Front Row

I've got to say, I love MK&A as much as the next gay, but I find myself loving them more and more every day. The lovable pint-sized twins whom we grew up with, debuted their show at New York Fashion Week this season with their high-end line, The Row. Olsens also have another line called Elizabeth&James - named after their siblings.

I love this collection to pieces! Literally. I would wear every piece in this collection. You can definitely see the Olsens' style in the 20 looks they girls showed, very Ashley-esque with a touch of Mary-Kates grunge. Mary-Kate and Ashley both wanted this collection to straight to the point and anonymously chic - which is the perfect way to sum up The Row Fall 2010.

Photos courtesy of Style.com

I love the wide bell shaped bottoms on the jackets and dress, much like the ones seen at Marc Jacobs. Those elbow length leather gloves, thin tie belt and blue python dress are my favorites. I will be keeping my eye out for similar, more affordable items, asap! I've also been talking a lot about staple pieces and investing in them. This collection is a compilation of dark staple pieces! The Olsens definitely get where I'm coming from! Or rather.. their style has definitely influenced me a great deal. I'm gonna have to go with the second one, hah! Needless to say, staple pieces made from luxurious fabrics paired with luxe python and leather. Minimal, for sure. I can't wait to see future collections from my favorite celebrity designers.

Russian Princess - on a budget

Over the past year, some of my closest fashionistas have traded in their handy, full of evil and regrets piece of plastic, for a few dollars and coupons. Who says a fashionista can't be frugal? Isn't that the smartest decision for those of us who don't have a Swiss bank account? I think so. Here's to being frugalistas!

I recently made a vintage/thrift shopping trip on South Congress - an amazing shopping area full of vintage boutiques, thrift shops, one of three American Apparels in my city, high-end boutiques, and good eats. After rummaging through some vintage boutiques, we went next door to a thrift store owned by a local church before it closed, there I found this amazing trench coat by Banana Republic (seen below) and a Lanvin-esque bowtie.

I've accumulated plenty thrifty finds that I have yet to wear because I simple don't have anywhere to pair them with. Usually, I don't buy items without knowing how it'll fit into my wardrobe, but sometimes you come across items that are too good to pass up at the time of purchase! After getting the trench I wanted to get some good use out of it before the Texas heat decides to take over. I paired the coat with Aunt's sweater that I stole from her closet, cream coloured denim versus black to give it a lighter look and feel since I decided to wear black boots, some small accessories, and of course, touches of fur! I love the way all the pieces come together to make a beautiful color palette. Many runways shows, past and present, show looks that are head to toe one colour. I love it on models and ad campaigns, but normally, I hate to dress/look matchy-matchy but in this case, I'll make an exception.

Here's a prime example of looks that are all one colour. Dior fall 2007. We love Dior. We love Jessica Stam.

Much of my look includes vintage/thrift finds mixed in with regularly priced retail pieces which is why I call this look Russian Princess, on a budget. I always encourage everyone to pair high-end with low-end to achieve the perfect look. With that in mind, try to have most of your high-end pieces be your staple pieces that you can wear on many occasions.

Head to toe:

Urban Outfitter's faux fur hat (borrowed from mxrosie)

Dilated sunglasses

Banana Republic trench coat

Zara faux fur vest

Vintage sweater

Vintage gold necklace

Forever 21 tiered fringe necklace

Urban Outfitter's jean

Vintage boots

Gareth Pugh 2009

I know this may be old news to some, but I can't get enough. It is just so mesmerizing..