Good news. . .

. . . I'm in Paris. More to follow, obviously, but to begin with, I saw Marie Antoinette by Sofia Coppola, and I give it a definite thumbs up!

Argh!

Ok, I feel like a copycat because fashionologie got to these before I did, but I was really planning on wring an entry about these GORGEOUS earrings from Urban Outfitters, and just in case I have any readers that don't (yet) read fashionologie, I thought I would post them, too. They're just so sleek and beautiful and minimalist, and CHEAP! They come in gold and silver too, but for me, it's all about black, black, black.

Another search

I use a pretty tough exfoliator on my face at night, so I like to use something a little gentler and kinder in the morning. Unfortunately, the stuff that I normally use is from Europe, and I'm all out with no idea when I'll be able to get more. Sooo, I'm back to the search for the best gentle, cruelty-free, and preferably plant-based face wash (hey, we all know that I'm a hippie at heart). I want a face wash that's nice to my skin and nice to the planet, but one that's effective would be good, too. I've been through several of them, and I must admit, it's tough to find a good one. For a while, I used Burt's Bee's Tomato Complexion Soap, and I liked it because it smelled great, but it was a little bit drying for my delicate, fussy-as-f*ck skin. I think that I may have found a winner, however, in Beauty Without Cruelty facial cleanser. It has alpha hydroxy, so it's got some very active ingredients, but it's also got some very nice botanicals, and a good percentage of them, too, so I don't worry too much about what I'm doing to my skin. Thus far, it's done pretty damn well for me. Check it out here.

No. Absolutely Not. Not Yet!

Happy first day of summer, everyone! Welcome to freedom, sunny days, bathing suits, and. . . fall collections? Sad but true--I went to urbanoutfitters.com today (because I was an entire two blocks away from the store, and was too lazy to actually go in), and was shocked by what I saw:



Long sleeves? Jackets? I wanted sundresses and sandals! Ack. I mean. today is the first day of summer. Can't we please at least wait until mid-July before we have to start thinking about jeans and sweaters? Don't get me wrong, I love fall fashion, but I'm not anywhere near ready to start thinking about colder weather and back-to-school. Ick.

Well, I did rather like this tank top:


And this fall clutch is pretty cute, too:


But it's still ridiculously early for fall.

The dress of summer

. . . and I don't even like to wear yellow. The bold blocks of color, the unexpected stone embellishment, the draped Grecian bust. . . everything works perfectly. By Velvet by Graham and Spencer.

Alice Ritter Dresses

Some people have found my blog by searching for Alice Ritter dresses, and I'm really happy to give some attention to smaller, talented designers. So, since I only featured showed one of her dresses. . . here ya go!

I promise I'm not goth

I've never been a big fan of nail polish (it either doesn't last long enough to be worth the effort, or it lasts so long that you can't bear to take it off while it still looks so good, but are getting sick of having to dress around it), but if I get bored enough, I'll do my toenails from time to time. The problem is that I get tired of traditional reds and pinks, but crazier colors like blue and green don't go with enough of my clothing. The solution, interestingly enough. . . is black. I'm not into the Avril Lavigne perpetual black nails "Why yes, I am this self-conscious" look, but against a pair of bright sandals, or with a cute skirt and tank top, black toenails are surprisingly fresh, especially if you're pasty pale like I am. Rather than being gothy and self-conscious, they're actually clean and mod-looking.

I don't mean to knock the goth kids, though. I actually have a friend who's pretty gothy, and we have a surprising amount in common. We have similar senses of humor (yes, it's dark), and we both love to shop and swap shopping stories. Of course, when we do, they usually go something like this:

Me: Oh my God, I did SO much shopping this weekend. . . I just can't resist sales!
T: I know! Whenever I visit my boyfriend, I do nothing but shop!
Me: It's crazy! I just have to see the words "Sample Sale," and all of a sudden, I'm $200 poorer!
T: Oh, I know, every time I pass a gothy place, I have to go in.
Me: Yeah, um. . . I like Marc Jacobs.

But y'know, it's always good to broaden your shopping horizons. . . I've been a big fan of shopping in the little boy's section for quite some time now, and I must say, T has some amazing boots. They're patent leather platform boots that are knee-high, and they're adorable. If I can share my boots and my pedicure with other style tribes, maybe I could eventually move up the body, too.

But I still love Marc Jacobs.

'Cause we're friends

I recorded another podcast for you guys. Get it here, and please comment or email or something and tell me what you think! This one's about fashion reality TV. The long of and the short of it is that I like Project Runway much better than The Hills. I mean, isn't this:

just much cooler than this?

I could really use some advice. . .

Well, the tables are turned, faithful readers. I usually dole out unsolicited fashion advice without much thought, but tonight, I look to you for a word of advice. You see, I went to a Goodwill tonight to see if there was any jewelry I could destroy, and I couldn't help but root through the clothing, too. I always like to search for vintage at thrift stores, because it's about 300% cheaper, but today I felt like an Atkins addict in a candy shop. See, I'm back in the midwest for a couple days, and I had forgotten how much less picked over the vintage is here--had I had $100 on me, I could practically have opened a vintage shop with what I found today.

Of course I couldn't resist some dresses and shoes for myself (pictures to follow) but the vast selection, a lot of which wouldn't fit me anyway, got me thinking. I love to buy vintage on eBay, because you can search for exactly what you want, and often, get quite a deal, but I feel like there's a lot of thrift store junk on eBay that people find at garage sales or whatever and call "vintage" for a profit. Now, I could put real vintage eBay, most of it would be in pristine condition, and I wouldn't have to charge a whole hell of a lot for it, either. So my question is... in August (ie, when I have a little more time), should I try my hand at vending vintage? I hand the question to you. . .

Should La Principessa sell some choice vintage on eBay?
	Yes! The more the merrier. More selection is always better!
	No! Too many people try to sell crappy vintage on eBay already.
Free polls from Pollhost.com

The battle of the comfy heels

You know, writing about Tara Subkoff's shoes for Easy Spirit has had me thinking about comfortable shoes. Nothing is better than a sexy, fun pair of shoes that's comfortable at the same time (ladies and gentlemen, I give you. . . flats!), but that can be hard to track down, especially if you're as much of a fan of heels as I am. Don't get me wrong, I pretty much live in ballet flats, but nothing makes me feel dressier, sexier, or more ladylike than an nice pair of stillettos. Unfortunately, it can be tough to be comfortable when your heels are four inches off the ground. Personally, I think that the most important aspect of how comfortable heels are is how well they fit--a high heel that's too tight, too narrow, or too loose is going to hurt. End of story. Anything that fits well should be pretty bearable.

Nonetheless, there are a few companys that profess to make specifically comfortable shoes, and with heels, it's an intriguing concept. The question is, can you get the same degree of sexiness with a shoe that feels like a sneaker? As aforementioned, Tara Subkoff's line for Easy Spirit is fabulous:

but their normal line of shoes, is, um, not:

Now, the other specifically comfortable brand (sorry for the lack of a better term), Aerosoles, does a significantly better job:

but that's not to say that they're perfect:

Easy Spirit definitely scores mega points for having Tara Subkoff on board, but for people who want comfortable, cute shoes for less than $300, Aerosoles is definitely the better option. Still, even though they've come up with a few cute designs, they're not exactly the first place I'd go to shop for a great pair of shoes. I suppose comfortable shoe lines cater too much to the mumsy arch-support crowd to make comfortable shoes for the rest of us. In the meantime, maybe that new Dr. Sholl's heel insert works. If not, that's why we have taxis.

Hmmm. . .

Michael Kors Jersey Halter Dress, $1,095:

American Apparel Jersey Halter Dress, $36

Does anyone else see a resemblance?

You know you're a New Yorker when you can't stop listening to your iPod for long enough to let it charge. . .

You know, the connection between style signifiers and status symbols really irks me (by which I mean that the fact that the trendiest IT items are often just a way of saying, "Look, I'm rich!"), but one expensive accessory that I'm personally addicted to is the ever-stylish iPod. It makes me feel a bit snobbish, because not only does having an iPod say that you can afford one (though frankly, I would sell my car in order to have one if mine broke), it also symbolically initiates you into the crowd that's so into music that you can't go anywhere without your entire music library. Twice a snob. Great.

The thing is, though, iPod are so damn useful--you walk long distances and save the subway fee because you won't get bored; you can pretend you don't hear the douche that sounds "Nice ass!" at you for five minutes after you pass by; you can walk right by the comedy promoters who try to shove flyers in your hand because you're so into your music; you can listen to your favorite song whenever you want if you're in a bad mood; you can load up on free podcasts and hear the news, hear new music, or learn Italian; the benefits go on and on. So, I'll break down on my stand that status symbols are crap in order to have an iPod. But that's the only exception I'll make! Oh, and designer jeans. I'll make an exception for them, too.

Cory Who?

Apparently, a bunch of people have found my blog by searching "Cory Kennedy Cobra Snake." I knew she had an internet cult following, but I didn't know that it stretched to the extent that people have found my humble fashion blog through it. I mean, I've mentioned her once! I guess her influence is very real, so I thought I'd take a moment to analyze what exactly it is that makes her a style icon. Here, she's pictured with the man who made her (kind of) famous, the cobra snake himself. He's the one who looks like he wandered out of 1983, and she's the one with the dark messy hair. The messy hair is definitely part of her look. Actually, my hair looks good messy, too. Still, I take the time to brush it and/or pull it back sometimes. She's got that whole derelicte vibe going on in general, if you ask me. BUT, she's a club kid, not a celebrity or an Olsen twin, so I suppose it's acceptable for her. Let's examine her dress sense for a second, shall we? She wears what basically appear to be thrift store cast-offs that hang like a tent off her drug-skinny body (note: I'm not asserting that she does drugs. I have no idea whether or not she does. I'm saying that she's skinny enough that she looks like she could), often with tights or leggings, and she adds a big, spangly piece of jewelry that I actually rather like. I like the juxtaposition of beat-up clothing and something finer and more delicate in jewelry. I mean, this outfit doesn't appear to be anything more than an old t-shirt, wool tights, and a long pretty necklace. I'm not being sarcastic when I say that it works for her. Still, let's return to the beauty for a second. She has messy, curly hair in what I'm sure is an expensive haircut, because it always looks stylish. She's always wearing eyeliner. Her eyes are huge. She also always looks just a little f*cked up, which isn't too surprising, seeing as she always seems to have a bottle of something in her hands, or not far away.

Is that it? Is that why she's so adored? Is is that she looks so skinny and young, but also so drugged up? It's sort of a little-girl-lost thing. This country loves to see delicate-looking women devoured by the party scene. Kate Moss. Lindsey Lohan. Eating disorders and drug abuse turn party girls into bizarre sorts of social martyrs. Glamourous martyrs. Weird.

Ok, it's too early in the morning for me to be blogging. I'm getting all socially critical. I'm gonna go away now.

A gift from me to you

Well, I always said that I wasn't done podcasting (even though I sort of thought I was). So, here's another go at it. Feedback is welcome! There are quite a few glitches in this episode, because I've practically forgotten how to put together a podcast, and it's actually pretty tough (for those of us who think computers exist only to let us access fashion magazines online). If I do more episodes, I'll try to make them a little smoother. All of my old episodes are available at Blogmatrix, and a few of my episodes are available on iTunes (search for What I Wore), if anyone's interested in subscribing. Sooo, check it out, and tell me what you think!

Tara Subkoff Ennis

I like most of Tara Subkoff's designs (and not just shoes), but her Ennis shoe really stood out to me. It's got that old-school classic glamour vibe, an undeniable vintage look (ok, I'm obsessed), and since she's partnering with Easy Spirit, it's probably comfy to boot. The way the strap wraps over the arch is really sexy. The color choices are just plain awesome, too.

Also noteworthy is the Devora (below), which is also lovely (I mean, they're practically the same shoe). Interestingly, even though I usually like heels WAY better than wedges, I feel like the wedge is just slightly more interesting with this shoe. It's a sexy, narrow wedge, so it's not clunky, and I just think it's a little more interesting and unexpected with the vintage-look shoe.

If Tara Subkoff ever collaborates with Target, she better do a shoe line.

New Places to Visit!

I just added two links to the link list at right of street fashion. I noticed that I didn't have Europe covered, so they're British sites. I'm still working on the rest of Europe, but in the meantime, check the new links out! Maybe it's all in my delusional head, but I see the influence of Vivienne Westwood, and I see where Luella gets her inspiration!

I Won't Grow Up

You know, as much as I'd love to be a hip sophisticate, some small part of me always gravitates toward fun fashion. I think it's part of why I love runway shows so much--I prefer the overblown, wild, conceptual side of fashion than the pared-down, monochromatic, structured looks that hit the racks. It's not just that, though. I love anything with a heart print. I usually prefer Marc by Marc Jacobs to Marc Jacobs, Paul and Joe Sister to Paul and Joe, and See by Chloe to Chloe (which is not to say that I dislike the more expensive lines, because that's certainly not the case). Hell, there are times when I even prefer Divided to H&M's main line. I even still get silly teen catalogs like Alloy and Delias, because they'll occasionally come out with a total gem that's not only cheap and accessible, but ridiculously fun and unique.

I think that's the main reason that I prefer designer's younger, more accessible lines. The couture lines create the look that everyone is dying for, and often, the look that will be replicated to the Nth degree. I think designers have more fun and freedom with their cheaper (pardon my honesty) lines. Even though they're more accessible, in the end, they're more unique. It goes without saying that they're easier to wear (even if it it just the fact that you're not worrying that someone might spill beer on your $1300 silk top).

Let's have a little compare and contrast, starting with Chloe and See by Chloe



The Chloe top is delicate, lovely, sophisticated, and formal. The See by Chloe top (right, if you didn't guess) is fun, gorgeous, daring, wearable with jeans or a silk skirt, and just plain visually interesting.

Next up is Marc Jacobs vs. Marc by Marc Jacobs (though a quick disclaimer--I LOVE anything created by Marc Jacobs):



The Marc Jacobs skirt is beautiful, but the Marc by Marc Jacobs dress is just more interesting. I hate to distill is down to something so simple, but I feel like it's true.

In the end, as much as I love high fashion, there's something that's just a little cold and sterile about it sometimes. It's made for the elite, and it looks like it. It looks untouchable, unwearable, unfeeling. More accessible, yes, less sophisticated clothing, however, looks like it's made for whoever wants to wear it, rather than just the aristocracy.

But don't get me wrong, Gucci and Prada have their place. I'd probably appreciate said place more if I could afford it.

Miller & Harris & me

I was in Chelsea today, and I decided to stop into the intriguing-looking London Pharmacy. Sadly, I wasn't as excited about the stuff there as I would have liked, but I saw Miller & Harris perfume oil, and since I've always liked their pretty bottles (because sometimes, you CAN judge a book by it's cover), I decided to give it a try. Mmmm. Not only is there something inherently sexy about body oil, their Fleur Oriental scent is just divine. It's a little musky and a little mysterious, and completely, 100% sexy. I would have bought it, but I'm about to do a lot of traveling, and sexy as it is, I'd be miserable if it spilled in my luggage ('cause, you know, I'm not ready to commit to a signature scent), so I skipped it. Still, if you ever get the chance, I'd highly recommend giving it a sexy, sexy try.

Even More Cheap Thrills

I try not to discriminate economically when it comes to fashion, but I won't lie--I have expensive tastes. Don't get me wrong, that won't stop me from from buying $20 ballet flats if they're cute, but it's just not accompanied by the same thrill as buying a silk charmeuse dress, or a Marc Jacobs top. There's one exception to the rule, however: jewelry. I have no idea why. I have a ring from Tiffany's that I never take off (no, it's not engagement--it's a silver band that looks like bamboo. I wear it on my index finger), some pearls, and some amythest studs, but other than the ring, none of them get nearly as much attention as my favorite $7 earrings. In fact, a lot of my favorite jewelry was under $10--I believe I already discussed my favorite bracelet, and another bracelet that I really like was $4 in the men's section of H&M. I love buying earrings from street vendors (in fact, I really regret passing up a pair with turquoise hearts in the grammercy area a couple days ago). Shops like Claire's and The Icing are some of the only things that can lure me into malls. A trip to Girlprops in Soho is as exhilarating as going to Saks. Why? I can't say. All I can say is that I'm going back to the Grammercy area tomorrow, and I do hope to see the same vendors. . .

What's wrong with this?

Is it so wrong that I like Chloe Sevigny's fashion sense? I mean, here she is at the CFDA awards, and even though this dress is eccentric, I think she looks cute in it. The print is a little out-there, but I love the bold, classic black and white print. The wide belt is spot-on right now, without being over the top or overly boho, and the high hem is perfect with the covered neck and long sleeves. It's sexy without being trashy or too young. And the shoes are just sexy, sexy, sexy. I do understand some of people's criticism for Chloe Sevigny, but by and large, I think she's pretty damn fashionable.



I also love her on Big Love, but I would never allow that to influence my perceptions of her fashion sense. . .

Dior shoe: who knew?

I love vintage Dior, but I associate most new Dior with socialites and celebutantes. New Dior clothes and bags are usually splashy, glamourous,covered with the logo, glittery, loud, and reeking of money. It's not that there's not a place for that, it's just that it's not really my style. I'm more the designer-jeans-and-thrift-store-bag type. I appreciate Dior for it's impact on the fashion world, etc., etc., etc., but I don't really pay much attention to it myself. So imagine how surprised I was when I found this Dior shoe--it's not that it's not glamourous or posh, but it's sooo, sooo, sooo wearable. It's hot enough to wear with a cute top and a mini out to clubs or something, but it definitely passes the designer-jeans-and-thrift-store-bag test (by which I mean it'd work with them) too. Three stars for Dior for making something so lovely and wearable while still sticking to their aesthetic. Maybe I'll venture into new Dior sometime, too.

Wow, I love her style

Look to the right. Notice anything different? Probably not. Well, I added a new section of links, all of which are sites where you can see picture of what real people, not designers, not celebrities with stylists, not models--you get the picture--are wearing. The first, The Sartorialist, is probably the best-known. He takes pictures of various New Yorkers who look good in various parts of New York. Sometimes he comments, while other times, it's just the picture. He's a good photographer, and he's got good taste too--I love visiting The Sartorialist. The next, Tokyo Street Style, is exactly what it sounds like--people in various parts of Tokyo. Dress is so vibrant there. I really like looking at this site, because you really can see a clear difference in the way that people who live in different parts of Tokyo dress. The next, The Cobra Snake, you've probably heard of. It's how soon-to-be-it-girl Cory Kennedy became a soon-to-be-it-girl. It's pictures of various parties, and while it's a very fun site, it's not specifically devoted to fashion, and I'm not responsible for any content that people find offensive. It's full of people wearing great clothes, and yes, doing debaucherous things sometimes. They still look good. Lastly, My Style Diary can be both tremendously inspiring and tremendously funny. It depends on whose style diary you're looking at.

That's it for now, but hopefully the list will grow. Now, go get inspired!

Sunscreen: a VERY necessary evil

Skin cancer runs in my family, so I've always been pretty vigilant about sun protection, but last weekend, I made the idiot mistake of using old sunscreen. Sunscreen starts to lose it's power after about a year, so I got a burn. Ick. The worst part is that I was wearing a strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline, so I have funky tan lines. Ick again.

Now, obviously I replaced my expired sunscreen, but it was a harder buy than one would think. See, even though I know that sunscreen is a necessity, I kind of hate it--it smells, it's sticky, it can make you break out, and it can leave stuff on your clothes. Facial sunscreen, I think is the hardest--it's best to find a foundation with SPF. That way, you won't have to remember the extra step in the morning, and you won't slack off when it's cloudy. Supposedly, Laura Mercier's tinted moisturizer is amazing (I've never tried it).

Unfortunately, the foundation that best matches my skin doesn't have SPF, so I have to put some on under it in the morning. Obviously, I don't want anything that I'm rubbing into my face to clog my pores or alter the way my foundation looks, so I'm pretty damn picky about facial sunscreen. My undoubted top pick is Neutragena UltraSheer sunscreen. It really actually is sheer, it dries quickly without drying you out, it's never made me break out, and best of all, comes in really high SPf. 'Nuf said.

It's tempting to prioritize your face above all else, but it's important to wear sunscreen on all exposed skin. Frankly, I'm not going to spend as much on sunscreen that goes on less delicate skin, but I still hate sunscreen that's sticky and messy, so I still have discriminating taste. What I'm using right now is Aveeno's Continuous Protection Sunblock, and it really does seem to last a long time. Better yet, it's not sticky or greasy. Basically, it's all I need.

Now, it probably sounds right now like I have somewhat low standards for sunscreen, which is definitely not the case. Here's the thing--all sunscreen here is pretty much the same. Obviously, formulas are a little different, but two different sunscreens that are SPF 45 will give you the same protection. Interestingly, sunscreen in Europe is different. They use more advanced complexes that offer better, more complete UVA and UVB screens. Basically, you're less likely to get skin cancer if you use one of them. My pick for European sunscreen is Vichy, because it's just lovely (like, won't make you break out, will disappear into your skin, and, some say, protect from wrinkles), but it's really hard to find in the US. You may be able to find it online (I know people are selling it on ebay) if you're really interested, though. I, personally, hope to get some right from the source soon. . .

But, in the meantime, I'm going to be vigilant about my inferior sunscreen anyway.

If I were a designer. . .

. . . I would base a collection on Central Park in the rain.

Almost YSL

Into IT bags? Dying for a YSL muse, Fendi B bag, or Dior Saddlebag, but don't have the cash to shell out for one? Well, now you can have one anyway! . . . Almost. The brand Mebilosa makes bags that are basically IT bags, but just slightly different enough to avoid plagiarism laws. No doubt they're close copies, but honestly, to me, they just look cheap. Let's observe.

Here's a real muse:



And here's the copy:



Here's a real B bag:



And here's the fake one:



Here's the real Dior Saddle Bag:



And here's the imitation:



Like I said, they're pretty damn good imitations, but I say, if you're going to get a knock-off bag, go to Mexico and get one that's really convincing. With one of these, you don't get the name or the quality (and while I grant that you won't get the quality with an illegal knock-off, ideally, no one will be able to tell to the difference), you'll just get to project the fact that you're dying for a bag that all the celebs have, but don't really have one.

Now I admit, I'm being pretty hard on IT bags, but I'm not trying to be a snob (God knows I can't afford one), but I guess I just prefer originally to copies, cheap or otherwise. In fact, I think that IT bags cease to be cool when they become IT bags. Where's the allure in having something that everyone else already has? I mean, I know it's a status symbol, but isn't it much better to wear something that says "I have an aesthetic" than "I have a lot of money?" One of my favorite bags came from a Salvation Army. Another one of my favorite bags is Cynthia Rowley. If you've got money to spend, spend it on something whimsical an original. If you don't have a lot of money to spend, spend it on something whimsical and original.

IF, however, you insist on having an IT bag, go with the muse--if I do say so myself, it looks pretty good.

My Icon

My lovely, well-loved, self-designed icon. I'm posting it in the hopes that I can put it in my template, somehow. . .

Umbrellas, umbrellas, umbrellas

We're having a cloudburst of a storm here in NYC, and even though I was caught and got soaking wet, lots of people had the foresight to have umbrellas. This is New York, and they're umbrellas, so of course the vast overwhelming majority of them were black, but I saw a few that deviated from the norm. There were a few of the obligatory navy and marroon umbrellas, and I saw one of those black-with-multi-colored-polka-dots ones from Target, too. More interestingly, I saw a Burberry Novacheck one (could have been a knock-off--I didn't look too closely), and an old lady with a leopard print one. Overall, I was not impressed with the umbrellas I encountered tonight (of course, I was running for my apartment, so I wasn't paying too much attention).

Of course, now you may be asking, "But Principessa, how does one locate and purchase a unique, stylish, fashionable umbrella? Are they not functional tools along with statement-making accessories? How may one marry function and style?" and that would, indeed, be a very good question. Because umbrellas are functional, they're very, very, mass-produced, making it hard to locate a unique one. Now, being a native midwesterner, and having turned to eBay for all my style needs since I was 15, I firmly believe that the solution lies there. I'm sure there are thousands of umbrellas on eBay, but if you want to find the interesting ones, go vintage. Not only is it highly (why, yes, I did just use bold and italic text at once--I mean HIGHLY!) unlikely that anyone else will have something like it, they'll also be really quirky and cute, and most definitely statement-making. Here's a quick sampling:







Links: Cute umbrella #1, Cute umbrella #2, Cute umbrella #3, Cute umbrella #4, Cute umbrella #5, Cute umbrella #6

Enjoy!