Thursday, June 25th, 2009
Wouldn’t it be grand if we had endless funds to spruce up our
fall wardrobe? Well most of us don’t but not to worry. Here’s
some help to build your fall wardrobe on a budget.
First off forget the designe names. Yes they’re great if you can
afford them but if not take their ideas and then go shopping.
There are plenty of similar after market designs that are very
close and won’t break the bank.
Items such as blue jeans, pheasant skirts, v necks, and wool
sweaters can be purchased without the designer name. Also watch
for some great sales as the stores begin to already bring in
their winter stock. This time of year you can save anywhere from
30% to 50%.
Looking fresh and stylish is important and when you get to save
good money you don’t feel so bad about tossing an item that’s
starting to show its wear.
You can also save plenty on shoes by watching for sale or
shopping at a shoe warehouse. The shoe warehouses have plenty of
style choices you just might have to hunt a little bit to find
your size. Well worth the time for the savings!
Most important is fit and comfort, and of course you need to be
certain they’ll work with your wardrobe. This season the wedge
continues in popularity. Slip ons are also still very popular
and we are seeing imitation fur linings this season. Nice and
cozy and still very classy! If you shop carefully you can add
several pair for the price of one pair of designer shoes.
Lastly you can save a whole lot of money on your jewelry.
Costume jewelry is affordable and the selection is great. If you
stick to costume jewelry you can buy pieces for the fall season
and not feel bad because you spent too much and they are out of
style by next year.
There are many good online store with very reasonable prices.
Don’t forget to have a hunt through your old jewelry as well -
you might be surprised at what you find that has made it back
into style. Large clunky jewelry continues to be instyle as well
as wood and bone jewelry. Color is making a big statement this
year. Bold is beautiful this season!
If you need to get some ideas for the spring season – this
months women’s magazines have some great articles and examples.
Vogue, Elle, and In Style are all full of excellent fashion
pages.
So don’t fret, you can look like a million dollars on a shoe
string budget with a little creativity and hunting! Make your
fashion statement
Tags: Budget, Build, Fall, Wardrobe
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Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009
From sexy summer clothes, fall and winter fashion trends took an
about turn. Anything that seemed sexy in summer now looks tarty.
Your grandmother’s wardrobe is now in vogue. Now everything you
own seems so out of fashion. What is a girl to do?
First of all, do NOT panic.
The trend now is well tailored, high quality, hard to knock off
clothing. A look that demands respect. The look is romantic.
Feminine. In darker, somber colors. A gothic Cinderella if you
will.
That translates to quality, not quantity. With just 9 pieces,
you can rebuild your Autumn and Winter wardrobe from scratch,
and look totally chic as the temperatures fall. Every piece has
to be really well made. Go for the best you can afford. The look
for this season is ladylike chic. The kind that demands and gets
respect.
Get ready for plenty of somber black, plum, deep colors with a
light touch of pink
fashion pieces to lift things a little.
Choose your color scheme. Black, plum and bright pink, or
Navyblue, gray and pale pink are some ideas you could work with.
Pick colors that you look your best in and which go with one
another. Alternatively, try a striking combination of black,
white and red.
Once you have decided on your color scheme, stick to it. That
way, everything in your wardrobe can be coordinated with
everything else, giving you countless looks from those few
pieces.
Feel free to choose items with frills, ribbons and other
romantic details as these define this season’s romantic fashion
trends.
#1 Gorgeous women’s
winter coats (at least 1) or a fur vest. This is going to
be your main look whenever you are outdoors. The fur vest is the
latest thing for this fall, winter season though. And it really
dresses up everything you wear it with. Even a pair of jeans
looks formal when you put on your fur vest.
#2 Beautifully tailored women’s
suits (at least 1) in any of your 3 chosen colors. A well
tailored skirt and jacket combination that is feminine and
versatile. This is something you can wear everyday.
#3 Ok. I know that feminine, loose floaty clothes are in. What
with the tulip skirt and all. But seriously. Who wants to have
hips that look even larger than reality? No, you still need a
pair of jeans. I don’t care what the fashion magazines or
designers dish out to us. Women have a right to wear clothes
that flatter the real figure. What is hot, has always been hot
and always will be hot is a pair of tight jeans.
A pair that makes you look your very best. You wear the clothes,
not the other way around.
#4 Wool
tights, pantyhose or stockings. Again for warmth and class.
to keep your legs warm when you wear a skirt or a dress.
#5 A romantic women’s
blouse. This time around, the look is romantic. The
oversized man style shirt wouldn’t do. You need something
romantic. The blouse is the new season’s must have.
#6 A beautiful dress. What could be more romantic than a dress.
Dresses
are hot this season, especially now that the romantic look is
big. You need at least 1 blouse in your new wardrobe.
#7 A pair of boots that go
with everything in your new wardrobe. They keep you warm they
are versatile and give your outfit an edge.
#8 A pair of leather
gloves to keep your hands warm and which look really sleek.
#9 A knit top to stretch your wardrobe further. The classic
every autumn and winter is the turtle
neck. It looks elegant and keeps your neck warm
Tags: Build, Chic, Fall, From, Scratch, Wardrobe, Winter
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Sunday, January 4th, 2009
Summer is finally over and Apartment communities that maintained 90-100% occupancy levels throughout the summer have now been bombarded with new fall and winter time notices to vacate. Apartment communities pre-lease apartments based on their notices to vacate which are usually given 60-90 days out from the resident’s move date or lease end date.
Most long term tenants are being pushed out of their apartments with rental increases up to $200. Many of my clients recently call me discouraged stating that they have been a perfect resident for 5 years or more and dont understand why their aparmtent community is so anxious to “stick it to them” when it comes time to renew their leases.
The first question I ask them is how much they are paying currentlly ie; a client we’ll call Leslie that I am helping move currently. Leslie told me that she is paying $625 for a 740sf apartment in a community she has lived at for 5 years and is only 7 years old, and they want to raise her rent to $725. The first thing I told her was that the community wanted to raise her rent $100 due to the fact that since she leased there 5 yrs ago the market had completely changed. Unfortunately the only people that view long term occupants at an apartment community as an asset are the occupants themselves.
The truth of the matter is that Leslie and many others around Austin whom of which have been exemplary tenants are being viewed as a loss to their apartment communities. With a shortage of available apartments in Austin the market has changed. For example 5 years ago in South Austin you could get a nice apartmnet at an A class property for between 6-$700. Now you cant even get near an A class property in South Austin for less than $900 and that would be for a 1 bedroom apartment. Availability pushes pricing. If a guy has 50 apartments available they lower prices and offer up a massive upfront concession ie; 1 month free 2 months free etc. But when a management company looks down and sees that they are 96% full which has been the case most of this summer and historically most summers then their rates rise to the market rates (the highest rates they can charge for a particular unit). Long term residents are being viewed as a loss and therefore pushed out.
The good news is that in the last two or three months there have been at least twenty new apartment communities open. There are also at least 100 more on the horizon. This type of news and the historically slow fall and winter months are forcing apartment communities to drop their prices and drop them fast. There are at least twenty communities that I can think of right now that have dropped their prices $50-$75 in the last month from August pricing to compete with the new properties that have opened or are opening up in their vicinity.
For example the Wyndhaven apartments on Wells Branch. For years wyndhaven was only one of two A property options in the Wells Branch area. Their smallest 1 bdrm apartment 630sf was going for $769 a month. Then comes the Verde Oak Park apartments that opened a month or two ago right next door. The day Verde Oak Park opened their doors Wyndhaven went to $679 on the same floor plan. It still didnt help them though Verde Oak Park has a similar square footage for $710 Brand New Never Been Lived In! Then they were offering two months free upfront. Well if you average out the two months free over the lease term which was 13 months (aka a prorate) $1420 is the total concession or (special) divided by the minimum lease term which was 13 months thats $1420 divided by 13 months equaling $109.23. The $109.23 is your average monthly concession. You then subtract the $109.23 from the monthly rental rate. $710 minus $109.23 equals $600.77 a month for 13 months. Plus these apartments contain granite countertops, washer and Dryer etc and are BRAND NEW and have NEVER BEEN LIVED in.
So, yes rental rates are dropping dramatically with the rise of new communities you just can’t be fooled by upfront numbers anymore. My advice is that you always contact a Real Estate professional procurement of leasing transactions for the consumer are always 100% FREE. And recommended. Yes rates are higher but if you look past the first picture of the rate being $710 when you’re pricerange is $650 and you end up at Wyndhaven which is over ten years old and a much lesser quality class A property at $679 then the only one to blame is yourself. With the newer communities trying to fill up their properties they are offering great upfront concessions that will bring the rates back down.
You should always contact an apartment locator before looking at apartments on your own. If that apartment locator dosent find you the best deal available and you are not happy enough to move in then they dont get paid that is your insurance. Austin Apartment Guy would be glad to either help you find an apartment or counsel you on the leasing process. You can contact us through our website http://www.austinapartmentguy.com .
Tags: Apartment, Austin, Drop, Fall, Prices, Texas
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