Fashion Me Fabulous

-- The wicked weatherman keeps threatening snow, so becca's uncovered bright wool coats and colorful puffer jackets . -- I keep the color coming with a rainbow of winter dresses . -- We're celebrating Halloween with dead doll costumes , gobs of cheap costume ideas , and tatted masks . -- In shoes, becca and I don't see eye to eye on this boot , but we love this button number . A flat gets some love for its shiny self. -- Fashion Dig is a hopping vintage community. -- What do you think of Gossip Girl ?

Project Design is our own friendly competition where we put together collection of independent designers for you to rate on your very own imaginary runway. Happy Halloween! This week's Project Design features Halloween inspired necklaces. I love Halloween because that's when it's easy to find interesting accessories with slightly macabre themes. These pieces would be fun for Halloween or year round. Which necklace haunts you? Along Came an Arachnid by BeadsInTheBelfry Gene the bat necklace by cravejewelrydesign Raven Eve Secret Rapture Necklace by ravenevejewelry The story - Halloween by portobello There is Time Enough by EJPcreations poll by twiigs.com

I've been surfing Fan Plus Friend for an hour and a half. Their gothic Lolita looks don't have to be regulated to anime cos play. According to our decades poll , a number of you have a love for Victorian inspired clothing. All these ruffles, puffs, stripes, and buttons are an absolute dream. Best of all, the prices are reasonable. Here's a little of what I love: pirate coat availble in dark red or black $124.99 caped Edwardian coat available in grey, black, red and lilac $142 sailor skirt $44.99 long skirt with pickups available in grey or burgundy $68 bustle skirt available in black, baby blue, brown or black stripes $54.99 (Want!) puff color ruffle blouse available in grey, peach or black $40 puff sleeve blouse with detactable cravat available in peach or black $50 tailed buckle top available in blue, dark red or black $74.99 (Also want!) Rachel, stop drooling on your keyboard. People are staring.

Earlier today Jael posted about her best Halloween Costume--the Dead Doll . This costume is incredibly fun and creepy. When Jael dressed me up as a dead doll I never wanted to change back out of the costume. So this week the $150 Challenge features all the stuff your need to be a dead doll for only $131.50. That may seem like a lot for a costume ( something I prefer to save on ), but keep in mind that you can use these cute basics again or you may already have some pieces in your wardrobe. $150 Challenge: Dead Doll Costume by Fashion Me Fabulous Pictured: Makeup CoverGirl Eye Enhancers, Berries & Cream, Drugstore.com, $4.99 Jane Lip Huggers Lipstick, Kind of Carob, Drugstore.com, $3.49 Max Factor Erace Concealer, Drugstore.com, $3.99 Jane Gliding Liner Eye Pencil, Black Magic, Drugstore.com, $3.05 e.l.f. Dramatic Lash Kit, Drugstore.com, $1.49 NYX Shadow For Eyes, Black, Drugstore.com, $3.99 Outfit Danya Knit Dress W/ Neck Sash, Forever 21, $17.80 Celeste Ruffled Cardigan , Foreve

I came up with this on the spur of the moment when my sweet roomie with the child-like face said she didn't want to wear her usual Renaissance garb for Halloween. I thought I'd help her do a standard goth look instead, but she ended up looking like a doll...a creepy dead doll. Inspired, I grabbed my black pleat skirt and a black satin top, pulled my hair into messy pigtails haphazardly tied in a ribbon, and set to work on my makeup. I used concealer to cover the edges of my lips and made sort of a bow shape with dark burgundy lipstick. Purple and black shadows made my eyes deep set, and I drew exaggerated lashes with eyeliner. Roomie and I then beset ourselves on our RA's door. We clawed and moaned "Come play with us." She was freaked. We went to becca and company's and did the same thing, and they wanted to join the fun. The five of us ended up crashing a few parties, piling our selves at the bottom of stairwells, scaring the sense out of a rather snotty spe

Yesterday, I wrote about colorful winter coats . Add a bit of fun, and often even more warmth, to your bright winter look by trying a puffy coat. These casual coats are perfect for an impromptu snowball fight, snow shoveling, running errands or a winter walk. Pictured: Top Row Soia & Kyo Diagonal Stitch Jacket, Nordstrom, $185 Cropped puffer coat, Banana Republic, $175 Sherpa-lined goosedown puffer jacket, J. Crew $178 BDG Workwear Quilted Jacket, Urban Outfitters, $49.99 Bottom Row Ruby Puffed Coat, Forever 21, $37.80 Mossimo Supply Co. Hooded Puffer Jacket, Target, $39.99 Merona® Hooded Puffer Jacket, Target, $39.99

I love heels, but some days you just need flats. That doesn't mean the flats need to be boring. These plum patent "Empire" flats by Poetic License would be perfect any time of year. The iridescent cluster of balls on the vamp may keep you staring at your toes. A low silver wedge heel adds even more visual interest. They are available in black as well at Endless for $98.95.

This week's Etsy shop has been one of my favorites for a long time. TotusMel creates stunning tatted accessories. My great grandmother did a lot of tatting, which is probably why I never considered tatting to be for anything other than doilies and tablecloths, but TotusMel's tatted creations make tatting into a wearable art form. The elegant pieces have endless possibilities. I love this tatted choker (pictured below right) and I even suspect I would wear the tatted mask (pictured top) all of the time if I owned it. Not only are these creations beautiful, but they are also they type of accessory that people would stop you on the street to discuss. (Except for the mask. People probably wouldn't talk to me if I wore a mask on the street, but I don't think that would stop me.) The prices are amazingly reasonable with some of the tatted pendants pricee as low as $8. The tatted mask pictured here costs $73, and possess craftsmanship that is well worth the price.

Winter can cause quite a chill and a bit of dreariness. Combat both with a warm coat in a vibrant color. Keep warm and give some warmth off with a topper that cheers up the gray skis and biting wind. These colorful coats are sure to be brighten your chilliest days. Pictured: Top Row Belted wool trenchcoat, Victoria Secret, $149 on Sale GUESS by Marciano Bow Back Topper, Nordstrom, $138 Puff-sleeve tent coat, Banana Republic, $225 Steve Madden Drop Waist Twill Coat, Nordstrom, $168 Gallery Wool Blend Coat, Nordstrom, $168 Bottom Row Empire-waist wool coat, Victoria Secret, $129 on Sale Double-breasted coat, Victoria Secret, $178 Tommy Hilfiger Short Single-Breasted Duffle Coat, Macy's, $236.25 on Sale DKNY Jeans Solid Wool Melton Coat, Macy's, $158

Stores are full of tweed dresses...priced over $400. This trend is taking its sweet time trickling down to the department stores and national chains. Hopefully, in a few weeks I'll have some affordable versions for you. In the mean time, I like these tweed dresses I'll never be able to afford. RM by Roland Mouret's modern sex bomb dress Miu Miu's colorful minidress Antonio Berardi's curvy button dress

Halloween Costumes allow us to dress in crazy, fun, extravagant ways that would not be acceptable most of the year. I love to go over the top for Halloween. However, I don't love to spend over the top. Halloween Costumes should be a creative splurge rather than a monetary splurge. Costumes can be created with makeup, items already in the closet and inexpensive thrift store and dollar store items. Most expensive, premade costumes are a waste of money and creative oppurtunity. Makeup: --Jael recently wrote about MAC Cosmetics costume ideas --Winged eyeliner and a beehive make you an instant Amy Winehouse --Goth makeup is easy to achieve and basic black is in everyone's closet --Clown makeup and Raggedy Ann makeup are pretty simple, and the clothing can be easy to find, especially for hobo clowns. --Colored contacts (a worthwhile purchase for fun eye color all year year round) and other Halloween makeup such as vampire teeth, black lipstick, crazy fake eyelashes, face paint and b

Vaneli is a fairly blah brand of standard, low-heeled work shoes, but even the most boring brands can come up with a pretty gem once in a while. These suede "Ninon" boots have buttons, which is enough to make me squee. Going a step further, they have spat styling. Spats! At 2.75 inches, the heel is perfect for wearing all day. They're $221.95 on Endless and are available in brown with brass buttons or black with silver buttons. If this sort of styling marks the begining of a new direction for Vaneli, I'll have to make them a brand to watch.

Fashion Dig is a collection of 14 (and growing) vintage shops as well as a vintage focused community. As well as the usual vintage clothing and accessory finds (of which they have an exhaustive supply), they also have a vintage fashion gallery, a list of fashion books, a calendar of national vintage events, a store locator, a vintage fashion advice column, and a community forum. The stock spans Victorian to contemporary fashions including modern designer pieces and some vintage inspired clothes. Fashion Dig is not the cheapest vintage store, but they have things here I haven't seen in any other vintage shops. Victorian velvet and feathered afternoon hat $90 1920s velvet cloche $95 1950s pheasant feather hat $70 (Want!) 1930s peach silk robe $265 1970s aqua baby doll and pant set $50 1950s chiffon, velvet and lace night gown $65 1950s faux leopard coat $150 1950s red velvet coat $195 1970s Molyneux patterned trench $450

My darling roommate majored in art and it shows in her clothes. But when the weather turns cold, she generally has to rely on accessories for bright pops of color. Well, Rachel, I found you a few bright print dresses for fall. Sorry if a few of them are shirts on your tall body. Top: orange grey and mustard circle dress, Mod Cloth $49.99 coral blue and olive abstract cloud print, BCBG Max Azria, Bluefly $109 satin rose print, Old Navy $34.50 striped dress with lace detail, Nanette Lepore, Shopbop $470 green stripes and dots jersey, Tbags, Bluefly $106 black dress with marbleized panel, Jonathan Saunders for Target $29.99 Bottom: green and teal paisley shift dress, Banana Republic $98 paint splatter chiffon dress, Forever 21 $22.80 red dress with embroidered bib, Urban Outfitters $58 purple silk long sleeved shift, Banana Republic $130 yellow funkiness, FCUK $198 If you'd like me to do some shopping for you, email us the specs at fashionmefabulous[at]gmail[dot]com or leave us a comm

I'll start this out with a confession -- I've read all of the original series of Gossip Girl books, and I loved them. I read one on every break during college as a vacation from constant thinking and school work. They had great clothes and some really interesting characters, which made them worth reading in spite of the soap opera plots. The small screen version has failed to impress me. It's not that I don't enjoy the occasion juicy teen drama, because I do. But there is something wrong. A few somethings. I knew they'd have to change stuff for TV, but did they have to change the most interesting stuff. The good characters have been ruined. Dan should be a brooding, scrawny, chain-smoking, three-day-old-coffee-drinking poet with an absent-minded, writer father and an overly well-endowed, popularity-driven sister. I kinda get removing the chain smoking thing for TV, but the rest worked. As for that sister, Jenny. She's supposed try too hard to make up for her da

Jael and I both live in a climate with rather harsh winter weather. This requires several layers of clothing and good shoe choices. As much as I would love to say white suede boots are the best winter shoe, I have to go for something more practical. These KORS Michael Kors Slicker Lace-Up Rubber Boots are both practical and stylish. This high heel version of a traditional snow boot offers warmth, comfort, water protection and good grip for icy pavement. The $295 price tag is a bit high yet well worth it if you like to look cute while trekking through winter's slippery muck. The 3 1/2 inch heel is offset by the 3/4 inch platform making the incline reasonable for winter walking. The Micheal Kors website sells the shoes in the pictured Coffee/Olive color, and Shoes.com offers them in Luggage/Navy.

-- Fashion Me Fabulous loves knee socks and homemade socks . We'll even buy socks at crazy prices . -- Monsters can be so fashionable. -- The Frye Boot Watch continues. -- Are you ready for a chop chop ? -- becca is thinking about snow. Ew. At least her outfit will keep you cute in the disgusting weather.

Project Design is our own friendly competition where we put together collection of independent designers for you to rate on your very own imaginary runway. This week at Fashion Me Fabulous has been all about the socks. Jael found cute knee socks . I asked how much you would pay for them. And our Etsy find this week were lace up socks . Since the weather is getting chilly, here are some great cozy socks and slipper socks to keep your feet cute and warm. Which pair will you wear? Felted Woolen Knitted Slipper Sock by Pawfelts Toebiter Heresy by zerkahloostrah Cozy Handmade Slippers by naturallyfelt Striped blue lace-up knee socks by ilusoria High-Top SlipperSocks by knitwit4ever Green striped wool socks by coffeelady poll by twiigs.com

Book: Unmentionables: A Brief History of Underwear by Elaine Benson and John Esten, published in 1996. Pros: This was a great introduction to the basic evolution of all types of underwear, and John Esten did an excellent job of finding old paintings and photographs to illustrate more obscure eras of underwear history. It was surprising how current some of the advertisements and editorials from the 50s and 60s seemed. Benson touched on a topic that bothers me, and since she took my view, I of course like her. Why can women wear men's clothing and it's considered normal but a man in women's clothing is practicing a perversion? Why is a man in his underwear viewed as comical but a woman in her underwear is primarily sexual? Doesn't this view of women's clothing and underthings paint us into a corner? Are we not allowed moments of asexuality? Cons: I wish the book has been structured chronologically or by garment. The topical chapters (underwear in media or underwear

One more cute boot before we release you into the wilds of the weekend. These Corso Como "Dodie" booties are perfect for displaying you favorite fall socks and tights. A black ribbon helps frame the peeping front of the bootie. The wedge heel makes them comfortable, while that little curve at the bottom adds sex appeal. They're available in black, but I prefer the unrealistic to keep clean bone version. The white is over $30 cheaper at $154.90 on Endless.

The $150 Challenge is FMF's effort to show that great style doesn't require great sums of money. The goal of the $150 is to create a look where all of the pieces combined, including shoes and accessories, cost no more than $150. This week's look is in preparation for the first snow of the year. I'm in Michigan right now and it has been reported that snow is on it's way as early as Sunday. I love the first snow. I also love a white Christmas and snow of trees. (I just hate snow when I covers my car in the morning and makes the road slippery). Here is an outfit to help you bundle up for that first romp in the snow. $150 Challenge: First Snow Look by Fashion Me Fabulous Makayla Belted Coat, Forever 21, $37.80 Ramona Skinny Knit Pant, Forever 21, $19.80 Long Cardigan, Charlotte Russe, $22.99 Fab Knit Cami, Forever 21, $2.50 Chunky Crochet Scarf, Forever 21, $9.80 Mossimo Knit Glove, Target, $12.99 Merona Button hat, Target, $12.99 Mossimo: Katrina Boot, Target, $29.99

becca and I have both become obsessed with spats lately. Many shoes and boots currently available hit on this and my button fetish, yet I'd like to have some spats I can move from one shoe to another. Les Frivolites on Etsy makes loopy, girly spats out of quality leather. These gold spats , or gaiters as she calls them, have been marked down to $95 and would work with shoes and boots. They're perfect for those of us who lean toward Victorian designs. I'm especially excited about the pretty lacing up the back.

I'm certainly ready for Halloween as I've been looking to classic monsters for outfit inspiration. Mummy's usually evoke images of decay and hanging gauze, but with the plethora of bandage dresses in stores you can chicly pay homage to one of horror's oldest creatures. Along with the grey bandage dress, I picked a wrap coat, a fringed purse and strappy sandals. The skull jewelry that I included here was just for my macabre self, but you can jazz it up with sleek silver. Mummy by fashionmefabulous Frankenstein's Monster has a set color palette of olive, brown and black. Purple makeup will hallow your features. Since your body doesn't have stitches, I went with ripped jeans and a whipstitch bag. All the men who've played the monster wore big shoes, hence the big Balenciaga boots. The lightning earrings bring it all to life. Frankenstein's Monster by fashionmefabulous Vampires are the easiest monster to reference, but most peo

I'm not super crafty, but I am super cheap. Since I only work part time, I need to occupy myself with something other than Mahjong and the desire to shop. Because I love feathers but can't really afford most of what's on the market, I want to try Fashionista's DIY feather jacket . Their solution for keeping the jacket machine washable is brilliant. Fops and Dandies (which I can't link you to anymore) did a project with adding fringe to a vest. I'd like to buy some of this ready made fringe from the craft store and see what all I could do with it. (I picture myself going into Goodwill and holding it up to items with great shape and horrible prints.) The Queens of the Kingdom of Style are brilliant, and I've written about their DIY projects before. It's been months and I still can't get the idea of working with shower puffs out of my head. I have no idea what I'll do with them, but I'm pretty sure it will be awesome sauce. Give me some time, a