Reality on Bravo

Project Runway is one of 35 winners of the Peabody Awards, which were announced today. The ceremony is planned for June 16.

In a first for a reality series, Project Runway was announced today as one of the winners of the much-respected Peabody Awards.

Presented by the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, 35 awards will be given out as part of the 67th Annual Peabody Awards. Aside from Runway, other winners include 30 Rock, Mad Men and Dexter. The presentation of awards, hosted by Brian Williams, will be June 16.

The awards are decided on by the 16-member Peabody Board, which includes TV critics, industry executives and arts experts. UGA students, faculty and staff also are part of the process, serving on special screening committees prior to the selection.

The Peabody Awards are the oldest honor in electronic media, and they honor TV shows, documentaries and individuals without placing restrictions on categories or by pre-determining a certain number of awards for specific areas of focus.

Project Runway, Peabody Awards

Rami Kashou won the final challenge on Project Runway to guarantee his spot at New York Fashion Week.

Chris March used human hair — as in human hair — in his wacky design collection to compete for his chance at a spot on the Project Runway catwalks at New York Fashion Week. Rami Kashou used a little draping — as in a little — to win the third spot up against Christian Siriano and Jillian Lewis.

The judges seemed a little creeped out by the use of human hair as a new kind of “fur” for Christian’s goth-inspired designs. I, too, have to admit it was a little strange. But the innovative idea really did look pretty incredible, especially considering it was hair. You know, the stuff from your head. Sorry, I can’t get over it.

One of the skirts Chris showed on the runway for his fashion-off against Rami also was made from safety pins, another unusual material. As a collection, it turned out a lot better than I think much of his earlier work from the season. While I think Chris has a lot of talent, I also believe a couple of other contestants were let go a little too early this season.

As far as Rami’s collection, the three-piece preview shown to the judges seemed to be a lot more expansive than the drape dress after drape dress he created throughout the season. Clearly, the judges saw something in Rami I did not see from my couch. The blue coat he put together as part of his final collection seemed a little too crazy — and not in a good way. The thing had poofy sleeves and extra fabric at just about every turn. The cuffs, the collar, you name it.

So, for those of you who haven’t been checking out the pictures online, what are your thoughts on how things are going to turn out? Will Christian, the fan favorite, have the best collection? Or Jillian? Maybe Rami? Someone else who maybe doesn’t get mentioned in this post?

I’m excited to see how it all plays out next week when Victoria Beckham sits with the judges to help critic the final shows. It’s going to be “maja,” as she would say.

Project Runway, Christian Siriano, Jillian Lewis, Rami Kashou, Chris March, Victoria Beckham

We’ve all done stupid stuff in 2007…stuff we aren’t proud of to say the least. That’s why we make New Year’s resolutions. We hope that we can be better people in 2008.

Everyone wants to start working out in the new year or spend more time with family or achieve work goals…but let’s talk more specifically. If you were your favorite Bravo star, what resolution would YOU make? As Jo De La Rosa, would your resolution be to be done with Slade once and for all? As Padma Lakshmi, would your resolution be to find a new man?

Here are my ideas for some of the current Project Runway contestants. Can you match my silly resolution with the correct contestant?

1. “In 2008, I vow to stop spitting on clothing that other people will be wearing. I’ll continue to march to the beat of my own drummer, but I’ll stop making others so uncomfortable.”

2. “My New Year’s resolution is to only cry when the situation really warrants crying. Otherwise, I will suck it up instead of continuously tearing up at the drop of a hat.”

3. “My resolution for 2008 is to start taking Tim’s advice. I’ll continue making cute clothing, but instead of going that step too far, I’ll cut the costumer elements and keep it classy.”

4. “This year, I’ll stop quoting overused movie phrases…even if I am kinda a big deal.”

A)Christian………………….B)Elisa………………….C)Chris…………………D)Ricky

(Please note, again, that these are not ACTUAL resolutions from these Bravo designers. I made ‘em up. Just wanted to be clear on that point!)

Answers after the break!
(more…)

We all know that TV stars - even reality show TV stars - have some money to throw around. Do I? Nope. So, I’m bringing your Friday’s Fashion Finds! I’ll take a picture of a favorite Bravo star and show you where to find similar fashion for an affordable price. See an outfit you’d love replicate? Email me today, and I’ll feature you on an upcoming week!

Today’s Fashion Inspiration: Heidi Klum, the host of Bravo’s Project Runway

Who doesn’t want to look like Heidi Klum. Sure, she may be a bit bigger than “size 0″ these days, but give a girl a break. She’s been playing mommy after all! Anyone who can have kids and still participate in a Victoria’s Secret fashion show as one of their lead angels has GOT to have a kick-ass body.

I mean, really…Anyone who doesn’t think that Heidi looks fabulous can immediately leave this blog. She’s stunning.

But not all of us have a supermodel pocketbook…or Seal footing bills for that matter!

No, the rest of us need more affordable options. Don’t worry! You can still pull off that hot as hell Heidi Klum look. Here’s how to affordable get a recent Runway look for a fraction of the cost!

The Shirt
Notice in this picture Heidi Klum is simply wearing a basic black top. Nothing fancy - but she (or her wardrobe people) did put thought into it. Notice how the scoop neck shows off her long, lean model-y neck? Notice how the sleeve length plays up her toned arms beautifully? And open neck and fitted arms will do the same for you, even if you don’t have model-esque features. The shirt pictured to the right is from Eddie Bauer, and it will run you just $34.50…even less if you shop Eddie Bauer during sales days, like I do!

The Skirt
This skirt is what really makes the outfit interesting. She’s wearing black and white, so the visual interest has to come from neat patterns. Don’t forget to add visual interest to your outfit, either using a color or a pattern. The skirt pictured to the right is from Sears, and although it isn’t like the one Heidi is wearing in the picture, it uses the same principles - a sleek, structured cut, with visual interest created by the red color and the pattern. If you look for it, finding the black and white version of Heidi’s skirt should be fairly easy. The red one from Sears will set you back under $20.

Finish off your look with a great belt and some pumps and people will be mistaking you for Heidi Klum! Ok, maybe not…but you will look fierce!

Don’t forget to check out some past Friday Fashion Finds!

As we approach the new year, it is fun to look back at all that has happened in the past 365 days. Bravo has had quite a year! In addition to seeing some great new shows, like Flipping Out and Shear Genius, we got to enjoy old favorites, like Top Chef and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, as well. In no particular order, here are my top ten favorite Bravo moments of 2007.

1. The Top Chef Season 2 Finale, When Marcel Peed on Himself
Season 2 was a real blood bath! With Cliff getting kicked off the show and multiple people yelling at Marcel, there was never a dull episode. One of my favorite moments, however, HAS to be when Marcel pricked himself trying to reach for the uni, and he peed on himself to ward off infections. It’s either that or the time Marcel rapped to the camera. Gotta love that kid, even if he didn’t win!

2. Jo and Slade’s Break-up
This was one of the few Real Housewives moments when we were really allowed to see someone hurting. The tears were real. The situation was real? Jo and Slade’s break-up was…real? Jury’s still out on that one. Who knows if they ever got back together?

3. Michael’s “Carissa comment” on Top Design
Ah, it seems like Top Design was so very long ago….but it was just last spring! The best moment on that show, in my opinion, was Michael saying “It’s like trying to squeeze Carissa into a pair of pants” when they were having troubling fitting a plastic sheet in a drawer. hahaha!

4. Rebecca throwing water in Jesse’s face on Work Out
This season on Work Out was tough, as the cast was dealing with Doug’s death. I wouldn’t call that one of my favorite moments, though. What WAS one of my faves was when Rebecca got sick of putting up with Jess’s shit about her and Jackie’s relationship and threw water in his face. He deserved it.

5. Tyson’s Shear Genius “trance”
Tyson and Tabitha’s feud was by far the best part about Shear Genius. The thing that cracked me up the most? Tyson’s “trance” when he got inspired to create the GORGEOUS Elizabethan style. The end result was beautiful…but that guy was WEIRD.

6. The Top Chef Smackdown
There wasn’t one specific part about the reunion challenge show that I loved - the whole thing was great. I love that TC has these little specials every so often to remind us how much we love that show!

7. Gay Porn - God’s Work
This year, My Life on the D-List also had some heart-touching episodes, as Kathy’s father passed away. I’d like to highlight here another moment, however, that is classic - when Kathy hosted the Gay Porn awards, and one of the winners said that they were doing “God’s Work.” Really? God wants you to have lots of gay sex on camera? LOL!

8. Top Chef Season Three Restaurant Wars
Restaurant Wars was by far my favorite episode of season three. It was so exciting to watch the underdogs competing against the powerhouse team…and then NO ONE went home…and then the UNDERDOGS won the second time around. Sweeeeeet.

9. Sex Toy on Welcome to the Parker
Welcome to the Parker’s Success was short-lived…but who can forget the Sex Toys episode?

10. Elisa spitting on the fabric
We’re not too too far into Project Runway yet, but Elisa spitting on the fabric has to be one of the weirdest, funniest moments on the whole show. And Sweet Pea’s Reaction!?!? PRICELESS!

Sorry to do this to you all, but I have to postpone the Project Blog winner announcement ONE more day, because I’m blogging from a relative’s house and I realized that I left the notes and points recap at home. Whoops!

Will post first thing when I’m back tomorrow - sorry to keep you all in suspense!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Love,
Alli

Project Blog is an ongoing competition that coincides with Bravo’s Project Runway. Every week, blogtestants from all over the blog-o-sphere compete in blogging challenges. Every week, the top blogger wins a special prize and, more importantly, immunity and the blogger with the lowest score is eliminated. There are prizes for readers too! And you can play along on your own blog if you’d like email me at allison.boyer-at-yahoo-dot-com with your entries, and I’ll show you a little link love AND give you an additional entry in the prize for that given week!

In this past week’s challenge, blogtestants were asked to give us a post that links to an old entry, using the past as inspiration. We didn’t spell it out for the bloggers with the directions, but the whole goal for the judges was to find out who could show us the best entry that effectively used linking, a very important skill for any blogger to have. You can find a list of their entries here.

You guys voted to pick the reader’s favorites, who get points, which are added to the judges’ scores to create a final score for each player. Project Blog Judges are Beth (the winner of the Reality on Bravo “Create your own Reality Show” contest), April (a freelance writer and the blogger for Life as a Christian Woman), and myself. This week, we also had a guest judge - Gillian, who’s e-cookbook “Chronicling the Fifth Deadly Sin” is this week’s prize!

Imagine, if you will, that the bloggers are lined up on a virtual runway, because it’s time to announce the winner! There was some stiff competition this week, but the person with the highest score is….

And she takes it for the SECOND week in a row. I have to say though - it was REALLY REALLY close, with Kate winning out by just one point. It came down to her winning the readers over and earning 3 points for a first-place finish in the reader vote. The judging was really split on this one between Kate and Mark. I’d also like to give an honorable mention shout-out to Kara.

Kate, your post was smart and a pleasure to read. But beyond that, you showed us that you are a total pro at linking. One of the judges said, “You approach each post as a brand new project, even when you are using past inspiration. This really gives strength to your writing. Links are effective as they flow in the writing by being inviting to the reader without bogging down the article.”

Mark, your post was fun to read (as always), but beyond that, it was time-specific with all of the “Cyber Monday” hype (who hasn’t been getting a ton of the emails you blogged about). You dug through your archives and found not just a post you liked, but a post that was again relevant to us. You linked without trying to hard, and we like that.

Kara ended with the third most points. Although a “weather update” doesn’t sound like it would be anything worth reading, we were all pleasantly surprised to read not just an update, but a short list of business to use if any of us ever travels to Colorado. It was smart linking at its best.

So congratulations, Kate. You and your blog, Babylune, win week two of Project Blog!! Other contestants, don’t worry. You can fairly easily knock Kate off her throne, as Mark proved to us this week, moving from the middle of the pack to losing out by just a single point. Next week is anyone’s game! (Although I do have to remind you that Kate has won immunity again!)

And now for the part I don’t like…the elimination. And someone really is “going home” this week.

Sigh.

You’re all wonderful bloggers, but we do have a few comments for the bottom two before making an elimination. Congratulations Winnie, Sally, and Cynthia. Your scores have qualified you to remain in the competition; you may leave the virtual runway.

That leaves us with the bottom two. Jodie and Randi, let’s bring out your models…er…blogs so we can make a few comments.

Jodie, we like your sass and one of the judges commented that she “gets” your blog. However, this post seemed a bit all over the place, maybe taking linking to the extreme. Says another judge, “Jodie’s was very good but a little disjointed, i.e. her construction needed more attention because the seams gapped a bit.” We were all a bit confused but the linking, because many of the links led to the same place. While that may work in some cases, the general consensus among us that it was a waste of time for readers to click on the same link twice, especially because the links were back to back. It was also slightly confusing that you put the competition information first, before your post. While we appreciate your promoting the contest, if your reader wasn’t interested in it and ONLY at your blog to read about your topic - sports - the very long intro about the contest probably caused him or her to click the back button.

Randi, we thought that the way you approached this challenge was interesting - no one else went about doing it in that way (posting the old information in italics and the “update” in regular print. However, we think you missed the point of the challenge - linking. Says one judge, “I don’t need to click on the link. She’s got the old article in full right here. So, she’s not getting that extra pageview from me. It was ineffective linking.” We also noted that there were a few spelling/grammar errors in the old text that you copy and pasted. If you are going to use old text, or even link to an old post for that matter, MAKE SURE that you fix mechanical errors before posting them a second time.

Now here’s the hard part…this week, we’re eliminating:

It was a tough call, ladies, but in the end, Randi’s creativity didn’t work for us. It happens sometimes - risks just aren’t always rewarded. Randi, we totally appreciate your entries into the Project Blog competition thus far, and we hope you’ll still play along (and keep yourself sharp - on Project Runway, past contestants are often brought back or serve as guest judges, so you never know when we’ll come calling!)

Contestants, get ready for an exciting two-week challenge coming up! Project Blog is just getting started!

I’m not skipping today for NaBloPoMo…I just don’t have reliable ‘net access. I’m in the process of moving, so I’m at my boyfriend’s parents’ house, using his lap top and their internet. Not good for blogging. So, my list and pictures are not around at the moment. Good news is that we should have internet in my new house by tomorrow early afternoon, so I will be back then for #20 and #19!

AND TO OFFICIALLY KICK OFF PROJECT BLOG. Make sure that you bookmark or subscribe to this site for the next few months - every week we’ll be giving away some awesome prizes!

As part of the NaBloPoMo celebration, I’m posting my list of top 30 Most Fabulous Bravo Personalities. The points of qualification? Only one: be utterly fabulous. “Fabulous can mean intriguing, funny, hot, crazy…or all of the above. Stop back every day during November to see if you favorite star has made the list!

Today’s Fabulous #23 is Andy Cohen, Bravo’s executive “face”.

Why is Andy fabulous? I have to be honest with you. I really don’t like watching Andy Cohen. I think his questions are annoying. I think his jokes are lame. I think he works on everyone’s nerves. But you know what? Without him, Bravo would not be what it is today. Only a few short years ago, Bravo was nothing. Then, the revolution began. Now, Bravo really isn’t a “leader” in the TV world, but people now know the channel name. And hey, that’s something. Bravo’s success is due in part to the production work done by Andy. He really has been tirelessly working for a better Bravo, and for that, Andy, I thank you. Even if you are annoying.

Check back tomorrow for #22!

Here’s the list of my 30 Fabulous Bravo Personalities so far:

23. Andy Cohen, Bravo Exec
24. Marcel Vigneron, Top Chef Season Two
25. Kelly Wearstler, Top Design
26. Chloe Dao, Project Runway Season Two
27. Vicki Gunvalson, The Real Housewives of Orange County
28. Dale Levitski, Top Chef Season Three
29. Carson Kressley, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy
30. Jeff Lewis, Flipping Out

Have someone you’d like to nominate? Feel free to email me at allison.boyer - at - yahoo - dot - com today or leave a comment telling us why your nominee is Bravo-fabulous!

Today, Andrew at Everybody Loves Coupons sent me a special surprise - a virtual Halloween treat for being awesome. I mean, who can blame him. I’m totally cool.

Hehe, just kidding.

Anyway, the purpose of the Halloween treat is to pass it on to 1 - 5 other people, not just to the “regulars” on your site, but simply to new friends who’ve stopped by, bloggers you really admire, or lurkers. (And if you’re a lurker, today’s a great day to de-lurk yourself and leave a comment!

That in mind, I’m awarding this award to the following bloggers:

Paul at ToyBender, because his toy collector blog really is “poop in your pants awesome.” I wrote a post on toy collecting for him in the past, and even though I’m not a toy collector myself, I sit by often because he’s hilarious!

Geoff at Knuckle Curve. I write the BCS blog at b5 media on the same channel, and Geoff has always stopped by to help promote my articles and leave comments. Check out his blog, including the World Series coverage.

Check out these two awesome bloggers today! Paul and Geoff, feel free to pass it on if you want!

With the start of the new season of The Real Housewives of Orange County, the crazies are coming out of the woodwork again. Just read through my recent comments to see what I mean. People are downright obsessed with these decadent ladies, to the point where they are willing to debate whether they live in “big houses” or “mansions.” I mean, really.

So, I felt like I needed to address this issue right away before the new season started, because I’m sure a lot of the people who do/do not like the Real Housewives will be stopping in to give us all their two (three…four…) cents.

I never said that I thought that the real “Pizza Girl” was obsessed or a stalker. I also never said that I thought she wasn’t. However, I wanted to point out some things that really do make me question someone’s sanity (not just PG’s…anyone’s):

1. Arguing with yourself via comments. If you’re going to leave a comment on my site, you can definitely use a made-up name instead of your real name. In fact, I encourage it. That said, don’t make up three or four different names and leave comments under those different names to argue with one another. I mean, really. I can see your email addresses and IP information when you leave a comment, so I know when the same person is commenting under different names. You’ve got to be kidding me. In addition, there are about five different email/IPs claiming to be “the real” PG. Will the Real Pizza Girl please stand up? Lol.

2. Saying how much you hate hearing about the Real Housewives, but yet leaving multiple comments every time I post about them. You don’t like them. I get it. If you’re a regular Reality on Bravo reader and you want to voice your opinion, more power to you. I love to hear from the regulars! But if you’re not a regular, that means you found my site because you were searching for “real housewives”. If you hate them so much, why are you spending time searching for news on them? I don’t get it.

3. Thinking that showing up at a court house is stalking. I don’t know all of the daily actions by “Pizza Girl” or any of the other Real Housewives fans. I can’t say that people aren’t stalking them. I will say, however, that I don’t think that showing up at a public court trial or hearing is stalking. I might go if I lived close enough. As a fan and RHOC news source, I like to be up-to-date about what is going on, rather than reading it from others. So that specific action? No, I wouldn’t consider it stalking.

4. Calling the Real Housewives the “WORST MOMS EVER” or anything like that. Give me a break. They aren’t the worst moms ever. Even if you don’t agree with their parenting practices (and I definitely don’t some of the time), none of those ladies has ever let an innocent child starve, wear rags, etc. And I know a lot of your will cite the time Lauri kicked out Josh and he was homeless. Notice that I said “innocent child”. Once you’re 18, you sometimes need a little tough love. All I’m saying is that there are moms who do crack and have sex in front of their children. I even met a girl once who’s mom made her give blow jobs for money at the age of 10. Now that is my idea of the worst mom ever. So stop exaggerating.

The bottom line? Let’s agree to disagree. The Real Housewives, Pizza Girl, and even me - we may not be perfect, but I bet you aren’t either. So, if you have something to say, go ahead and get it off of your chest, but always use respect toward the other readers of this site!

Visit NaBloPoMo

Have you heard of NaNoWriMo? It’s a November writing month in which writers from around the world attempt to finish a novel during the month of November. It means a lot of sleepless nights and revising come December, but the process is supposed to get your creative juices flowing. And it does for a lot of people.

Me? I don’t have time. I’d like to say that I could set aside even an hour every day for personal writing, but between my various blogs, running my own writing company with a team of writers, and working part time as an administrative/personal assistant, I simply can’t. Sad but true. Some day when I don’t need the money, I’ll have time to do more personal writing!

But anyway, what I am doing is taking part in NaBloPoMo - short for National Blog Posting Month. Bloggers around the world are teaming up to take part by posting at least once per day during the month of November. That’s every day - no skipping weekends or even holidays! Because I’m an overachiever, I’m going to make this even harder on myself. I’m still going to do the typical posts, but I’m also going to countdown my list of the 30 Most Fabulous Bravo Personalities - yep, you guessed it, one per day.

(And don’t forget that Project Blog is starting really soon!!)

There are a number of other bloggers at 451 press also joining NaBloPoMo, so check them out during November for lots of special posts and prizes!

Write Anyway

Nursing Your Kids

Darkside Rainbow

Living Rural

Watching Doctor Who

Food Past

Martial Talk

And there’s surely tons more that I’ve missed. Check out the network to see who else is participating!

This week is bringing us lots of fun and atypical shows on Bravo, so I thought I’d take a minute to go over them. Make sure that you don’t miss any of these specials! Although…well…it is Bravo. I guess there’s a good chance that we’ll see lots of reruns!

Monday:
10 AM - 4 PM: Last Comic Standing marathon
8 PM: Inside the Actor’s Studio, Alec Baldwin

Tuesday:
9 AM -3 PM: Top Design marathon (been awhile since we saw TD!)
5:30 PM: Special - Moving Image Salutes Will Smith
9 PM: Queer Eye, The Biker Charity
10 PM: Queer Eye, Jeff proposes to his girlfriend

Wednesday:
2 PM - 10 PM: Work Out marathon
11 PM: Work Out Special: Trainer’s Day Off
11:30 PM: Better Half, Fitness Trainers (Jackie Warner as gust judge)

Thursday:
11:30 AM - 6:30 PM: The Real Housewives of Orange County marathon

Friday:
9:30 AM - 2:30 PM: Work Out marathon
4 PM: Ultimate Superheroes, Vixens, & Villians
7 PM: Bravo Original - Even Scarier Movie Moments

Saturday:
11 AM - 4 PM: The 100 Scariest Movie Moments

Don’t forget that Bravo also shows their famous “Bravo’s Big Picture” movies, and since we’re so close to Halloween (mwhahaha - does my laugh sound evil to you?) most of the movies they’re showing in the upcoming two weeks are thrillers or horror. Here’s what’s on the schedule this week:

Addams Family Values: Monday at 8 AM and 6 PM, Saturday at 7 PM
Harlem Nights: Wednesday at 11:30 AM
Hollow Man II: Monday at 9 PM and 11 PM
House Arrest: Tuesday at 7 PM
Leprechaun: Friday at 9 PM
Leprechaun 4: Friday at 11 PM, Saturday at 5 PM
Next Best Thing: Saturday at 8 AM
Some Kind of Wonderful: Thursday at 8 AM
Witness: Thursday at 8 PM

For more great TV schedules, reviews, and so forth, check out TV Blogging!

Project Runway is never boring, but season four will bring you more drama than ever. How do I know? Blogger Nina Garin from Street got to see an advanced copy of the season. Cue my best Napoleon Dynamite voice: “Luuuuuuuckyyyyyyy…”

Some of her observations were that Heidi isn’t preggers and that Tim Gunn still walks around saying, “Make it work!” To read more about the show (no spoilers, I promise), check out Nina’s mini-review/sneak peek/bragging (hehe) here.

Oh, and for the record, I still like Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style. It’s been getting a lot of bad reviews, but I thoroughly enjoy the majority of it. They could do without Veronica Webb and the “life coaches,” who make the ladies on the show do ridiculous shit like walk around in a plastic bag. And hey, can we get a man on that show? Or…well…maybe that’s a little to “Queer Eye.” Which brings me to my next thought - are ya’ll watching Queer Eye again!?!?! Hm…maybe I’ll save that discussion for another post!

We all know that TV stars - even reality show TV stars - have some money to throw around. Do I? Nope. So, I’m bringing your Friday’s Fashion Finds! I’ll take a picture of a favorite Bravo star and show you where to find similar fashion for an affordable price. See an outfit you’d love replicate? Email me today, and I’ll feature you on an upcoming week!

Today’s Fashion Inspiration: Padma on Episode Four of Top Chef, Season Three

Padma is looking great here for the Bombay Sapphire quickfire challenge.

The ruffled shirt is feminine with a neckline that really opens up her chest, and the color palette is sophisticated and unusual all the the same time. I’d never put brown and black together, but here, it works because the outfit’s pieces are monochromatic.

When shopping for yourself, look for pieces in the same style or color, but that set off your best features. If you aren’t as long and lean as Paddie (and really, who here is?), go for a skirt that floats away from the body a bit or try different waists. Don’t be afraid to use different colors if you find others you like better!

Here are some great places to get started:

Available from the Gap , the top is only $34.99. Pair that with the pencil skirt from Target for only $17.49 and the belt (Calvin Klein) from Macy’s for only $45. Ok, so you can probably find a cheaper belt at Wal-Mart…but you get the idea!