Mod Mosaic Mini

The color, the pebbled effect: there's something gorgeously dusk-like about this mini dress. The fact that it's on sale for $34.99 means I may need to throw down my credit card number ASAP.

Red Carpet Looks, Real Cheap

With me and Herve Leger's bandage dress, it was pretty much love at first sight. Alas, I don't have the dough to spend on one of his creations. In searching for cheaper replicas, I found two sick interpretations: one by BeBe for $159 and another by Nicole Miller for $312 at Bluefly.com.

Click the video to check out these looks as well as red carpet-worthy creations from LuLu's and Marc Bouwer.

Fab Finds Under $50 #1

Some things defy categorization. That's what "Fab Finds Under $50" (aka "Random Cool Things Roundup" aka I haven't really settled on a name for this segment yet so send in your suggestions, won't you?) is for. On deck in this episode:

Old Navy's colorful canvas flats: $19.50.

Target's Hayden-Harnett double-flap bag: $29.99.

Fred Flare's 2-carat cup: $18.

MoMA's color spectrum umbrella: $40.

What awesome stuff under $50 are you digging? Comment and let me know -- girl's got only so much time to scour the Web.

What's essential with rain boots? Knee-highs, or better yet, OVER-the-knee-highs. (I learned this the hard way yesterday when my ankle socks bunched into little balls around my toes.) Fred Flare's Harajuku socks look seamless and stylish with just about anything, and come in seven different colors to coordinate with all your gear. They're on sale now for $9.99/pair.

F Winter, I'm Shopping for Spring Part 2: Rain Boots

Jay-Z's in the rain doing a buck 40 hydroplaning. Me? I'm puddle jumping my way through this dull and dreary New York Monday in rain boots. If you don't have a pair yet, I highly recommend you get some for spring. Wet feet are so not fly. Below, click the video and check out some choice options:

Old Navy's yellow wellies, $19.50.

Urban Outfitters' equestrian rain boots, $48.

Target's perfect plaid boots, $24.99.

Gabriella Rocha's bad ass skull-printed boots, $40.

F Winter, I'm Shopping for Spring Part 1: Trench Coats

I'm done. For real though -- winter on the east coast sucks. Doesn't matter that I'm a Jersey girl at heart, I'll never get used to snow and sleet and 20 degree wind chills.

So I'm setting my mind on spring and shopping for the season's essentials. First up: trench coats. This berry-colored one from Target is BOLD -- and at $39.99, cheap enough that you can buy a black or neutral hued one to wear on days when you don't feel like stopping traffic.

If you've got a little more dough to spare, spring for Michael Kors' cobalt-colored, mid-length trench. It's $96 at Bluefly.com -- way below retail.

I'm loving the deep purple color of this trench, which lets it transition easily from the dark days of winter to the warmer breezes of spring. It's $59.99 at Overstock.com.

Another purple option, this time more casual: Sashimi's belted trench, on sale at Nordstrom.com for $38.90. It also comes in teal and burgundy.

But these are just the trenches I'm digging -- let me know what you're excited to buy this spring and where you plan to shop. And F the cold. I'm pretty sure that if you stare it down hard enough, it'll go away.

In which we gift because Hallmark says so, dammit.

Installment numero uno of "Bling for Broke": The video version. It's a timely topic -- what to get the guy in your life for Valentine's Day without sacrificing the bones you set aside to buy yourself a hot dress. We mined mall staples -- Old Navy, Urban Outfitters, H&M -- and came up with five fab ideas under $50.

But truth be told, if you really want to save money this Valentine's Day, do what I do -- don't celebrate it, at least not in the traditional sense. My plan? Pork sandwiches at NY hole-in-the-wall Porchetta. I'm certain St. Valentine would have appreciated a boned-out hog much more than a bouquet with baby's breath. (However, he'd probably go for the hoodies in this episode.) Happy Hallmark holiday!