When I was assigned to write a travel story about Jacksonville, OR - that tiny, quaint, impeccably preserved gold-rush town in the Southern part of the state - I did NOT expect to encounter gorgeous (and pricey!) French-made clothing (like that of the label Cop.Copine). I fell in love with a striped tunic-dress that, at $214.00, was sadly way outta my budget. But thankfully Parisian inspiration is everywhere these days: This striped jersey dress with lantern sleeves is not only a steal at $73.00, it's just as cute -- even more functional, actually -- than that sleeveless number I salivated over in J-ville. And this scoop-necked, very "Paris in the springtime" shirt by by Nanette Lepore is just as adorable as anything I saw down South. Who knew a trip to cowboy country would net me a case of French fever?

'Tis the season for getting hitched once again. CBS's Showbuzz has a nice photo gallery of pics from last week's New York Bridal Week; and over on Jezebel, a swift panning of Vera Wang's contribution this year. This got us thinking about weddings, and those of us who don't have a couple thou to drop on a big white dress. (I actually count all of my newly married friends in here, trying to shave some bucks off this price-gouger of a day in any way possible.) Here, one way to save: Wedding-ready gowns courtesy of Nicole Miller, all under $1,000. Can't beat that.

Play our Spring in the City game for a chance to win $10,000 worth of all the Chloe, Marc, Prada & everything else your heart desires.

I love it when high fashion goes democratic. The latest label to give the people what they want is Alice + Olivia, with some clean, modern shoe and bag designs for Payless. The line is already getting love from the blogosphere. And at under $40 per piece, you can afford to go head-to-toe. [Image courtesy of Elle.com]

I think I've discovered what gets into professional, well-educated, usually composed women when they sniff out a pair of pointy-toed, strappy-heeled bits of Italian leather. It's called Manolo Madness.

I tell you, I've been to my fair share of sample sales, but I don't think I've ever been to one like the Manolo Blahnik preview I just came back from. I mean, wow.

Held in a second floor meeting room in Midtown Manhattan's Warwick Hotel, the sale is broken up into two phases: a Friends of Manolo deal (not the actual name of the pre-preview sale) that starts at 9am, and a preview for the press that starts at 11am.

I have a friend, so I was a Friend this morning -- and friendship (or was it Manolo Madness?) got me out of bed at twilight it seemed. But still I wasn't early enough. Peeps had rolled up at 6am, some even earlier than that to score a coveted, first-look ticket stamped "A", and these FoMs were restless.

When the doors opened, a polite stampede ensued as fashionistas squeezed through the doorway three at a time to fill the oversized shopping bags they'd brought along to more easily collect the massive amounts of shoes they wanted to try on. And I was one of them, alternately jamming as many pairs of the styles I've seen on Carrie Bradshaw, JLo and the runway in seasons past as I could into my canvas shopper, and holding up my lightly-scuffed, "Vogue closet"-stickered choices with pride.

Did you see the first picture up top? There were about six more tables just like it, and still there wasn't enough for us insatiable FoMs as some left the Warwick shoeless and dejected. I got my fix though -- a pair of purple lace-ups -- as did my girl, Tracee who scored these "Ta-da Tartans."

As I stare at my new booties, I feel a little sick. I mean, did I really need another pair of pricey purple shoes? But then, the Madness washes over me anew as a Mona Lisa smile touches my lips. Mwah-ha-ha-ha! Of course, I did -- and I'm mad for these too.

Shoes are like ice cream in the summertime -- we can never get enough. Spring and summer shoes are out in force and they are hot. Staples this spring include wedges, flats, sandals, and espadrille-inspired shoes; the ones we've picked are from the genius minds of Prada, Gucci, Jana Feifer, Tory Burch, and Delman Shoes. The Gucci gladiator wedges really break the bank at $716, but are fabulous because they can transition into fall with some cute tights. So tell yourself you're really buying two pairs and feel better. Which ones would you kill for?

Related Links: Not for you? Then go shopping.

We all cringe when we have to shell out $200 for two strips of nylon but there is such thing as getting a stylish suit on the cheap, and here's proof. There are tons of choices when it comes to finding the perfect swimwear, from bandeau tops, full pieces, to barely-there string bikinis, but the key to a great suit is feeling comfortable and confident. Which barely-there would you wear? Weigh in with your comments...

Related Links: Don't like any of them? There's plenty more.

As we find ourselves transitioning from winter to spring wardrobes, we're happy to throw bulky coats and heavy boots to the back of the closet in favor of light tops and strappy sandals. We gave our editors the challenge of putting together a great outfit for spring without breaking the bank -- $200 for a complete look from Bluefly. We managed to scrounge together this look in 20 minutes for a grand total of $179! See if you can balance your checkbook that fast. What do you guys think? Think you can do better? We bet you can...

Despite being just about the hottest woman on the planet, J.Lo has had some bad fashion moments lately, most recently that crazy red dress and the weird sparkly thing she's got on the cover of Harper's. Can you help dress Jennifer? Submit your ideas with outfits from Bluefly and may the best stylist win.

Related Links: With a body like J.Lo's, you can wear anything.

Our latest investigator of deals and steals, Lena, has cobbled together the perfect fall outfit centered on a Design History banded wrap sweater, $78, in plum, one of the season's favorite colors. The jeans are dark blue Diesels, $49.99, topped off with a Fashion Focus jeweled buckle belt for $16.99. Donald Pliner Sportique slide tassel moccasins, $64.99, complete the look. All this adds up to $209.97. "The cool thing is," Lena wrote, "Without all the discount this outfit would be $418.67." Are you next? Email me if you're up to the Bargain Huntress challenge.

If you could outfit yourself on Bluefly for under $200, what would you wear? One of our fine readers, Xenobia, did some hunting and put together this early fall outfit of BCBGirls linen cargo pants for $49.99, pebble BCBGirls v-neck t-shirt for $29.99, Tyler by Richard Tyler suede kitten heel pumps for $72.99, and Mashka peach smoke double drop earrings for $44. Grand total: $196.97. Tell me what you'd pick and I'll post your getup next week.