For a cuter version of the Russian style fur hat try one with pom-poms. That way you’ve got three fall trends all in one: pop-poms, Russian style and fur. I got mine last year at a secondhand store for about $5 in white faux fur. Ebay is a good source though for this kind of stuff.

As shown hanging on the sholders by Max Mara:

A secondhand one found on Ebay in deep purple (also perfect for this fall):

If you want real unique accessories, take a look at Naughty Secretary Club’s website. Here you’ll find anything from revamped vintage necklaces to handbags. Some of this stuff is absolutely awsome! It’s not even expencive, and the items you pay a little more for are one of a kind, so it’s all worth it. The best of all is that shipping and handling is already included in the prices.

Aren’t these adorable? I think I have to get a pair for myself, and they’re only $12.

Cute little lovebirds at the price of $12.

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The cap is an important accessory this fall, and it comes in many shapes and colors, but for the best look get one in earthy or grey tones. Kate Moss has already been seen sporting hers.

I don’t know how it’s like in other countries, but when Norwegian newspapers like VG write about fashion, all there is to it is a lot of boobs and butts. They never care about the clothes, but if there’s a nipple showing you know you will read a big story about it the next day. The stories won’t even say what designer made the clothes! I was planning on writing a post about Oslo Fashion Week, but most of the pictues I could find were close-ups on butts, and I wasn’t even able to find out who had designed the garments covering the butts.

I once wrote a mail to a newspaper complaining about this. The answer I got was just about making fun of me, cause “you can’t have a clue what fashion is all about”. Am I wrong to be more interested in the clothes than in the bodies of the models?

To illustrate what I’m talking about I found some examples from articles named something like “Revealing in Bangkok” and so on:

A butt at Oslo Fashion Week (no mention of the designer).

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For those of you who are itching for more DIY projects to put your hands on; here are a few sites worth checking out:

Craftster This is the ultimate site for DIY projects. Everything is found here! But even though you’ll find a lot of good ideas, you’ll find even more crap.

OhMyStars A cute site with many good and well explained projects. The downside is that you don’t find many original projects here.

ThriftDeluxe A very well made site with original, but few ideas.

SuperNaturale Turn your old t-shirts into undies.

I am not really a fan of all those stars going into fashion design. Can’t they ever just stick to what they’re best at anymore? But that aside, I just loved Jennifer Lopez’ high rise pants on her fall line. They are as high as can get…

I doubt this style will be to find in budget stores any time soon since they’re so extreme. Who knows though…

When secondhand shopping it’s not always easy to determine the quality of garments. New clothes can often be recognised by brands, but vintage clothes are often in brands you’ve never heard of. This can make it harder to instantly tell the quality. A good checking list can be of good use. I will here give 25 simple tips of how to recognize wether the garment is of good quality or not.

1. A metal chain hanging loop on coats is an instant mark of quality.
2. Extreme softness in wool garments indicates that it has cashmere in it.
3. The softer leather or suede, the better the quality is.
4. Garments made out of wool should always have lining.
5. Knitted garments should be preshaped, rather than being cut and sewn after it’s knit.
6. Extra fine cables or weaves on knit garments is an instant mark of quality.
7. Ribbing on knit garments should maintain elasticy.
8. Buttonholes should have reinforcements like a ribbon to prevent sagging.
9. Unusual lining or cuffs on jackets are usually a good sign.
10. In pants, linings should be attached at the knee, crotch and ankle.
11. Belt loops should be generous.
12. Tags on jeans should be of leather.
13. A generous hem on skirts is a good sign.
14. A woven label on clothes is a mark of quality.
15. The lining of a dress should be attached at the armhole, waist and hips.
16. An instant mark of a good dress is that the zipper is concealed and runs by the side of the body.
17. Raw edge zipper tape should not be exposed in garment.
18. Good quality shoulder pads are covered by the same fabric as the garment.
19. The tinier stiches on blouses the better.
20. French cuffs on blouses is a good sign because they are harder to make.
21. T-shaped t-shirts, where the arms stick right out, are of poorer quality.
22. An unusually shaped neck on t-shirts is a sign of good quality.
23. The stiches on good pumps are hidden.
24. Real snake skin gives resistance when running the hand across it.
25. Leather soles on shoes is a mark of quality.

Puh. And these are just a few tips for quality checking. Still, they are nice to have in the back of the head while shopping. For more tips, check a good fashion sourcebook.

For a pouffy version of the plain pleated skirt all you need is an old pleated skirt and a sewing machine. The idea is to sew rows of stiches across the pleats, like this:

Once putting the skirt back on now, it will be all pouffy and nice, like this:

The easiest trick in the world!

The pictures don’t do the skirt justice, cause it’s much more pouffy and hangs very nice over the hips. If you don’t get how it’s done, think of it as if you’re going to shorten the hem and fold it up, but only sew a mm or two in. You do the same thing with an inch or two in between each row.

I saw these old pictures of Sarah Jessica Parker for Gap, and I thougt the jeans were cute. This year the fashion is cropped, and making something like this must be pretty easy. Find a pair of old jeans, cut them up in wanted length and just sew on some nice silk bands. I haven’t tried it out myself, I just thought I’d throw out the idea.

I also came across a cropped shirt at Craftster with tutorial added. It shows you how you easily can update that old shirt of yours here.

Ever wondered how you will look like when you’re old? I know I have… The Perception Laboratory’s Face Transformer lets you have a sneak peek. Upload a good picture of your self and have a go. It’s scary how good it works! You can also check out how you would look like as black. There are many choices, and they’re all fun.

In a good wardrobe, some funky t-shirts is an essential. At Threadless you’ll find tons of unique designs in good quality. The nice thing about this site is that there are so many different designeres that you have to find something you like. My boyfriend gave me this “Teddy Bear Loves Teddy Boy” shirt.

At least when secondhand shopping it’s good to know a while in advance what styles will come. I have had a look and found out what you should be looking for to be ready for next year.

Tayloring will still be hot. If you doubted wether to invest in a good suit, it’s a smart idea to put some money in it now. It’s one of the hottest styles this fall, and since it will last at least another season; go for it!

The 60’s is on it’s way back. Miu Miu already showed some 60’s inspired dresses for last summer, and this fall several 60’s inspired outfits were spotted. So keep it in mind that the 60’s will only come in stronger next year. Get a hold of some nice secondhand 60’s dresses now, and you will be able to wear them for a long time. The headband will also come in stronger, and invest in a short and wide 60’s jacket and nice 60’s accessories.

I will come with more updates as soon as I can, in the mean time, take a look at Sixties City for inspiration.

The runways were full of pom-poms this year. They were on scarves, sweathers, as handbag charmes and so on… Buy some yarn and start making them your self! This is an easy way to update that old knitted sweather or whatever you’ve got lying around in the closet. If you don’t quite know how to make them, keep on scrolling down.

Cut out two circles of cardboard. Put them together and bring the yarn around and around until there’s no room left.

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I guess if I had a lot of money, I’d buy a designer handbag. But I don’t. And it might as well be all the same, at least when it comes to the Louis Vuitton logo bags. They’re all over! Where’s the fun of putting a lot of money in a bag when most people are carrying the same one? I guess part of the fun is having something most people don’t have. But when I see a LV handbag, I just assume it’s fake. You can pay all the money in the world for it, and most people won’t even be able to tell the difference. I must say I’m surprised LV hasn’t taken them off the market. In the long run this must cramp their style. Don’t take me wrong, cost concious as I am, I love knock offs. But the LV hysteria has gone too far…

here for a checklist.

This year it’s all cropped; pants, jackets and cardigans. Even though it looks hot at the moment, I wouldn’t put too much money in it. H&M is perfect for all those trends you know won’t last for long, and they have a wide selection of everything cropped.

I love these, but they’re a bit expencive for me. They are only to get online at La Redoute.