Holiday Gift Ideas

It's getting to be that time of year again…the holidays. Sure, they're full of festivities and fun, but there's also the dreaded shopping, the agonizing over that perfect gift, the pulling of hair, and grinding of teeth.

But don't worry. If you have a fashionable female on your list, you can stop the fretting. Here's a short list of gift ideas that's sure to please the pickiest and trendiest of shoppers.

• Galoshes: Practical and stylish, these rubber boots are breaking their way into outfits more and more everyday. Buy them with every manner of design-geometric, solid, or silly. Pair them with tucked in jeans or a miniskirt, tights and leggings. Wear them on campus or for a walk around the park. However you look at it, they're versatile and fun.
• Jewelry: It's pretty much the fallback gift. And this season, it's even more of surefire hit, because accessories are big business right now. In fact, it's hard to find an outfit out there without some sort of glitz, glamour, or bling. The rule to live by these holidays? The bigger the better! Whether it's oversized wooden bangles, large abalone earrings, or rings with double digit carats, bigger is definitely better this December.
• Other accessories: It's not just jewelry spicing up those old outfits. All sorts of accessories are revitalizing the most worn out couture. Belts are especially popular. But don't be fooled into buying just any old belt. If it's functional, it's probably not the best gift. It needs to be large, bejeweled, or somehow unique. Wearing belts outside of an oversized sweater is particularly runway chic.

Or, if you want to take your gift in another direction, buy sunglasses. But make sure to think Hollywood. Think large, identity-hiding, paparazzi-avoiding kind of sunglasses. Flip through any fashion magazine, and you'll see all the celebrities sporting them.

So if you're shopping for a fashionista, don't immediately go after the nearest gift certificate. Take a chance with the help of these tips.

And remember that fashion is personal. Not everything's going to be a hit. Just take solace in the fact that gifts are always returnable!

by Liz Herrin