Springs Key Carryall

The Clutch. 

Besides having the number one essential tote bag, I'd say clutches are the second most important style of bag to own. Many designers are even combining three styles into one making straps detachable and change length. A fabulous example of this is the excellent work done by Tory Burch on her Louiisa Messenger bag. This handbag comes in three colors (white, black, and brown) and has three different options you can carry. 1) Carry as a fold over cross body satchel as shown in picture, unfold the flap to enlarge the purse body and carry as more of a messenger bag, or detach the strap completely and carry as a slouchy oversized clutch, which is very in style now. This handbag was fabulously executed by the team at Tory Burch and combines three purses into one. Can you say versatile? This is a more casual style clutch for running around town, but if your looking for a night time clutch, Halston Heritage Jenny Fold Clutch is a flawless look. It's a glittery, look-at-me style that screams confidence without having to dress head to toe in metallics. At a more affordable price, compared to Tory Burch, it's a great clutch to have in your closet for a cocktail party or even a night out with your girlfriends.

Who Wears Short Shorts

Why not kill two birds with one stone and combine neutrals and denim shorts into one trend! How? By wearing the little white short. White shorts are another great item to have in your drawer for when you don't feel like wearing a dress or want to play down an outfit. I would say they're the most versatile of shorts because you can wear any color or style shirt with them and often different style shoes. White shorts look great with a colorful top and wedges to wear out to lunch or to a movie. They don't even have to be expensive to look good. One of my favorite pair of shorts I wear almost everyday in the summer is a pair of white cut off shorts I picked up from American Eagle. A great inexpensive pair to buy just for relaxing and hanging out is the fold over linen short by So Low. These are a great pair to wear to the beach or to class on hot days like these. They're definitely one of the most comfortable pair of white shorts you could find.

Do's and Don'ts of Daisy Dukes

With the summer comes barely there clothing but there's still right and wrong ways of wearing it! Everyone loves jean shorts, whether they're cut off, cuffed, or torn, they are another summer essential. Make any outfit casual and flirty with a pair of jean shorts, a cute top, and some sandals. Although it's not rocket science there are a few rules to abide by when wearing your confidence boosting daisy dukes.

DO: show off some leg! Especially with cut off jean shorts, don't be afraid to wear them a little shorter than you would your everyday khakis. Number one rule to abide by when wearing your shorts a little shorter than usual is to make sure they are lose enough for how tight you are wearing them. You don't want to look like your shorts are cutting off your circulation. That's never a good look. 

DON'T: Like I said above, do NOT wear your daisy dukes skin tight. It's something that cannot be repeated enough. If you cannot fit your hand between the leg of your shorts and your skin then you should throw them away immediately!

DO: Keep some stuff conservative. If you're going to be rocking your daisy dukes on bottom make sure to keep it relatively conservative on top. No skin type tops that show more cleavage than leg. Keep it classy. Well... as classy as daisy dukes can be. 

DON'T: Wear anything high heeled. Wedges can sometimes be pulled off, in certain situations or on the right girl, but never high heels. Flip flop are the right choice 90% of the time. Think about it, if you're wearing daisy dukes, odds are the occasion calls for nothing fancier than sandals or flip flops. Maintain the same look from head to toe.  

Trending Now

Summer is rapidly approaching and it's important to know whats trending now! After this post you will be an expert on the top 5 trends to keep a look out for this summer. 

1) Colorful Dresses: the best part about summer is being able to wear color from head to toe! Throw on a simple vibrant colored dress with a pair of sandals and be ready for the day. When going out, no need to change. All you have to do is trade those sandals for a pair of wedges or heels and you've brought your day time play dress to a night out on the town. A great example is Parker's Cami Dress in violet, shown with wedges. If worn with Tory Burch flip flops, this would be a great look for the day.

2) Wedges: a quintessential item to have in your closet, no matter what. This is a shoe that can be worn with almost any outfit and look good. They're different than heels because heels can often take away from an outfit and make it trashy. Worn from day to night, wedges are the perfect summer shoe and one of the few styles that can be worn for all hours of the day since they're relatively comfortable. Some of my favorite come from Jeffrey Campbell and Tory Burch. 

3) Wide Leg Jeans: the 70's are back so pull out those belt bottoms and throw on some wedges. Celebrities like Rachel Bilson and Jessica Alba have been spotted everywhere wearing their wide legged pants with belts and tucked in shirts with a pair of wedges to top it off! Some of their favorite brands include J Brand, Joes Jeans, Rock and Republic, and 7 for all Mankind. From light washes to the blackest of black, these pants are great for those dinners out and summer movies. 

4) Neutrals: while bright colors and patterns are great to wear during the summer, neutrals are equally as powerful to wear with light touches of color. There's nothing better than wearing a white hot dress out at night to show off that tan you've been working on all day. Earthy colors like tans, whites, and browns are great colors to wear during the summer and can be spunked up with accented coral and turquoise accessories. 

5) Sandals: it's extremely important to have your one go to pair of sandals for the summertime because I don't know about you but that's all I wear during the day. Unless you live in Miami or something, you can't really be wearing wedges and heels 24/7. Neutral colored pairs, like these by Ralph Lauren, are always your best bet because they literally go with everything. 

Dress for the sands of Folly and the city of Charleston

As if King street didn't get me in enough trouble with my credit card, another boutique has opened! Located just off of King Street at 155 Market Street, Salt and Seaweed is a fun trendy boutique, satisfying the fashion needs of an on the go college student in addition to the laid back beach dweller. It's a great addition to this insane shopping district because I have yet to find a shop like this in the city. It resembles the stores on Folly Beach with the colors and relaxed atmosphere and carries a variety of designers, both known and up coming. With designers like Gypsy05, Indah, and Blu Moon you can't go into this store without falling in love with, well, everything. The store even caters to it's audience of broke college students by offering 15% off when presented a student ID. Finally a store understands!!! Their website is currently under construction however their facebook page already has 240 followers. They post pictures daily of new inventory and whenever a celebrity is seen wearing something they have in stock. This way you can go to the store with something in mind, rather than browsing and buying it all! It's a great store to keep in mind and pop into in stead of the everyday stores on King Street, although who am I kidding? Those never get old.

College Budget, meet Rent the Runway

Don't you hate when some fancy event comes up forcing you into buying another dress you'll only wear once? Well penny pinch no longer because with the help of Rent the Runway you can wear fabulous designers, like Herve Leger one night and Badgley Mischka the next, at a fraction of the price! 

It sounds too good to be true but in the blink of an eye you could be the proud flaunter of a couture gown and look like a million bucks, while paying as low as $40. Simply go on the homepage, enter the date of you event, and browse through hundreds of available dresses. The site allows you to navigate easily and filter through the dresses by price, style, color, occasion, and even body type. You have the option of renting the dress for either a four or eight day period in addition to renting a backup size absolutely free. With the amount of events and formals the average female college student attend, this website is essential for maintaing the "college student budget" without your style at risk. Rent the Runway is so in tune with their audience that they even have a Sorority Formal tab under their occasions category focussing on dresses and accessories appropriate for the event. Added bonus, include your sorority information with your username and you get discounts promo codes too! Whether your looking for long or short, solid or print, Rent the Runway has it all. Some of my favorites that you can't go wrong with are; the classic jet halter gown by Halston Heritage, Nicole Miller's keyhole goddess gown, or if you're feeling extra fabulous Badgley Mischka's fifth avenue showstopper dress. 

When it rains, it pours.

Rain, mud, or snow, Hunter Boots are the way to go. 

Anyone in Charleston knows when it rains, it pours. Literally. The city will flood before you know it and the storm watches will be pouring in by the second (pun intended haha). As a college student, waking up in the morning is always difficult but with the weather as unpredictable as it is here, choosing an outfit that will last the entire day is even more of a challenge. One choice in wardrobe that can never do you wrong? Hunter boots. Look around on a rainy day and almost every student is wearing a pair. From bright pastels to muted neutrals, Hunter Boots have easily become the hottest rain boot in stores, they're even available in those metallic colors that are all the rage. Even high end designer Jimmy Choo decided to get in on the action and team up with the company to come out with Hunter Boot for Jimmy Choo. Not only do these rain boots allow you to stay dry while staying in style, they can be worn with anything. Popularly worn with leggings or skinny jeans, you can also wear them with shorts or a dress without getting the "up down". For those people who have gotten the "up down" you know what I'm talking about and for those of you who haven't, I applaud you. Colors like kelly green, iris, violet, and fuchsia are the hot Hunter Boot colors for this spring and can generally be found at Bloomingdales, Shopbop, Nordstrom or any other department store near you, if you're able to snatch them up while still in stock. They're definitely a spring must have for those April showers, so go get some!!