FRIDAY FASHION FAVORITES

Confession: I love dresses. All kinds. One of my favorite parts of summer is being able to wear dresses pretty much whenever I feel like it. On the crazy hot days that I still have to dress nice for work, I feel bad for the guys in slacks and button ups, because wearing a dress makes it much more bearable. 

Unfortunately, it's hard to find an occasion to wear a fancier dress sometimes. I haven't been to many weddings or anything. I never did go to prom. And usually it's more appropriate to wear jeans and cute top than a classy dress when hanging out with my friends. 

For now, I'll just keep browsing Aisle Style's website, waiting for the perfect event to wear a fancy dress to come along. 

Here are some of my favorites this week: 

Wedding Dresses

I think it's pretty much protocol to have a Wedding Pinterest board these days, isn't it? Even though a wedding is something I won't be planning for a long, long time, I still like browsing dresses and decorations. This dress is absolutely gorgeous. I've known for a while that I don't want anything to lavish. This one is simple and elegant, and I love the part over her shoulders. Aisle Style has so many beautiful wedding dresses. 

Cocktail Dresses

Can one ever own enough cocktail dresses? I like this one, because it adds a little flavor to the classic LBD. The lace and one shoulder definitely spice it up. 

Prom Dresses

Like I said, I never actually went to prom, but I always loved looking at prom dresses! Every once in a while, I will regret turning down my offer to prom Senior year, but mostly because I just wanted an excuse to wear a pretty dress. If I had gone, I would have been really tempted by a red dress like this one. I think there is something so fierce about red dresses, so this one definitely caught my eye. 

What are some of your Friday favorites?

*This post has been sponsored by Aisle Style, but all of the opinions within it are my own.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR BLACK FRIDAY 2014

Wine red dress / Chanel evening handbag / Cartier rose gold jewelry / Nars cosmetic

The holidays are in reach, and you are more than ready for Thanksgiving break. For college students, going home means seeing family, not having to cook for yourself, and not having to buy your own food. So you are extra thankful. It means a weekend full of family, food, and massive shopping deals.

Thursday you will be a little too busy to think about Black Friday shopping. Here's what you need to know now, so you can enjoy your Thanksgiving.

 

It's no surprise that Black Friday is no longer exclusive to Friday. For years stores have been opening on Thanksgiving, seemingly opening earlier and earlier every year. People grumble over the irony of setting aside a day to give thanks for all we have while people trample each other over Christmas presents. But stores continue to open earlier, because enough people show up to get  things like a crazily under-priced 70" 3D flat screen.  

And things can get a little out of hand.

According a Forbe's article, just 28% of consumers plan on going in-store shopping on Black Friday, and 55% of Americans plan not to shop on Black Friday or Cyber Monday.

Friday isn't the only day of sales.

The entire weekend will be filled with deals. Some retailers are spreading out their deals throughout the weekend and Cyber Monday. The horror stories of herds of people might turn some people away from shopping, but retailers are trying to provide more incentives for people shop this week.

Thanksgiving will still be a big shopping day. 

No matter how much people complain about hitting the stores on the Holiday, they will continue to open on Thursday. And this is when people are spending most of their time in the line. Some people even skip the Thanksgiving festivities to camp out for the deals.

 

You could be saving now. 

There are retailers that have details happening before Thanksgiving. Stores like Sam's Club, Macy's, Wal-Mart, Staples and more have deals all week long. Amazon even has "8 Days of Black Friday Deals." 

Major retailers will match prices.

According to Forbes, Target recently announced that it will be among the retailers that match prices. If you find something at one store that is advertised lower at another, you could potentially get the lower price.

There is an entire site dedicated to Black Friday.

If you want more information on what kinds of deals you can expect this Black Friday, check out the website dedicated to the day. You can even sign up for Black Friday alerts via email. The sidebar has a list of popular retailers that provides more information about their deals this year.

With all of the madness around Black Friday, don't forget to enjoy your Thanksgiving and spend some time really appreciating everything around you. There is plenty of time to get the deals you want. Plan ahead! If you do join the herds at the major shops on Thursday night, stay safe.

And... don't get too carried away.

 Do you have shopping plans this week?

P.S. This post also appeared on Her Campus.