Recently in Frugal Snob Category

The Garden Collection by H&M is the frugal retailer's first sustainable collection made entirely from environmentally adapted materials (including organic cotton, organic linen and recycled polyester). The collection is made up of 80 items and 10 accessories and hits their stores March 25th. Fitting given its name, the collection is full of romantic florals (lots of painterly prints and rosettes that make me think of Jason Wu). All the garments have been produced using sustainable materials or using recycled PET bottles or textile waste and follow the debut of H&M's first ever range of skincare products made with certified organic ingredients (the range of everyday essentials includes shower gel, body scrub, body lotion, hand cream and lip balm, all of which are based on natural and organic ingredients and are certified by Ecocert). I haven't seen these pieces in person yet, so I can't attest to their quality, but for frugal Jason Wu you can't go wrong given the cheaper than cheap prices of these pieces compared to the four-figure designer prices. Can't wait for warm weather to sport some florals!

The Row has great tees, but they get pricey -- very pricey. Alternative Apparel offers a ..ahem..welcome alternative! Richard Chai partnered with the up-and-coming brand for his Fall 2010 LOVE collection getting the brand some much-deserved added visibility. Chai used Alternative's original fabrications including semi-sheer and super-soft modal silk and linen jersey fabrics (pictured above). I'm a big fan of Alternative Apparel V-neck tees ($30), because they're thin, soft, and just a touch sheer so you can dress them up with bold jewels, high-high shoes and skinny black pants or wear them with sweats and sit tight and comfy in front of the TV:-)

I came across COS while I was walking around Munich's town center. I had never heard of the boutique before and was surprised at the mild prices (most everything is under 129 euros), given the quality of the materials used. The bi-level store was choke-full of monochromatic pieces that appeared simple, but had small details (exposed zippers, ruching, cowl neck...) for both men and women making for great staples; kind of like a frugal Ports 1961, no? When I paid for my buys I asked the sales woman about the line and she told me that it actually is owned by H&M! So far boutiques are only in select European countries (Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom), but hopefully they will roll out in the U.S. soon!

Guest blog by -- Julia DiNardo, the founder/editor of Fashion Pulse

Although we can say that holiday is technically over, you can still expect to get a lot of extra mileage out of silver, metallic colors in the coming year. For spring 2010, designers have taken a strong liking to silvery, icey hues, and can you really blame them? The shades exudes cool and should be on your list of top must-haves for spring. Designers working the trend to perfection include Michael Kors, Giles, Chanel, Marc Jacobs, Elie Saab, Karl Lagerfeld, Giorgio Armani, Cynthia Steffe, and Nicole Miller, and you can definitely get the look from head to toe while on a budget. The color works best when you pair it with solid neutrals such as black or cream and solid pastel colors can give it a bit of a modern twist.

I don't about you but I am busy goofy off today at work with all the after holiday sales. The Shopbop sale is one I am not missing. I get all my basics for everyday casual but cute things there and the free shipping doesn't hurt =) For 2 days only, save an extra 20% off on items already marked 50% AND 70% Off. Use code EXTRA20. Ends 12/29 @ 11:59pm PST.

A lot of people find this hard to believe, but there is no Target in Manhattan (a travesty if you ask me:-(). Luckily the folks at Target know that there are a ton of fashion obsessed folks in NYC that would do pretty much anything to get their hands on limited edition frugal designer collaborations, so they usually have some form of a pop-up shop when they launch one of their special lines. This time around - over a week before the line officially launched - Target helped take the hassle out of holiday shopping with a Target To-Go walk-up holiday shopping stand. Stationed under the High Line they had display windows with 50 items including three Rodarte for Target dresses (see image below) from which shoppers got to choose what they wanted and then ordered (like you would at a fast food drive-through), payed, and got the items all wrapped and ready-to-go...pretty genius idea if you ask me! I snapped-up the Rodarte Rip Cage dress ($49.95), and was surprised at how great the quality was. Of course my mother cringed when she saw it and asked that I please return it in favor of something else (no chance, I love it!), but even she was impressed by the workmanship given the price. Target definitely beats out H&M when it comes to quality and price of these designer collaborations and I anticipate people buying-up a ton of Rodarte today. I myself am logging-on to buy some lace cardigans!

Will you be shopping the Rodarte for Target collection today?

This funny looking piece is actually adorable on, if you're looking for a cover up but don't like the fussiness of a shawl, this is a great way to get the look.  I got one for my frequent LA trips-- it gets a bit chilly at night but rarely enough for heavy coats and this is perfect over tees and jeans or a great little dress.  Free People Convertible Sequin Cowl $68

Not sure what to wear under all the fab leather jackets this winter? I like a fitted turtleneck-- no fuss and so sleek. I found an amazing one from Wolford in black ($245) and have been wearing it often but can't justify multiple colors at this price! So I went to a dance store and picked up very similar versions from Capezio for $19! At that price I got Nude, White and Navy. I even got a full body suit (so 80s!) to wear with thigh high boots and blazers. The Wolford feels better but it stretches and is not as snug as the Capezio. And seriously, the difference ($245 vs. $19) is so huge it's not really a fair comparison but it looks exactly the same and both are a nylon/spandex blend. With the money I've saved I'm splurging on a pair of full length thigh high boots! Wolford Colorado Turtleneck here

And Capezio turtleneck leotard here. What do you think, which would you choose?

I got hooked on Kate Moss for Top Shop during my last trip to London. I picked up a gray leather jacket (Nina Garcia has same!) that has become the envy of all my girlfriends here. For the price, Kate Moss Top Shop is of higher quality than most of the mall brands and definitely more stylish. I ordered a couple more tops over the weekend (so convenient that Top shop is online, no need to risk the loudness of Oxford Circus. I love Kate's little shrugs and wear them often with jeans and skinny pants. The Trophy stud blouse (top left) is very disco worthy and will be great when I'm home in Asia next month (where I have to be a bit more conservative). I also grabbed the Metal leaf shrug ($135 top right)- so perfect for transitional weather. What about you, have you been sucked in to the Kate Moss Top Shop craze?

Rachel Rachel Roy, Rachel Roy's diffusion line for Macy's, had a pop-up shop in Soho during Fashion Week and I stopped by to pick-up a few tees. I went to the line's preview party a few months ago and I've been looking forward to the launch every since. I picked-up the Rachel Rachel Roy Chain Tee ($59.00) and two other similar ones with heavily-beaded collars ($79). The collection is exceedingly reasonably priced. The only downside is that all of the tees I bought have to be hand-washed (luckily my washing machine has a hand wash setting!). Check-out the collection here and here! The accessories are also worth checking-out. I couldn't find very many of them online, so stop by Macy's if you get a chance. She designed some fab peace/love/hippie-chic pieces as well as some Burberry-esque stud ones.