High Street Shops (US) Pick of the FW05 I: Bebe

Every time we flick through magazines like VOGUE, we think "wow this looks so gorgeous -oh my gosh, that costs $6900!" Then some of us will fall into the "there's-no-point-in-reading-such-fashion-magazines-because-I-can't-afford-it" phase. Admit it, there must have been some point in your magazine-reading time that you think what is the point of reading it. The point people, is to get inspiration and ideas.

This season is all about dark, elegant, new minimalism and good tailoring-you could see that from fashion magazines. But where could you find such clothing? After spending a LOT of time shopping in San Fransisco, I have selected a few high street shop 'picks' from the States, and the first one is Bebe.

A few years ago, I thought Bebe clothes looked slutty and cheap, so I usually don't bother going in. But I saw the Bebe ads in VOGUE and was utterly amazed by their FW collection this year. So I went and was completely bedazzled. The clothes are all very fashionable: from Balenciaga-style military outerwear to the elegant Victorian skirts and dresses -Bebe's got them all.

Here are some of my favourites:

Inspired by this season's Balenciaga iconic military jacket, this Bebe military wool coat is a great choice for those who are dying for a lookalike *coughmecough*.

And of course, velvet jackets and blazers are big this year, and so are Edwardian-style military jackets -mix the two trends up and you get this casual yet elegant velvet military jacket.

Another one of this season's iconic pieces, the Rochas' dress, is well transformed into this cool-looking skirt (the Bebe denim mazi skirt) -with the Edwardian twist.

Another great pick this season. The volume skirts are so this year, and the lace material of this bubble skirt adds a touch of Victorian ladylike feel to the normally slutty-looking mini.

I really LOVED this dress. If you have any functions to go to this coming fall, this is THE dress to get. This lux layer dress has got this year's very trending empire waist cutting and a few elegant, dark layers of light lacy fabric. At $198, although not considered a bargain, it's still pretty reasonable.

This rhinestone embellished lace boho bag goes well with this season's Russian trend. It's a beautiful yet not cheesy looking bag, and works great for both day and night use.

And finally, this gorgeous, divine mesh metallic pearl necklace completely stole my heart and I just had to buy it. It's got a combination of this season's jewelry trends -dark, opulent and chains. Irresistably elegant.