Colleges Fit For a Disney Princess

Fun fact: Most of the Disney Princesses are aged between 14 and 19. This can only mean that, had they not lived in the Magical Fantasyland of Dreams Come True, they'd be living here, enduring the giddy drudgery of  the College Search.  While we can't say for sure where or whether they would have gone to school, we can hazard a few guesses based on their evident interests and personalities.  See our theories below...

Pocahontas (Pocahontas) – Bennington College Nestled in the deep forests of Vermont, Bennington is a top choice for hippies and tree-huggers, the kinds of people who consider rainstorms their brothers and otters their  friends.  As a Princess who talks to trees and hangs around a remarkably zen raccoon, Pocahontas will undoubtedly be a perfect fit for Bennington.  Plus, with their “optional grading” policy, she could totally hand in a blank sheet of paper in Studio Art 101 and say she was “painting with all the colors of the wind, man,” and not fail the semester.

Similar schools: University of Vermont, Oberlin College, Guilford College

Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) – Undesignated Party School She likes to sleep.  She likes to dance. She falls for complete strangers she meets in forests (read: frat houses) and doesn’t show much interest in academic pursuits.  This Princess is going to a party school.  It doesn’t matter where – a girl who stabs her hand on a glowing, sketchy-looking spinning wheel after being told what it would do to her will go wherever she can get in.  Plus, we don’t want to mention any party schools by name…it could ruin our relationships with certain esteemed institutions.  But c’mon.  You’re all thinking of at least one…

Tiana (The Princess and the Frog) – The University of Chicago Yes, Tiana likes cooking.  But as it's the 21st century and women have at least a few more career options to choose from, we'll pretend she's interested in academic pursuits as well.  With her intelligence, prodigious work ethic and ability to survive on mere seconds of sleep per night, Tiana has what it takes to survive at the University of Chicago.  A progressive thinker whose choices aren't limited by the status quo, this princess will probably be able accomplish anything she dreams up – provided she never tries to kick her caffeine addiction.  UChicago is reputed for having some of the hardest-working, passionate, and most sleep-deprived students in the country.

Similar schools: Swarthmore College, Reed College, Carnegie Mellon University

Mulan (Mulan) – United States Military Academy at West Point West Point is the one place Mulan can participate in elaborate military training montages while her well-built commander sings about deconstructing gender stereotypes.    The United States Military Academy at West Point is located in upstate New York, and is the alma mater of countless notable US military commanders…for better or worse.  And as a warrior who single-handedly defeated an entire army, she certainly fits the West Point motto, "Much of the history we teach was made by people we taught."

Similar Schools:  United States Air Force Academy, United States Naval Academy, United States Coast Guard Academy

Ariel (The Little Mermaid) – University of California at Santa Barbara As a denizen of both earth and sea, Ariel could only be really happy at a place like University of California Santa Barbara.  Located on the coast of California, UCSB is known for its beautiful campus, beautiful students, and evident lack of dress code.  Ariel would feel quite at home in her clam-shell bikini, and if she gets into their prestigious Oceanography and Marine Biology program, nobody would think it was *that* weird that she spends most of her time arguing with a crab.

Similar schools: St. Mary's College of Maryland, University of Hawaii at Manoa, University of South Florida

Snow White (Snow White and the Seven Dwarves) – Deep Springs College Snow would probably at least apply to Deep Springs College.  Deep Springs College is a tiny but very competitive all-boys school located in the middle of the California wilderness.  Its unconventional education focuses on manual labor - tending the ranch and its various animals – as well as high-caliber academics.  Snow White would probably spend her time there blissfully keeping house, hanging out with a group of strange men and growing her own food.  As for the all-boys rule?  Snow is dense enough to take apples from strangers, so she’s probably dense enough to apply to an all-boys school and not notice.  And her name is unisex enough that they might even let her in, before kicking her out two weeks later on account of her relentless singing. 

Similar Schools: None

Rapunzel (Tangled) – University of Colorado at Boulder Ah, Rapunzel, Rapunzel.  She just wants to go on an adventure and engage in a little healthy rebellion against her overbearing mother.  And with its plucky, open-minded student body and very accessible mountain ranges, University of Colorado at Boulder offers all the adventure a college student could want.  Just outside its pristine lawns and gray stone walls lies a vast wilderness of snow-topped peaks, cougars, bison and Paleo-dieters just waiting to be explored.  And if she’s still got that teenage rebellion itch to scratch, the surrounding town has enough products of the liberal agenda available to drive any conservative parent insane.

Similar schools: Montana State University - Bozeman, University of California Santa Cruz, University of New Hampshire

Nala (The Lion King) - ? What kind of college would a lion go to?  We don’t know.  We feel sorry for her classmates, because they will probably be lunch.

Belle (Beauty and the Beast) – St. John’s College Annapolis As an intellectual, unconventional type with voracious appetite for reading, Belle would be a great fit for St. John’s.  This school’s alternative curriculum delves deeply into the “Great Books” of Western literature, and would appeal to her independent spirit.  Finally, she’d be surrounded by the handful of her peers that actually did their English reading and secretly enjoyed it.

Similar Schools: St. John's College Santa Fe, Kenyon College, Hamilton College

Jane (Tarzan) – Yale University Though an oft forgotten Disney heroine, Jane actually stands a chance of getting into an Ivy League School.  She’s the daughter of a professor, she’s a brilliant scholar and zoologist, and she still finds time to practice her artwork.  And just in case we weren't starting to feel bad enough about our own paltry accomplishments, this heroine has already done extensive field research in Africa.  Most likely, she’ll travel abroad sophomore year, transfer to a foreign university, devote herself to a cause and never come back.

Similar schools:  Harvard University, Columbia University, Princeton University

Jasmine (Aladdin) – New York University After watching her stunning performance seducing Jafar, we can all agree that Jasmine is a clear contender for their Tisch School of the Arts. NYU students come from a huge variety of backgrounds, but usually have a few things in common:  they’re sophisticated, they're interested in world affairs, and they have an interesting relationship with privilege.  Luckily, as the daughter of a Sultan, Jasmine can easily pay the school’s tuition, New York City rent, and the inevitable shoe therapy following her Freshman year break-up with Aladdin.

Similar schools: Georgetown University, American University, University of California at Los Angeles

Alice (Alice in Wonderland) – Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts Disney acid sequences?  She was into those BEFORE they were cool, hombre.  Whether or not she tries to be, Alice is really, really strange.  Alice is going to college with that kid in your class who drove your English teacher crazy by writing his papers in verse and performing them as an interpretive dance.  Located in The Village, New York, The New School generates the kind of individualistic/borderline insane artists that nobody understands but everyone still wants to copy.  At least, that’s what they like to think.

Similar schools: Emerson University, Bard College, Vassar College

Cinderella (Cinderella) – Liberty University Liberty is currently the largest Evangelical Christian university in the world, and espouses such values as chastity before marriage, squeaky-clean language and midnight curfews.  No, really. In all likelihood, Cinderella will be competing with many other eligible maidens for her MRS degree, but lucky for her, she won’t be the only girl turning into a pumpkin at midnight...or something like that.  And with such an excellent imagination, Cinderella will have no problem visiting the Liberty University Museum and looking at its 3,000-year-old dinosaur fossils.

Similar schools: Oral Roberts University, Bob Jones University, Brigham Young University

The New World of College Apps

The smartphone in your pocket might be one of the most important tools you'll use in college. If you don't have an Android device, then you're missing out on some killer apps. Look for a phone like the Samsung Galaxy s3, which has a larger screen and enough memory, to run any kind of app you want. Then check out the following apps and be ready for whatever college throws at you.

The Visitor Guide Apps

Campus Publishers and University Visitors Network, producers of 40+ Official Campus Print and Online Visitor Guides for prospective and existing college students and their parents, has launched an exciting new Mobile App for iPhone, iPad, and Android phones and tablets.  Campus Publishers will make the App available to its 40+ current university clients and also license the technology to other interested colleges and universities.

Each Mobile App is specific to the respective university and offers users/visitors a comprehensive, convenient way to explore the college of their choosing. These powerful new Apps will complement university visits and assist in the selection process for college education. The App provides a wide range of information, including GPS directions to the relevant campus and GPS Guided Campus Tours based on a variety of points of interest on each campus. Pictures, texts and videos allow the user to learn all about the campus they are investigating before they arrive or while they are on-campus.

To take a look at what's to come, download the Visit UMD , our pilot app for the University of Maryland.  Apps can be downloaded for free at the Apple itunes Store or Google Play Store located at:

itunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/visit-umd/id566019881?ls=1&mt=8

Google: https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=Campus+Publishers#?t=W251bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLDEwMiwiY29tLnJ1dGdlcnMiXQ.

Kindle for Android

College requires a lot of reading. The Kindle app lets you carry thousands of titles with you in your pocket. Buy or download eBooks or read text files. Get a little extra reading done while you're waiting in line or for class to start. You can change the font, size and screen brightness. Organize your eBooks to be able to find them quickly.

Studious

This app is a to-do list and calendar made specifically for students. You can track your class times, assignments and exams and have the app remind you when they're coming up. You can also save notes and photos with your entries.

Easy Voice Recorder

Most smartphones have a voice recorder, but they're usually difficult to use and have few features. This voice recorder app is easy to use and valuable for recording lectures. Sometimes your notes may be unclear or you missed a point while writing something else down. Having a recording is a simple way to make sure you haven't missed a thing. Easy Voice Recorder records MP4 and WAV files. A widget keeps the app on your home screen so you can quickly access it.

The handyCalc Calculator

This app lets you use your smartphone as a scientific calculator. One less gadget you have to buy and carry around. Great for science, math and engineering, there are graphing and plotting functions, as well. Currency, metric and unit conversions are handled by built-in functions.

Google Docs for Android

Google Docs is a great place to store notes and documents that you can access later from your laptop or tablet computer. It takes care of syncing documents so you'll have access to the current docs from any device. You can have multiple accounts or use folders to organize your documents. A PDF viewer is also included with this app.

Wapedia

There is so much information stored in Wikipedia now. And there are numerous Wikipedia sites to search on. This app lets you easily search through several Wikipedia sites at once. Save frequently performed searches for future use.

Skype

Using the larger screen and high-resolution camera such as on the Samsung Galaxy s3 Android smartphone, Skype is a great video chat tool for keeping contact with friends and family. There are many controls for picture and sound quality. An address book makes it easy to contact the people in your life.

Facebook, Twitter

These are no-brainer apps to have on your smartphone while at college. Your network of friends will grow exponentially in college and these tools will be some of the most important ways to be connected.

Carry Your Toolbox With You

Don't hesitate to try these apps out. Many are free or low cost. Keep the ones you like and get rid of the rest. You'll soon have a toolbox of apps to help you throughout your college career.

Photo by Flickr user Reliance Digital Store

Thanksgiving Break, by Jesse Frank

So, Thanksgiving is right around the corner! Hip Hip Hooray! In an attempt to procrastinate studying for my exams, I decided to plan out what I am going to do over Thanksgiving break. Having not been home in three months there are a lot of people I want to see. My goal for this break: Never stop moving. I learned last year that a college student over break is like a shark, it must keep moving to survive.

Now I love my family, I really do. But I swear, as soon as I step inside my childhood home I go from 19-year old (semi) mature college student Jesse, to 15 year old totally immature Jesse. I know my mom, dad, and sister can attest to this. I mean how often do I run around college making fart noises using the age-old “hand-under-the-armpit” trick? Never… well maybe once or twice. And how often do I do that when I am home over breaks? At least once a day, if not more. I’m pretty sure my parents think college has not done much for me, but I swear it has (I can do calculus!)

Anyways, I decided I need to “keep moving” so I don’t revert back to 15-year old totally immature Jesse. Essentially, I cannot spend all 10 days of my Turkey Day Break in my house. Since I have a super-long break I can go visit my high-school and camp friends at their respective universities! Hooray for friends!

So less than 10 hours after landing in Michigan I will head to the University of Michigan (sorry family) for football and friends. The next day I’ll continue my journey to see more friends at Michigan State University. Maybe I’ll even get a little studying done with them. Then, like any return trip home, there must be a day chalked up for appointment and errands. That is my Tuesday. Wednesday I’ll finally spend some time with my family and make lots of farting noises. Thursday will be more football and food! I’m calling it now: Lions will beat the Packers (solely because I will be in attendance). Obviously, I will be with my family since it is Turkey Day. In honor of this family-oriented holiday I will (attempt) to withhold any “immature” jokes, acts, etc. from the day. I will most likely fail at this. The chance for a “That’s What She Said” joke will be too enticing.

From this informal schedule of “Jesse’s Thanksgiving Break Plans” you can see I will be at my house for three straight days! Woah! Looks like I need to leave again! Off to Ann Arbor to watch the greatest rivalry in all of college sports: Michigan-Ohio State football. Sidenote: While I do attend the University of Colorado, and am a huge, huge Buff fan, there is something special about UofM-OSU. After the game I get one more day with the fam and then it’s back to Boulder to resume college-like things (aka studying for finals).

Now, I’m sure some (read: all) of you are reading this asking yourself “Why do I care about what Jesse is doing over Thanksgiving break?” Quite honestly I really don’t know why you care about what I’m doing. In fact, you probably don’t give 2 craps about what I’m doing. So, to give this post some meaning, here is what all the above blabbing was about:

Thanksgiving is a time to be with friends and family. So take advantage of your time off from school and work and see as many people as you can! Be with the people you (hopefully) love and care about! But remember, too much of a good thing is still too much. So make like a shark and keep moving!

-Jesse

Is That For The Tacky Sweater Party? It's Not? My Bad. By Elizabeth Hernandez

While we have still been getting lucky with mid-60 degree weather in early November, Thanksgiving is just around the corner. And while Thanksgiving may bring lots of food, fall colors and families together, one thing it also brings is colder weather. I am still having a hard time parting with my wedges, bikinis and sundresses but I am looking forward to new winter boots, trendy new hats, and of course pumpkin spiced lattes from Starbucks.

Much like many fashion trends, everything at one point in time comes back around. For example; holiday sweaters. Oh yes, the ones that your parents made you wear, that not only were itchy and matched your younger siblings, but had a giant reindeer or snowman plastered on the front. Here, let me remind you.

Do I even need to tell you how awful that is? This is one trend I never thought would come back around, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised by anything. I mean, how are you supposed to have a tacky sweater themed party when someone isn't showing up in these things on a regular basis? And not only are these sweaters a popular trend, the price of a piece of clothing you thought escaped from your past is even more ridiculous in some cases. Take a look.

Moncler Shawl Collar Reindeer Cardigan featured at Nordstrom.com $600.00 $600.00?!!! I know you gasped for air just like I did when I saw that. I honestly don't think I would be able to take my guy seriously or any other guy for that matter in this reindeer infested cardigan. Could you? No. Next up is a holiday sweater from American Eagle.

AE Reindeer Sweater $49.50

Not nearly as expensive, but almost equally as awful. I really think if my mom had kept my clothes from when I was little, a smaller version of this sweater would be discovered.

Now what kind of fashion blogger would I be if I didn't offer a more socially acceptable alternative? Certainly not a good one. But luckily I am here to help you around the holidays to pick a sweater that someone is not going to think you are on a dare to wear.

Acceptable printed sweaters- So you want to be a little bit festive with your choice of sweater picking this season? You don't have to have little snowmen covering your sleeves or reindeer flying from left to right to get the point across that you dressed for the holidays. There are several prints that will still do the job.

MALACHITE SWEATER $69.50 ROXY.COM

The colors in this sweater pretty much cover all of the holiday colors without all the tackiness. It is also available in many other color combinations.

ALPINE SWEATER $59.50 ROXY.COM

What is that? Oh why yes it is a snowflake, but notice that it is the center of the sweater and it doesn't look like you just walked through a blizzard.

Holiday Hues-The colors red, green, black and winter white are very festive colors that winter brings.

Off-the-shoulder Tunic Sweater $49.50

Angel Bouclé Cowlneck Sweater $59.50

The Flirty Cardi Sweater $39.50

All sweaters available at www.victoriassecret.com

Glitz and Glam- The big trend this season is bling, and lots of it, but sometimes people tend to get carried away covering themselves in sequin dresses, matching sequin shoes and a sequin hat. Way overboard. Here are some cardigans and sweaters that dress up the holiday season with a littleglitz.

Miss Me V-Neck Wool Blend Sweater $88.00 www.buckle.com

Long Sleeve Sequin Sweater $59.50 www.express.com

Some more helpful sweater tips? Certainly.

1. My biggest fear when trying on sweaters is that I think they make me look bigger than I really am. But if you pair your bulky sweater with some skinny leg pants and some trendy boots you will be sure to make a positive fashion statement.

2. You don't have to look like a trashbag that just stepped out of your mom's closet. Throw on some accessories to give your solid color sweater some personality. Try a sparkly chunky bracelet or even a headband to make your outfit more girly.

3. Try a sweater over top of a dress for a different style than just pants. If it is too cold out throw on a pair of tights.

4. If you are wearing a printed sweater make sure you wear a solid color bottom. You don't want to look like an explosion of textures and prints.

5. Scarves and hats can be your best friends when trying to accessorize your sweater.

Hope this helps this holiday season when you venture out to go sweater shopping.

Stay classy,
<3 Elizabeth

NaNoWriMo - Anne Wrobetz

Ah, the month of October. Fall leaves crunch underfoot, frost graces the windows in the early mornings, snow cakes into the holes that developed in your snowboots during the summer, leaving an unpleasant dampness that lasts all day. Lovely.

Halloween is almost over and the entire campus mourns its death. I am sitting at home watching a Korean horror movie with a group of friends that also happen to be the members of my creative writing club. Yes, the end of October ushers in the beginning of November (in exactly 35 minutes). Not only are we celebrating Halloween with this badly-translated film; we are also celebrating the beginning of NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month. Any person interested in creative writing must understand this momentous occasion. During the month of November, writers are challenged to write 50,000 words toward a novel, ideally finishing the novel by midnight on November 30th. Being a college student, it’s difficult enough to read a novel outside of class, let alone write one. So why not take on the challenge!

Homework, a job, friends, exercise, family, and now a burgeoning writing career? Yes, I am a sucker for my own painful sleep deprivation. But college really is the time to explore who and what you are, what you like to do, what you’re going to be for the rest of your life. Take this time to explore all you interests. Not only will you refine valuable skills (believe me, writing is valuable for almost any career you could possibly yearn for), you will also form wonderful friendships. Being a member of creative writing club gives me a chance to distress from engineering calculations. And who knows, this might be my award-winning novel!

So yes, I have to go to work at nine in the morning. And yes, I have an economics midterm on Wednesday. But in seven minutes, I will begin working on my novel. I might actually finish this time.

10 Ways to Survive Your First Month at College, by Michael Shirzadian

Hi.

So you’re going to college. You’re a little bit nervous—that’s to be expected—and more than nervous, you’re excited, excited to meet new people, to learn new things, to expand your life in thousand different, random directions. You’ve heard from those who have made the journey before you how you should be excited, how the next four years will be the most vibrant and riveting years of your life. You’re skeptical at this sort of comment because you’ve heard it so often, because like Bob Seger, the quintessential ‘been-there’ adults are always regretting the past, how it’s gone, how things trend forward. Ain’t it funny how the night moves?

Before you trek—maybe alone—through the first year of your college experience, check out the following 10 suggestions designed to get you through those first few weeks. It’s cakewalk after that (although number 7 is atemporal and universally applicable and you should never forget that one).

1. Learn the way. You’re gonna get there before classes start, obviously, so spend a day walking your route from dorm to class to class to class to dorm. 7am at Cedarville University, August 26, 2006, I sat down in Fundamentals of Beekeeping looking for Fundamentals of Speech. That’s the sort of mistake you can’t admit, so I sat through syllabus day counting the minutes and learning the jejune, mundane reproductive habits of bees. I did hear that before he published the most significant post-1945 American novel, Catcher in the Rye, author JD Salinger had studied beekeeping in college, before he dropped out. That’s the most significant thing I learned that morning (I hope it’s true), and that one should plan her or his route.
2. Pay attention on syllabus day. First day of class is always syllabus day, and it’s the closest your professor will come to giving you the answers (unless you’re headed to Boston U, or any other school notorious for significant grade inflation). When your prof goes through the due dates and deadlines, write them down (a week or so before they’re due so you’re not cramming the night before). Buy one of those trendy school calendars from your bookstore and write the assignments—at least the big ones—in the calendar as your prof drones on.
3. Be bold. I’m lacking in this category. I was too proud, or too embarrassed, or too something anyway, to interact with the other Cedarville students when I first arrived on campus back in ’06. I felt that way for four years, and it was a lonely time because of it. On your first day, even if it’s not your personality, be outgoing. That’ll go a long way in the vibrant-and-diverse-group-of-friends department. It’s important, in life more generally, to be social. That’s the most important lesson I learned in college, a lesson I’m still learning, still trying to pin down, to reify. (Look it up! It’s an SAT word, I swear!)
4. Meal plan. Look, I know what you’re thinking. It’s really dumb that the school forces us to buy meal plans. Yeah. It is. I’m a Boulder Marxist like the rest of us beneath the mountain, and I too recognize how the bourgeois dogs on the tip-top of the Superstructure trap us in their webs of financial networks. One hand washes the other. But it doesn’t matter, because the meal plan really is the cheapest way to live, on and off campus, and when you don’t have it you’re spending 8 bucks a day on Chipotle (of course) and another $15 on whatever else you need to eat. It adds up. If you’re disciplined enough to cook despite your busy workload, good for you. Next step is to buy local and then you’re really sticking it to those capitalist/futurist neocons running the country from Silicon Valley through lobbyists and corporate personhood.
5. Call your parents. They’re gonna look after you. When you’re lonely or anxious or out of money … or whatever, call your parents. You’re beginning a phase in your life where your parents aren’t the authoritative figures anymore. You stand in a unique position to launch and foster a deep and long-lasting friendship with your parents. When I was lonely at Cedarville on a Friday night, I called my mom. Or she’d call me. That was the start of different kind of relationship, one which I still depend on to sustain me through the lonely days of a new environment.
6. Try new things. Do things you’ve never done before. Skydive.
7. Don’t get married. Yeah. Same old cynicism. I knew seven different girls at Cedarville who dropped out when they got engaged. Admittedly, that sort of sensibility is much more prevalent throughout Cedarville’s Evangelical Christian community, but it’s worth mentioning. The most important thing you can take from your college experience is, first, your degree, and second, your education (another confusing value hierarchy inscribed in our collective consciousness by the bourgeoisie and its institutions; education is free; a degree costs something). On that parenthetical note, marriage is another institution used by the Superstructure to maintain passivity. Rebel! Don’t marry! Viva la revolución!
8. Enjoy the little things. Watch Zombieland, also.
9. Overwork. I can’t stand it when people say ‘don’t push yourself too hard; you’ll burn out’. You might burn out. Fine. That’s educational too. Push yourself too hard and see what you’re capable of. I burned out 1^st semester senior year, which was great. My GPA reflects it. Start strong and coast to the finish. It’s better to burn out than to fade away. Listen to Neil Young.
10. Visit home. Remind yourself where you came from, what you used to know, who you used to be. This is important to navigating the mire of the future, too. Read Joyce Carol Oates’ short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” (only the title, not the content, is applicable here, but it’s a blow-away short story and you’d be missing out should you neglect to read it).

And of course I love you all,

Michael

Fresh Looks for Fall, By Elizabeth Hernandez

When it comes to the word “slacker,” it could be my middle name in reference to the limited amount of blogging I did this summer. Yes, I could throw out a long list of excuses, but all I am going to say is… “I’m back and I’m sorry.”

Unfortunately my favorite season is over. RIP Summer 2011, you will be dearly missed.

As one season changes into another so do fashion trends. Hopefully everyone has been working hard this summer and was able to save up some extra cash for their new Fall 2011 wardrobe because this season there are some new and exciting colors, trends and accessories in store.

1. Mustard

No not the condiment, the color. The hours I spend all summer long perfecting my sun-kissed glow disappears completely when the weather starts to get cold. So if I were to wear this mustard color, I feel like people would start to think I was sick. However, if you are someone who keeps your tan or cheats and goes to the tanning beds, maybe you could give this color a try. Here are some affordable and trendy items: Figure 1 (Lyra mustard dress from Etsy), figure 2 (mustard yellow lace sweater from Etsy).

2. Lace

Move over Victoria Secret lingerie apparel. You aren’t the only one wearing lace this year. This is one trend you have to be careful with because if you overdo it with the “froufrou,” the joke ends up on you. If there is one thing to say about fashion designer Jason Wu, it would be that he loves him some lace. Take a look at his RTW 2011 Fall collection: Figure 1, Figure 2. (Images by: NewYorker)

P.S.- Yes, figure 2 is a mustard colored skirt paired with lace – two trends in one. Notice how Wu pairs one lace garment with a solid color, avoiding too much pattern clash. Another tip to picking out your lace item is to avoid wearing too much to the color cream because then you just look like your grandma’s curtain/tablecloth and who wants that? Not me. Unfortunately, we college students can’t always afford to buy Wu’s eclectic taste in lace, but there are some affordable, trendy solutions: Figure 1 (Lace Book Shorts), figure 2 (Leave It to Me Dress), figure 3 (Twenty Years Bold Skirt), figure 4(Look Like a Dream Dress). All items can be found at ModCloth.

3. Vintage Chokers

Dresses from the 60’s and 70’s have yet to fall out of style this year and with that being said, add a choker necklace and you have the very next trend. And this is no joke when I say the bigger and bulkier the choker, the more of a statement you are going to make. Here’s a few I really liked: Figure 1, figure 2. (Choker necklaces found on Etsy).

4. Bright Colors

This is one trend I never get tired of seeing from season to season, and this Fall color is one thing that is not lacking. Just because it isn’t summer anymore doesn’t mean you should trade in your reds, yellows and oranges for browns, grays and blacks. Much like lace color should be worn in moderation. Take a look at some of the bold and bright colors incorporated in DKNY’s Fall 2011 collection: Figure 1, figure 2. (DKNY Collection- Photo Credit).

Where to buy your bright colored clothes to stand out this Fall 2011?

Figure 1, figure 2, figure 3, figure 4, figure 5! (All items can be found at TopShop).

5. Plaids and Polka Dots

Tartan plaid and girly polka dots are two prints that seem to have taken off for Fall/Winter 2011. Take a look at the runway and how designers incorporated both designs in their collections and find out how you can get the look for less: Figure 1.

Look for less? Items all available at ModCloth:

Figure 1, figure 2, figure 3, figure 4, figure 5.

Keep it classy,
<3 Elizabeth