Oh, the leather jacket. Never before has one piece garnered so much attention in the “save or splurge” category. You know the pros and cons of each by now, so let’s jump ahead to a much more exciting debate: real vs. faux leather. Faux leather is usually easy to distinguish from real, and a faux jacket can run you anywhere from $40 at Forever 21 to almost $200 at Urban Outfitters. While there are gems to be found, my guess is you’re giving up either quality fabric (not that good faux leather doesn’t exist) or quality construction– two things that can make or break your purchase. Real leather jackets, while often considerably more expensive, are generally going to be of a higher overall quality, regardless of the material, so if you plan on wearing your jacket regularly for more than one season, you may want to invest in the real deal. I’ve found several real leather jackets that retail for less than $250, and if you can dig up a coupon code or are brave enough to play the game known as “I’ll wait ’til it goes on sale,” you can snap one of these up for quite the steal. The trick is to look in places you may not normally frequent! So-called “mom brands” like Ann Taylor, Eddie Bauer, and Jones New York happen to have gorgeous leather jackets that easily rival the trend pieces you’d see in any high-end shop– at about a third of the price.

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From our friends at Stylehive

You’ve seen it; a perfectly cute girl ruins a perfectly cute strapless dress with those clear plastic bra straps like we can’t see them or anything. Let’s face it, not everyone can go bra-less, and some ensembles require special foundations. For example:

One-shoulder Dresses and Tops:

Jones New York One-Shoulder Dress, $124

For one-shoulder looks try:

Calvin Klein “Perfectly Fit Solutions” 5-way Bra, $39

This bra can be worn 5 different ways (traditional, strapless, halter, cross back and of course, one shoulder) and will give you the perfect amount of support for a one-shoulder look.

Strapless:

Democracy Strapless Dress, $159

Satiny (re: shows everything) material plus a strapless look could equal trouble for the wearer of this hot little number. To make sure you don’t have a nip slip, try this strapless bra from Jezebel:

Jezebel “Caress” Seamless Strapless Bra, $27

Plunging Necklines:

Maggy London Silk Halter Dress, $148

You’ve got two obstacles here: a deep v and a halter neck. A traditional bra simply won’t work here.

Fashion Forms “Infinite Options” Bra, $30

This infinite options bra contours to a variety of styles to fit your needs. With multiple hook entry points, you can create halter, t-back and many more varieties (like shown above) to fit your look.

Don’t let an ample bust stop you from enjoying a plunging neckline…you just need to check out Fit Matters at Macy’s. This online tutorial offers a great way to find out what bra’s work best for you (from the comfort of your own computer) with video testimonials and how-to’s. See? Now you can tell those clear bra straps to take a hike.