazine, where stylish girls shared their tips for dressing with flair. The catch? They made less than $30K per year…but from their wardrobes, you could never tell! Needless to say, I mined their interviews for money-saving ideas. One girl said that every season, she made a strictly-edited list of coveted closet additions, and stuck to it (rather than picking up items here and there as the spirit moved her). It makes sense, right? Grocery lists keep you from trolling the aisles in search of frivolous sugary purchases, and to-do lists at work keep me on track to get out of the office on time…it’s about planning ahead so you can stay focused and maximize your resources. So I think I’ll do the same for my summer shopping list!

Side note: I’m totally loving Glamour! I didn’t read it growing up (I was kept busy with the ridiculous number of other magazines my mom subscribed to). But they’ve caught my eye recently by featuring thought-provoking pieces on body image, and by practicing what they preach (a beautiful, fuller-figured woman is featured on this month’s cover, in a swimsuit!). I love this—sure, many women’s magazines now feature articles to the tune of “You’re Beautiful Just the Way You Are,” but few offer great work (like cover opportunities) to models who look like normal people. So kudos to Glamour for challenging the status quo with action, not just lip service.

Without further ado, my must-haves for summer!

(more…)

For me, new life stages usually beget the realization that I need to change my clothes. Expectations and attitude, sure, but more importantly my wardrobe. What made this post-grad realization different, though, was that I knew it’d be permanent. For that first big college internship, I hurried out for a summertime business-casual shopping spree. But I knew that come August, like midnight for Cinderella, I’d be back in my carefree collegiate duds.

This time, there’s no expiration date on my job, and I was in need of more than those internship holdovers I wore a few Julys ago in Chicago. It was Mall Time! But serious Mall Time, not like those lazy, aimless excursions of junior high. This time, I was ready with a plan of attack, my eye relentlessly on the prize.

(more…)

Over the years, more and more of my relatives have resettled in California. It used to be that the majority of us resided in Illinois; now, we’re evenly divided between Chicago and Los Angeles camps. (Most of them have experienced more than a few Midwestern winters, and I can’t say I blame anyone for choosing sunshine over snow flurries.)

The California contingent is a pretty awesome group of people. There’s my little brother, a film student; my oldest cousin, working towards becoming a screenwriter in Hollywood; and the coolest, most fun aunt, uncle, and younger cousin you could imagine. I’ve really missed them in the years since they migrated to the West Coast, especially since I’ve become a full-time East Coaster.

Given all this, you can’t blame me for spending more than a few lunch hours surfing Orbitz for airfare. And it looks like I’ll be a paying customer of theirs soon, making my way westward to visit L.A. this April. But until I actually step on the plane, I’ll be spending my time daydreaming about what I’ll wear when I step off that plane into the sun. (Humor me, people, it’s January…and raining!)

(more…)