Peplum. Defined as a short ruffled at the waistline of a jacket, blouse, dress or skirt.

It is always fun to have a garment that has something special, making it stand out from the crowd, and that is exactly what peplums do, like this bold red peplum skirt from ModCloth.com for $42.99. Match this colorful garment with a solid form fitting T-shirt throw on a boyfriend blazer and finish with some chunky gold bangles for a look that’s retro-chic!-e-p-l-u-m. Peplum. Yes, those ruffles do have a proper name, and peplums happen to be springing up all over the fashion scene (no pun intended).

True, peplums have some nasty rumors being spread about them, like they have the tendency to accentuate certain lady lumps in a not-so-chic fashion. But it is all about finding the right style that works for your body shape.

When worn properly, peplums actually hug a woman’s curves, creating a beautiful silhouette… This throwback to the 40’s is also great if you are looking to add a little shape to your bod, or want a fabulous way to show off that curvy figure. The key here is balance…if you’re going peplum on top, go fitted on the bottom and vice versa.

If you’re still a little skeptical, why not test-drive a subtle peplum top, like this one from New York & Co. for under $30… you can pair it with something as simple as skinny jeans and colorful heels or this top even looks great with a classic pencil skirt; a totally wow-worthy outfit for the office!

Remember the more color the better this spring, so make your peplum look pop!

Read more from Kate on her blog, LifeSucksInAStraplessBra.com!

-Lilliana Vazquez
Lilliana is a nationally known style expert and television host.  You’ve seen her work on NBC, ABC, The Style Network, and We TV.  She is also the editor of The CheapChica’s Guide to Style, the go-to destination for fashionistas on a budget, and a contributor to Philadelphia Magazine.
(all photos courtesy of Lilliana and The CheapChica’s Guide to Style)

I just got back from LA on Thursday and since I’m heading back there next week, I’m kind of pretending that my cold, dark, winter days are very numbered…hence all my recent Spring purchases!

The truth is, Philly can be cold until late April so the chances of me actually getting to wear these anytime soon is slim to none, but is there anything better than having a great pair of sexy sandals looking at you every morning to help you get through the winter doldrums??

I’m a total sucker for shoes in this color and one of the reasons I got them, besides the fact that they were under $25, was because they will look great with my black tights that I’ve been living in all winter.

I hate seeing girls pair too-delicate strappy sandals with tights-it just irks me- but these shoes are substantial enough to balance out a dark, opaque leg! Click here to buy them…and they also come in black!

-Lilliana Vazquez
Lilliana is a nationally known style expert and television host.  You’ve seen her work on NBC, ABC, The Style Network, and We TV.  She is also the editor of The CheapChica’s Guide to Style, the go-to destination for fashionistas on a budget, and a contributor to Philadelphia Magazine.
(all photos courtesy of Lilliana and The CheapChica’s Guide to Style)

Do you have any additions to your wardrobe that you’ve been searching for for what feels like eternity? You search and search and search, but no luck, no luck, NO LUCK?!

For me, that elusive item was a ballet cardigan. I love the piece’s delicacy and sweetness, that flattering wrap-around style and the allusion to classic, feminine grace.  Dance stores usually carry them, but I was looking for something more wearable on the street…perhaps an “inspired by” ballet cardigan.

I’d all but given up hope on finding what I was looking for until I wandered into GapBody last weekend and noticed their ballet sweater.

It was exactly what I was looking for! I love the soft sweater material, the deep v-neck that shows off whatever you choose to layer underneath and the classic pink-black color combo that calls to mind the black leotard- pink tutu combo.

The fit was super flattering, both my friend and I tried it on and it looked amazing on both of us, slimming us down with the belt and accentuating our curves with the v-neck.

I walked away empty-handed because in-store, the sweater cost a whopping $59.50. Maybe worthwhile, but I just wasn’t feeling spending sixty bucks. Online, though, the sweater is on sale for $29.99! Now that’s a whole different story…

-Lilliana Vazquez
Lilliana is a nationally known style expert and television host.  You’ve seen her work on NBC, ABC, The Style Network, and We TV.  She is also the editor of The CheapChica’s Guide to Style, the go-to destination for fashionistas on a budget, and a contributor to Philadelphia Magazine.
(all photos courtesy of Lilliana and The CheapChica’s Guide to Style)

This is for those risk takers out there…or for those who are tired of the winter doldrums and need some excitement back in your life!

One of this springs biggest trends is bold color. Vibrant hues of pink, orange, red and purple were popping up on almost all of the Spring 2011 runways, and my favorite runway has to be Marc Jacobs! This season MJ decided to channel another fashion god in his presentation-YSL circa 1970-and the results….simply stunning!

This trend can go two ways: 1) for the bold, no-holds-bar fashionistas out there, take it all in and just go for it…and 2) for the “taste testers”, mix splashes of color with your more neutral color palettes.

If your taste, fall more towards option 1, try an outfit that mixes two or three different bold colors–just make sure they all compliment each other like the MJ runway look above.  While they’re all very bold color choices, they all “work” when mixed together.

Now if you’re not interested in being over-the-top but want to add a pop to an otherwise neutral look, pick your favorite bold hue and mix it in! This could be something as simple as bright orange clutch or something a little bolder like this persimmon blazer that the lovely Rachel Bilson is donning with her head to toe nude look.

I’ve been seeing this color popping up everywhere from H&M (I’ve bought two jackets in the last month there in this exact shade) to LOFT and even in your major department stores–it’s definitely the “it” color for Spring so start scouring those racks for it and don’t be afraid of how bright it looks on the hanger.  A color like this is a fast and easy update to all of last year’s fashions that need a little update!

And just because it’s not officially spring, that doesn’t mean you’re not “a-loud” to add some color into your life.

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-Lilliana Vazquez
Lilliana is a nationally known style expert and television host.  You’ve seen her work on NBC, ABC, The Style Network, and We TV.  She is also the editor of The CheapChica’s Guide to Style, the go-to destination for fashionistas on a budget, and a contributor to Philadelphia Magazine.
(all photos courtesy of Lilliana and The CheapChica’s Guide to Style)

I’ve been a little leery of the pointy-toe shoe trend simply because I still have fashion nightmares of the kind of pointy shoes I wore the first time this trend was big…the really long, skinny toe that made my size 6 feet look like they were a size 10.  Yea, it really didn’t do any favors for any of us…

But recently I’ve seen a few pumps (namely these Stella McCartney ones) that made me change my mind and kind of embrace the new (slightly) pointy toe! But at $655 these are way outside my price range…I mean they’re “vegan friendly” and all but why do I have to pay so much for plastic? I guess they’re Stella plastic so that’s the reason for the hefty price tag.

I’m happy to announce that some more budget friendly versions of this pointy trend have hit the store shelves.  My favorite so far is this Rya pair from Aldo.  They’re pretty close in color (or close enough) to the Stella ones and I love that they have an interesting detail at the back of the foot.

What made me fall in love with the Stella pumps were the details.  I love the cut in at the toe and the raised back- it makes a very classic shoe look fresh and current…these Aldo ones also do a good job of keeping the pump modern with a similar detail!

(Follow this link to check out) other styles for a great take on the pointy toe trend–and I promise, none of these will make you look like you’re wearing witches shoes!

-Lilliana Vazquez
Lilliana is a nationally known style expert and television host.  You’ve seen her work on NBC, ABC, The Style Network, and We TV.  She is also the editor of The CheapChica’s Guide to Style, the go-to destination for fashionistas on a budget, and a contributor to Philadelphia Magazine.
(all photos courtesy of Lilliana and The CheapChica’s Guide to Style)

I never watch The Golden Globes.  I don’t watch the Emmys, the Oscars, or the Grammys.  In fact, don’t hate me, but I have to admit that award shows tend to bore me- put me to sleep even.  That same music playing over and over, the same movie being awarded, five minutes of showtime and then another seven minutes of commercials.  No, thank you!

Of course I love the fashion, but I normally flip through my favorite tabloids, fashion magazines and blogs to see it all.  This year, though, was different.  I was in Florida with six of my best friends and what did everyone want to watch?  The Golden Globes.  And yes, the Red Carpet.

Two stand-outs this year (for me at least!) were Emma Stone and Claire Danes, both donning Calvin Klein.  I have to say that I soon as I saw Emma’s dress, my jaw about hit the floor.  She looked absolutely stunning.

And then, I saw Claire Danes. I mean, amazing!  I loved everything about these two looks, from the lines of the dresses to the happy color.  Those pink and peach hues …they were so simple, yet so elegant.  So striking!

This got me thinking: sure, it’s winter, but what better way to cure those winter blues than with a great big pop of color?  This dress from Delphine Murat does just that and it has that same simple elegance that the CK dresses did but in a shorter length.  It’s much more wearable for those of us that live our lives off the red carpet and at only $49 a price we can all afford!

Now if you’re not ready for such an intense color burst just yet, why not buy a piece now and save it for spring?  Or, why not save it for a nice little tropical getaway?  We could all use some color in our closet- even if there’s two feet of snow on the ground…

-Lilliana Vazquez
Lilliana is a nationally known style expert and television host.  You’ve seen her work on NBC, ABC, The Style Network, and We TV.  She is also the editor of The CheapChica’s Guide to Style, the go-to destination for fashionistas on a budget, and a contributor to Philadelphia Magazine.
(all photos courtesy of Lilliana and The CheapChica’s Guide to Style)