Plaid patterns by mukluk on Flickr

Fall makes me think about lots of great things… new school notebooks, apple crisp (which I make myself!) and plaid. When I was younger I had little plaid skirts and wore actual knee socks. During the 90′s, flannel and plaid was popular with the entire 90′s grunge thing – and I remember I had one flannel shirt that I loooved. It was peachy with turquoise and if I knew where it was I swear I would still wear it.

But it’s okay, because right now plaid is so trendy for fall 09 that it’s impossible to find a store that isn’t stocking it. So the chances of me finding a new favorite plaid shirt is good. Plaid shirts for women are major right now. MAJOR!

There are lots of plaid shirts online to shop through. They’re virtual racks that let you think about what color combination for the shirt you might like while walking barefoot to your kitchen to get a bowl of Lucky Charms and think about what it’d be like to kiss Jude Law, and THEN come back and make your final decision.

It’s so much easier than being in a store and trying to make sure have time to make your purchase without being late to your sister’s birthday party. (What, that never happens to you?)

Plaid shirts are like comfort food. Beauty Fool talked about Five Ways to Boost Confidence and I think one of them could also be wearing plaid. Because you’ll look great, but you’ll also feel so comfortable it’ll be craaazy. So, here are four plaid shirts I think you’ll really like:

Plaid Shirts for Women

Plaid Shirts, clockwise from top left:

Elisa Flannel Shirt @ Delias $40

AE Shrunken Bonfire Flannel Shirt @ AE.com $40

Kimchi Blue Plaid Shirt @ Urban Outfitters $60

Plaid Shirts @ The Gap $25

The Budget Babe also loves Plaid for Fall!

Photo by ldhren on Flickr

Fall is a wonderful time, especially (in my opinion) if you live in an area where the leaves turn gorgeous colors of red and purple, you can visit apple orchards, pick your own pumpkin from a patch if you’re so inclined, and wear some cozy cardigans. The one thing that sometimes baffles me about Fall is what kind of jacket to wear. It’s waaaay too early for heavy winter jackets.

My answer to the question is the same answer to “What kind of jacket do I wear for Spring?” and that answer is: trench coats! I especially like the longer, belted trench coats. There are a surprising amount of variations, though. Even more surprising? There are plenty trench coats under $50.00, yay.

You could splurge and buy a really expensive trench coat, planning to wear it year after year… But I know that I tend to want something new every year, so I don’t get splurgey about most of my coats. Of course, there was one year that I bought a really great burgundy and black pea coat from American Eagle and I wore it for years – and now my MOM wears it.

Style Tip: Trench coat’s don’t have to be beige, although it’s a very nice and neutral choice. Find the coat that suits your personality but that ALSO will match enough of the clothing you wear in the fall.

Clockwise from left: Women’s Belted Trench Coat from Old Navy $50, Twill Trench Coat from Forever 21 $20, Self Esteem® Plaid Trench Coat from Kohl’s on sale $22 (Edit: Sold Out!) Try: Boucle Trench Coat $50, Loyer.mod Button-detail Trench Coat from Yesstyle.com $40, Celli Girl Plaid Trench Coat from Yesstyle.com $50

Photo by Lida_Rose on Flickr

From rubber, plaid, cats or owls – I’ve got you covered when it comes to the funkiest wallets under $50.00.

Item: Clubhouse Plaid Wallet from Zappos $31.00

Kiss closures at the top of wallets are my favorite kind, they’re so easy to use when I’m out shopping for more stuff. The plaid has enough pink in it to look cutsey.

Item: Sitting Kitty Wallet from ModCloth $24.99

I love cats. That’s the only reason I need to have in order to crave this cute wallet. It’s a new item at ModCloth so if you want it you probably need to order it yesterday.

Item: Stud Zip Around Leather Wallet from Arden B $19.50

This wallet is badass. I’m loving the tassel detail. It’s hard to pass up a good tassel, or tussle.

Item: Metallic Wallet from Forever 21 $7.50

It looks kind of artsy, and I love the bold turquoise color. It’s very…Jackson Pollack? (Okay, I mean Jackson Pollock – oops!)

Item: Diesel Rubber Wallet from Zappos $45.00

It looks so funky I want to throw it at people and see if it bounces. But chances are that they might hold onto it and steal all my money… Hm. I need to rethink this plan.

Item: Emerald Owl Wallet from ModCloth $31.99

Again I’m going to have to cite the ‘owls are cute, owls win at life’ rule that I’ve previously mentioned on this blog. And what are these owls? Angel owls? I can’t even tell. And you know what? I also sorta don’t care!

Item:  Lodis Textured Pink Wallet from Zappos SALE $69.00

Well, it’s just so PINK, and girly! I just…need it? I know that Elle Woods would approve. But you tell me, which of these wallets would you most want to buy?