Where to find the perfect fashion basics and well as the latest fashion trends.

BACKPACK’S BACK ALL RIGHT

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Five not-too-expensive backpacks that are totally on trend right now.

 

zara suede rucksack

 

SHOPPING AROUND | “The next thing I know you’ll be sleeping with that thing,” my husband joked recently after glancing at the Fjällräven Kånken that I’d casually flung on our bed. I know where this observation is coming from. It’s been eight months now since I purchased the mini version of this iconic Swedish backpack (originally designed in the 1970s for school children), and not a day has gone by that I haven’t used it—because it’s just that practical and unobtrusively cute.

Not a day that is until this past Monday. Read more

Loopy Mango Cowl

Got An Hour? Knit A Loopy Mango Scarf!

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Super chunky yarn + giant knitting needles = the coolest handmade neck warmers on the planet

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EASY & QUICK | Got and hour? Why not make yourself (or someone you love) an arresting hand-knit cowl with gargantuan yarn from Loopy Mango. Clueless when it comes to knitting? No worries. Loopy Mango’s merino wool kits for infinity and super long scarves come complete with monster-loop yarn, giant birch wood knitting needles and instructions so explicit rank beginners will be churning out neck-wraps in no time.

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Boucoup de Baggu

Frugalbits Faves: Baggu & Nutribullet

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It’s never too early to be thinking about Christmas. Here are two of our favourite, inexpensive products to put under wraps for December.

Boucoup de Baggu

PRODUCTS WE LOVE | Of course we stand behind every one of the hundreds of stories we’ve produced for this website since we launched in April 2010—we wouldn’t have done any one of them if we hadn’t thought that the information would be of value to Frugalbits readers. But some of these posts have had more impact on our own lives than others—the following two, for example. —Team Frugalbits

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Swarovski Spiral Ring

The Swarovski Is The Bling Ring To Own

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With no more illustrious performer than Justin Timberlake furnishing a seal of approval, the Swarovski crystal spiral ring is now a must-have fashion accessory.

Swarovski Spiral Ring

 

CULT PRODUCT ALERT | Anyone yearning for a Cartier trinity ring or a set of Tiffany’s channel-set semiprecious stackers (both pictured below) will be attracted to the Swarovski crystal pavé spiral ring that featured prominently in Justin Timberlake’s recently released music video, Mirrors. And they’ll be even more smitten when they learn the price. Read more

Hello Moto

Hello Moto: Where To Find Jackets Now

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If you have been thinking about adding a motorcycle jacket to your wardrobe, now would be a good time to do it.

Hello Moto

SALE ALERT | Everyone’s favourite bad girl jacket—the moto—was a big deal on runways in this past fall, with innumerable high fashion players putting their own spin on the snaps, zippers, ribbed leather panels and belt loops that characterize this iconic piece of outerwear. Naturally ready-to-wear followed suit—and sure as Christmas rolls round in December, the purveyors of these less expensive versions have now put their jackets on sale.

If you’ve been thinking about adding a little biker chick chic to your otherwise girly wardrobe, here are a few great value motorcycle jackets we found for your consideration. Read more

Joe Fresh Goes Monochrome

How To Layer Deep Vee & Scoopy Crew Tops

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As necklines plunge, top fashion brands offer a variety of ways to layer up their deep V-necks and scoopy crews.

Joe Fresh Goes MonochromeHave you noticed how the necklines of pullover sweaters have all gotten deeper this season? While there’s nothing wrong with showing a little skin, some of these necklines may be too impractical and drafty (not to mention unflattering—protruding collarbones, anyone?) for daytime use. Read more

Merino Sheep

Wool Power: Merino Tops At A Killer Price

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I came for the goat but went home with the sheep: high-quality merino wool sweaters at a bargain basement price.

 

BIG DEAL | On the hunt for inexpensive cashmere, I trekked out to Costco last month to see whether their most recent shipment of Kirkland brand cashmere sweaters included the V-neck version in navy I’d been pining for. Sadly, it didn’t, and I was resigned to returning home without new apparel when I spotted a display table piled high with shockingly inexpensive V-neck sweaters in 100 percent merino wool. Read more

JOE FRESH PEA COAT FALL 2012

It’s Pea Coat Weather! Our 6 Top Jacket Picks

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Fall is pea coat weather. Here are six hot jackets that can handle the oncoming chill. (LOOKBOOK)

JOE FRESH PEA COAT FALL 2012

 

BUY RIGHT | While it may not possess the enduring absolutely-have-to-have status of an archetypal trench coat, the classic pea coat (it’s actually a jacket) is one of those iconic fashion items that enjoys recurring cachet. Read more

Jane Birkin straw basket

Our 6 Favorite Straw Handbags For Summer

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Nothing says summer like a straw carryall. Here are six we’d love to take everywhere from the office to the beach. (LOOKBOOK)

Jane Birkin straw basket

 

CHEAP & ICONIC | According to Wikipedia, the infamous Hermès Birkin handbag, which retails for a minimum $9,000 and has “ultimate fashion indulgence” written all over it, was conceived in the early 1980s after a chance meeting between then Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas and singer/actress Jane Birkin on an airplane. She was travelling with a bag she’d already made famous, a wicker market basket she employed as both a handbag and weekend luggage.

This original Birkin, the Jane-invented one (pictured above as she carried it in the 1960s), was a holdover from her hippie chick days, when proletarian peasant sacks and straw bags of all sorts were in fashion—as they are again today.

Here are six cool straw totes—priced from $18 to $60—we’d take along to France (where Birkin still lives), or anywhere else for that matter. —Annabel Lee Read more

steal-of-the-month-may-vogue

Get The French Preppy Look For Waay Less

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We love French preppy as much as the next fashionista. But is Altuzarra for J. Crew’s interpretation of it worth the money when you can pull together an equally acceptable version for an absolute rock bottom price?

steal-of-the-month-may-vogue

 

THE LOOK FOR LESS | “Steal of the Month” is a feature—actually a double page spread—that appears at the very back of Vogue magazine every month. In the current issue, the steal is the top from Altuzarra’s capsule collection for J. Crew pictured above, and it’s been paired with wide leg jeans from Acne ($350) for an overall look Vogue editors have labeled “French preppy.” Joseph Altuzarra’s tops start at around $800 (on Net-A-Porter), so, of course, the J. Crew pullover seems shockingly inexpensive at $85—and it would be an absolute steal if it looked less basic J. Crew and more quirky Altuzarra, but it doesn’t.

What we are trying to say is that wardrobe pieces this iconic and familiar don’t need big label validation. To prove it, here’s our version of French preppy for a quarter of the price. Read more