Starting Your Own Trends -- excerpted from the book, Chapter 9 of How to Be a Budget Fashionista© 2006 by Kathryn Finney with permission of Ballentine Books, a divison of Random House Publishing, New York 2006.

Kathryn Finney is a fashion & style expert with such personality and guts that we had to include her in our Anniversary Issue with her first book! I chatted with her about how she got to be a daring fashionista. (We also had to share some of her tips on breaking the rules and creating your own from her new book!)

[Michele] How did you get into writing about working your style on a budget?

[Kathryn] I've been a budget fashionista since birth - I'm from Minnesota the land of Target and home to weekend garage sales. But after several years living it up on the east coast, I was dead broke -- Like $80,000 in student loan debt broke. But I still had a love of fashion and clothing and started to figure out a way to have my 'Manolos' and eat, too. So, my husband suggested that I start a blog to sort of write down my thoughts and tips on budget shopping. I started The Budget Fashionista blog in 2003, just writing my thoughts on fashion, shopping tips, etc. This was towards the beginning of blogs and frankly, I thought no one would care... But the Associated Press interviewed me for a story on sample sales and suddenly tons of readers started to turn to my quirky budget shopping tips and home spun fashion advice.

[Michele] What makes a 'great fashionista' and can it be taught and learned?

[Kathryn] A fashionista has been traditionally defined as someone who is 'uber fashionable,' without concern towards their budget. A budget fashionista is someone who is fashionable and on a budget. It's very easy to be a fashionista if you have unlimited funds, but it takes a little talent, luck, and training to become a successful budget fashionista. I lay the road map for this in the book.

[Michele] Do you think discount and sale coupons can be found online as well as in your local papers? Is is good to dare to wait for a sale for those basic pieces for your wardrobe?

[Kathryn] You should always look for coupons online - whether to your favorite store like Lane Bryant, Payless or for your local department store. I have a whole section at www.thebudgetfashionista.com which is dedicated to this. Also look in newspapers, check mall websites (the Chelsea premium outlet folks always have coupons available online to use in store at outlets like Off Fifth, Saks Fifth Avenue Outlet, Dana Buchman, Ellen Tracy, etc.), sign up for newsletters, and ask the store for frequent buyer programs.

You should never feel like you have to pay full price for anything. If you can get it on sale, why not? It's the same piece you would've bought if it wasn't one sale. Almost all things go on sale, eventually.. However if you need it....

[Michele] Why is Diana Vreeland, a former editor of Vogue, your 'style channeled goddess?'

[Kathryn] Diana Vreeland wasn't a 'pretty' woman in the traditional sense of the word, but what she had in style and class overshadowed any preceived physical shortcomings. She knew that style can't be bought and being truly stylish has little to do with your physical state and more to do with your presence and personal image. That is something that really appeals to me. I'm plus size, but I'm also damn stylish. Always have, and always will. Plus she was a mentor to Andre Leon Talley, today's Vogue Editor-at-Large, who is like the most fabulous man alive.

[Michele] What was your first dare? Your first trend setting one?

[Kathryn] There are so many... It could be my daring combination of yellow and green during my preschool years or my 'Dynasty' phase - where I was obsessed with my rabbit fur coat. In college I started to carry canvas bags from Lands' End with my name on it and it kicked off a trend. A couple of summers ago, I channeled Frieda Kahlo (who's art moves me) and this year - I pretty much only wear red, black, and white

[Michele] What are the challenges with trends?

[Kathryn] The problem with trends is that once they reach the mass market, you start to see them everywhere. One way to remain ahead of the fashion curve is to start your own trends, which will save you money as you purchase items before the demand (and price) increases. Develop your own trends based upon what you think will be the next “big thing.”

Here are some of my favorite tips on how to find an emerging trend:

• Turn to the streets. Fashion designers often turn to the streets to find inspiration for their collections. Marc Jacobs hit big in the spring of 2001 with his Steven Sprouse graffiti-designed bags by Louis Vuitton. Juicy Couture sweat suits bear an eerie resemblance to the terry-cloth sweat suits worn by early hip-hop artists like LL Cool J. Watch music videos, particularly hip-hop music videos, to get a feel for how to be “ghetto fabulous.” Head to your nearest urban center and observe what the young and hip are wearing, and don your own version of the trend.

• Watch TV. The popularity of hit shows like Fox’s The OC and West Coast–based musicians like No Doubt foreshadowed the emergence of California style.

• Put on your travel shoes. When traveling, observe the local styles and pick up items that are indigenous to that place or culture. I’ve purchased some of my most fashion-forward pieces on trips to places like India, Toronto, and Wisconsin.

• Observe social and economic cues. Fashionable leather tote bags became popular when working women demanded a stylish alternative to the boring leather briefcase. With all of the recent attention placed on “metrosexuality,” leatherwear and accessory companies like Jack Spade and Coach started to develop “murses,” purses for men, to give men a stylish masculine bag to carry their PDAs, cell phones, wallets, and other items.

• Do the exact opposite of what’s “in.” Observe the current trends and do the exact opposite. If pointed-toed shoes are all the rage, then wear round-toed shoes. If miniskirts are in, wear floor-length skirts. At some point what you’re wearing will come back in style, and you will be perceived as being trendy and fashion forward.

Starting your own trends is not for the faint of heart. You can be subject to much ridicule from your unenlightened fashion brethren, and the items may be hard to find. This approach to personal style is best achieved by budget fashionistas who are Trendy or are Urban Trekkers because their style dictates adherence to the latest trends. There is also the issue of falling in love with a trend you have successfully forecasted only to have the trend turn into a fashion faux pas.

Author Kathryn Finney is the shopping genius behind the popular shopping/fashion website and founder of www.thebudgetfashionista.com. She has been around the world searching for the best bargains, and is willing to bargain by any (legal) means necessary.
As the Budget Fashionista, Kathryn takes a decidedly democratic approach to fashion – teaching fashionstas worldwide that you can have your Chanel and eat it too. Kathryn is a frequent fashion and shopping expert for shows for networks like CNN and Fox.
She lives in New York metro area with her husband, lots of purses, and the spirit of Diana Vreeland. This is Kathryn’s first book.