Julia Roberts dons Ray-Ban aviators in Eat Pray Love. (web photo)

I went to see Eat Pray Love this weekend with a girlfriend, and I couldn’t help but notice all the fantastic sunglasses Julia Roberts wears as her character, Elizabeth Gilbert, as she travels to Italy, India and Bali. She dons more than one pair of Ray-Bans, which isn’t surprising — Ray-Bans are like the Rolls Royce of sunglasses. However, just like how not all of us can easily travel the world for a year, not all of us can afford a pair of Ray-Bans — but we still want the look for less!

Luckily, Sunglass Warehouse has frugal fashionistas covered! They have aviators, oversized styles, sport sunglasses, retro sunglasses, bedazzled sunglasses and more, so there’s basically no way you could not find a pair that you love. And you’ll love the prices even more!

All pairs are under $20, and shipping is free if you grab a couple that add up to $25+. They also offer same-day shipping for that last-minute gotta-hate-it pair of aviators that’ll match your vacation bikini perfectly! All sunglasses offer your precious eyes UVA/UVB protection.

The friendly folks at Sunglass Warehouse sent us these stylishly oversized shades for us to check out (first pair pictured) and we loved them so much that we asked to do a giveaway! So here are the details:

Win YOUR CHOICE of one pair of Sunglass Warehouse sunglasses. Retail: $8-$20

Contest ends 9/5. Winner will be announced 9/6.

To enter:

1. MANDATORY COMMENT on Style on a WHIM – Please visit Sunglass Warehouse and tell us which sunglasses you’d love to own. (1 entry)

2. Subscribe to Style on a WHIM via our brand new Google Friends Connect option, 5 entries (please leave a separate comment for each of the five to let us know)

3. “Like” us on Facebook, 3 entries (please leave a comment to let us know)

4. Follow us on Twitter, 3 entries (please leave a comment to let us know)

Already a follower?  Just leave us a comment that you follow.

(product photos used with permission)

-Keri

Never suffer through another bad hair day again? Sounds like a dream, but it’s now a reality with these gorgeous hair accessories from KattFive Creations. They are the perfect antidote to oversleeping… or those hectic Monday mornings!

Whether your style is romantic, vintage or classic, there are great accessories to save you from the agonies of a bad hair day.

KattFive offers embellished bobby pins to tame recalcitrant bangs, trendy floral pins to add a dash of whimsy or — my personal favorite — adorable beaded ponytail holders for a stunning, classic ponytail at the nape. And no one will guess you got ready in five minutes!

These pieces from KattFive are also incredibly affordable. Combs start at just $7.00, bobby pins at $5.00 and pony tail holders are an amazing $3.50!

Get the look for yourself with a full set of five KattFive’s unique, embelissed pony tail holders, Retail $17.50

Contest ends 8/31. To enter:

1. MANDATORY COMMENT – Please visit KattFive and tell us which other piece you’d love to own. (1 entry)

2. Subscribe to Style on a WHIM via our brand new Google Friends Connect option, 5 entries (please leave a separate comment for each of the five to let us know)

3. “Like” us on Facebook, 3 entries (please leave a comment to let us know)

4. Follow us on Twitter, 3 entries (please leave a comment to let us know)

Already a follower?  Just leave us a comment that you follow.

Susan McNeill is a wife, mother, author, entrepreneur and social activist. In addition toStyle on a WHIM Susan also writes for It’s how you play the game! , Success Won’t Wait! and Susan Said What?!

I’m sure if you’re an avid reader of Style on a WHIM, you’ve noticed that I get excited about fashion pretty easily…well it’s hard not to when I hear about companies like ShoeDazzle!

For $39.95 per month, the celebrity stylists from ShoeDazzle will select FIVE shoe, handbag and jewelry options for you to choose from, and they’ll send your #1 pick to you, at no additional shipping cost. Got your attention yet?

Let’s run over this again…you fill out a “Style Profile” that takes just a few minutes to complete. This helps the ShoeDazzle stylists get to know your style, your likes and dislikes. Then, they pick out FIVE hot shoe, handbag and jewelry looks for you every month. You choose which one you can’t live without, and it’s sent right to your door!

Say, for instance, money is tight one month — no problem — you’re given the option to “opt out” of a month’s selection with the click of a button, and you won’t be charged! As if that’s not cool enough, the website says, “You can even ask for new options if nothing in your showroom strikes you. Our stylists will gladly tailor you a second collection at your request.”

And in case you’re wondering who these mystery “celebrity stylists” are, simply head to the website and learn more about them. The first stylist listed is Kim Kardashian…

Need I say more?

Miss Kardashian is a style icon, and she is the chief fashion stylist and co-founder of ShoeDazzle. She has final say in which shoes make it to the computer screens of members. Amazing! So you could even convince yourself that she’s your own personal stylist if you like! And I don’t mean to say that the rest of the stylists aren’t just as fantastic as well — they all have a TON of fashion experience in styling celebs. I did the Style Profile quiz just now, and it really is quick and easy — I breezed through it in just a few short minutes.

Right away, it showed me 10 options that I could choose from right away for a one-time offer of 50% off! Then I got an email that said their “Hollywood stylists will create your personalized selection of shoes, handbags and jewelry you’ll love and look gorgeous in.” I’m anxious to see what they’ll come up with for me!

P.S. “Like” their Facebook page and see photos of other members in their ShoeDazzle picks!
(all photos used with permission, from ShoeDazzle.com)

-Keri

In college, I was the one who arrived to class too early because I didn’t want to be aimlessly wandering the rows of desks, trying to find a place to sit (yea, I was kind of a nerd) — at least until my fourth year, when senioritis kicked in. After that, I’d rush in at the last minute with most of my other senior classmates.

Maybe I would have actually been on time that year if I’d hadone of these neat Rumba Time watches — they’re stretchy and squishy and only $20 each! The time is displayed on two lines, which makes you do a bit of a double-take when you first look at them, but they’re easy to operate (two little buttons on the back that you press with a pen tip to set the time, date, etc.) and they’re small and sleek enough to stack up your wrists.

They come in 14 different colors, including Glow-in-the-Dark (I’m having flashbacks of those little stars I used to stick on my ceiling when I was a kid). They’re super light and comfortable on your wrist — I wore mine all day, and they didn’t even bother me while I was typing.

These look best layered (see photo) with other bracelets and stacked with other watches to create an urban chic look that’ll guarantee you’re always on-time, whether you’re headed to class, to a student art exhibit opening or to lunch in the cafeteria with great friends.

They’re available on Ehvonnae.com, a rather new fashion website where Brittanie Yvonne, the founder of the site, hunts down unique finds for stylish women of all ages. Also available on the site is a variety of amazing jewelry, scarves and other accessories from companies I’ve never even heard of — but I’m glad I have now! I spent quite a bit of time clicking around the site, and I already made a mental wish list of several pieces I found that would be great additions to my jewelry box and my closet!

(photos used with permission)

-Keri

Jeans have been a staple in American women’s wardrobes for decades. And, I’m sure that Levi Strauss never envisioned the fashion revolution he was starting when he created his first pair of “cowboy trousers” back in 1873!

Today, that revolution has gone one step further. Vintage Revolution denim is a celebration of timeless style with just a dash of spirited rebellion.  When creating new styles, the firm’s designers use pieces from their library of original denim to understand just how jeans were designed (and perfected!) in the past.

Back then, each piece was made from start to finish by a single craftsman and the finished product was a personal masterpiece. Vintage Revolution jeans celebrate this integrity of product and rebel against “assembly line jeans” and the “fancification” of denim.

But don’t be fooled into thinking that Vintage Revolution offers one-size fits-all-style. The firm offers more unique fits and great colors than the law should allow! Boot cut, skinny, boyfriend and more… if you can’t find your personal style at Vintage Revolution, you shouldn’t be shopping!

Although the combinations are vast, the skinning jeans are my hands down favorite. More flattering than the boyfriend cut and hipper than the boot cut, these are a great choice for weekend wear in a wash and dressed up for going out I a darker hue.

The best part about Vintage Revolution is that once you find the cut that’s most flattering for your figure, you can order the jeans in a dozen shades. No more searching for the perfect pair of jeans in the wash or color you need.

Now that’s my kind of revolution!

Susan McNeill is a wife, mother, author, entrepreneur and social activist. In addition toStyle on a WHIM Susan also writes for It’s how you play the game! , Success Won’t Wait! and Susan Said What?!

Bad hair day? Color gone wrong? Just chronically late for class? A hat can be the perfect answer when you want to arrive looking fabulous, but only have minutes to get ready. (After all, the guy in your European History class really is cute!)

My favorite solution is the women’s fedora, a trend that is showing no signs of slowing down. The classic fedora has a retro, Humphrey Bogart feeling, but today’s women’s fedoras are substantially more playful, including the Ms. Collete, pictured.

The Ms. Colette is a custom-molded fedora made from a wool blend in suiting pinstripe fabric, with leather trim details. This fedora is perfect for fall in a yummy chocolate brown and has an antique brass d-ring, studded detailing and a custom-printed lining. Throw this hat on and you’re set!

The Ms. Collete was created by nobis for their Fall 2010 Collection. nobis is a Canadian company (and those Canadians definitely know a thing or two about cold weather wear!)

The firm manufactures amazing lifestyle headwear and outerwear — from gorgeous down parkas for my next ski trip, to hood-scarves for playing in the snow, to super stylish berets and beanies.

nobis has been steadily gaining attention since 2008. This year alone, their gorgeous pieces have been featured in New! magazine (UK), Chatelaine (Canada) and Cosmopolitan (USA), just to name a few!

To see the entire new line for Fall 2010 inlcuding women’s men’s and even kids’ pieces, visit nobis. You can also shop online (so convenient!) or find a store near you with the easy-to-use nobis shop locator.

Best yet, WIN nobis fedora of your own! The Lorane, pictured, is made of luxurious linen with cute cotton plaid trim. An anti-brass d-ring, grommet and custom printed lining complete the detailing. The Lorane retails for $75 (USD) but can be yours free through this contest. So, enter today!

To enter:

1. MANDATORY COMMENT – Please visit nobis and tell us one thing you learned about the company. (1 entry)

2. Subscribe to Style on a WHIM via our new Google Friends Connect option, 5 entries (please leave a comment to let us know)

3. “Like” us on Facebook, 5 entries (please leave a comment to let us know)

4. Follow us on Twitter, 5 entries (please leave a comment to let us know)

Already a follower?  Just leave us a comment that you follow.

Contest is open until midnight on August 31^st and the winner will be notified September 1^st.  Good Luck!

Susan McNeill is a wife, mother, author, entrepreneur and social activist. In addition toStyle on a WHIM Susan also writes for It’s how you play the game! , Success Won’t Wait! and Susan Said What?!

Photo courtesy of nobis.

I majored in English in college and have always loved to read just about anything I could get my hands on. My tastes are varied (my husband says schizophrenic) but I enjoy the history of Alexander the Great every bit as much as Confessions of a Shopaholic. This means that our house is filled (filled!) with books, including hundreds of beloved classics from my college days.

Now my daughter is off to college (an English major, just like mom!). Of course, I wanted to send her off with some fun new clothes and just by luck stumbled upon the perfect solution for “wordies” like us! Out of Print Clothing makes clever tees that are designed for the well read college student — or one who just wants to impress the professors!

Out of Print Clothing celebrates the world’s greatest stories — from the Catcher in the Rye, to Lord of the Flies, to Atlas Shrugged and many, many more. The shirts feature iconic (and often out of print) book covers. Some are definitely classics, and some are just curious enough to make great t-shirts — but they are all striking works of art. Made of a cotton/poly blend the tees are distressed, just like a well thumbed book.

One of my favorites is the Slaughterhouse Five t-shirt. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut is the story of anti-hero and POW Billy Pilgrim and the firebombing of Dresden. I remember this great novel as one that actually captured the attention of my entire class and sparked some serious debates. The t-shirt is emblazoned with artwork from the first edition dust jacket by cover artist Paul Bacon. Retail $28

My other top pick is the Hound of the Baskervilles tee. In this iconic work by Arthur Conan Doyle, the indomitable Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Dr. Watson take on a supernatural beast. The novel was originally serialized in The Strand and the t-shirt art is from one of the 1902 first edition UK covers by George Newnes Ltd.   Retail $28

The best part about Out of Print Clothing, though, is their dedication to spreading the joy of reading through their tees. Since there are many parts of the world that don’t have access to books at all, the firm is working to change that. For each shirt they sell, one book is donated to a community in need through partner Books For Africa.

You can shop online at Out of Print Clothing for women’s tees or shirts for the guys. Or give the gift of reading to a friend or loved one —  just send an Out of Print gift certificate.

So, what’s your story?!

Susan McNeill is a wife, mother, author, entrepreneur and social activist. In addition toStyle on a WHIM Susan also writes for It’s how you play the game! , Success Won’t Wait! and Susan Said What?!

As my family prepares for the departure of our oldest daughter for college in just a few days, the shopping frenzy has reached a fevered pitch! At the top of the list is a brand new laptop – a definite necessity for taking notes in lecture halls, writing term papers and of course, emailing mom from time to time!

My super stylish daughter is not one to toss a laptop in an ordinary backpack and go, so we found the perfect accessory for toting that shiny new computer – a Carolina Pad laptop tote!

I was already familiar with Carolina Pad products – paper clips, notepads, and fun accessories. But I was thrilled to find out that the firm also offers a full range of totes, laptop sleeves and more.

The Simply Chic Laptop Tote, pictured, was instantly our top choice. Shown here in a trendy black, white and pink combo, this style is also available in black and white with green accents.

The tote is incredibly sturdy (we’ve got to protect that investment, after all) and has a zippered closure for safety. It’s also well padded — just in case!

Plus, it makes carrying a laptop to class or the library extremely convenient. It has a detachable shoulder strap and is roomy enough to hold up to a 15.4″ laptop. Retail just $27.99

Carolina Pad products are available just about everywhere – from Target, to Walgreens, to Walmart. For a complete list of stores, visit Carolina Pad.

Easier yet, you can order your laptop tote online at Carolina Pad. And, you’ll find that there are a myriad of stylish, coordinating products that every fashionable college simply must have! From binders, to storage boxes and even paperclips, the Simply Chic product line is adorable.

This Carolina Pad tote is so stylish, I’d like one for myself, too. Why should college students have all the fun?!

Susan McNeill is a wife, mother, author, entrepreneur and social activist. In addition toStyle on a WHIM Susan also writes for It’s how you play the game! ,Success Won’t Wait! and Susan Said What?!

Kim Kardashian is one curvy, stylish woman! And one look she’s guilty of sporting on many occasions is the one-shoulder dress. Follow the link to CocoPerez.com to see Kim pull off the look TEN times recently!

Kim Kardashian in a red one-shoulder leopard print dress, black tights and heels (web photo)

The one-shoulder styles she chooses always look fabulous on her (what doesn’t?!), but my favorites have to be #2 and #9 in the gallery. Her dresses are always minimal on the details, and she uses that as an opportunity to jazz them up with amazing high heels and gorgeous hair — definitely my style! It’s the effortless way to look put together, classy and fashionable all at the same time, and a one-shoulder dress can be your go-to for any night out.

I recently bought not one but TWO embellished one-shoulder dresses — one for a wedding and one for a date night with the man friend, and I love them both! They’ve really fed into my love of the style, so I went in search of some great options for our readers.

Spotted Moth was featured on CheapChica’s the other day, and I couldn’t help but notice how adorable their clothing is! And affordable!! Pictured here are THREE of their one-shoulder options that I love, and they’re all just $34.99 each!

My favorite is the last one because I love the ruffle detail around the neckline. Plus, the print adds a little something extra. Keep your shoes demure and stack a few bangles up your wrist! (photos from SpottedMoth.com)

Equally stylish and affordable are these options from Forever21:

The first one is $19.80, the second is $24.80, and the third (my favorite) is $22.80! (photos from Forever21.com)

The one-shoulder look can be a bodycon style that clings to every curve (a look that Kim can definitely pull off), or it can be more of a flowy, drape-y look for women who want to look sexy without wearing something too tight. The easy solution to making a draped one-shoulder style (like the nude and light pink styles pictured) more feminine is simply to add a skinny belt around the smallest part of your waist, giving you instant curves without accentuating the areas of your body about which you’re a little self-conscious. Whichever one-shoulder dress you choose, your style will be totally on-point and worthy of all those jealous stares you’ll be getting all night! Kim would be so proud!

-Keri