Stepping Out of InStyle: Fall Trends Announced!

After sitting down with me for about an hour, every single person I talk to always asks me where I went to school for fashion. Truth is, I didn't. My major was never fashion, merchandising, design or anything along those lines. My major is Business, and I'm still working towards my degree with a minor in Photography. So how do I know so much about fashion then? I do my research.....in the most exciting way possible.

I will sit down with a fashion book, walk the mall, browse Pinterest for hours or flip through the pages of InStyle with a cup of coffee on one side and Mr. Peppy keeping me company on the other. I'm not ANTI-tablets or "e-readers" but there is just something comforting to me about grabbing the glossy pages of InStyle and sitting down so I can read other people tips, tricks, stories, and perspectives about all things fashion and style.

Fashion is one of the biggest forms of expression that you can have without speaking a word. You can understand someone's personality and feelings just by looking at them. The only struggle some people have is finding their style season to season. Some women have a signature look (specific outfit) so when the extreme cold or extreme heat rolls around, they can't express themselves the best they can in the other seasons. Take a girl from Chicago and ask her to put a banging outfit together for Winter and I bet you $20 she can, then take a California girl and challenge her to an outfit-off for Summer and she will kick your butt in seconds. But take any girl, with any outfit and tell her to create the perfect Fall look and I guarantee she will be able to.

Fall is the best season to wear whatever the heck you want. You can wear your skirts still, even if you need tights, or you can wear your skinny jeans. Some days you can wear sandals and other days your best pair of Fall booties. No matter the girl, she can absolutely create a seasonal appropriate look to fits her style hands down, and stay trending perfectly.....as long as she knows what the trends are.

In this September's issue of InStyle magazine you will find a list of this seasons hottest trends, complete with high fashion runway examples of how different designers displayed that trend this season at fashion week. From fun and flirty dresses to tough moto jackets, every women with every fashion sense can show her style with the help of this magazine. The only problem I ran into was the prices.

A lot of the examples shown, as breathtakingly gorgeous as they may be, are in fact super high end designers who a college girl like me can not afford. So what's a girl to do? Rock the trends on a budget. DO NOT FRET all you ASFO Fashionistas, there are tons of ways to rock this season's trends on a budget, while staying completely street style appropriate and I'm here to show you how!

So let's start by figuring out what we're working with this fall, with the help of InStyle. Click on the Outfits Below to see how to style this years hottest trends on a budget.

Plaid and a Blazer?

Click the pic to see what trend(s) this outfit is working with!