Something Pretty

What with the picture-less annoucement of the Thrift Score Challenge, Round II, followed directly by the rather wordy results from the Thrift Score Challenge (henceforth known as I), My blog is now rather plain at first view. So, something pretty to counteract it:

Gemstone earrings from Fred Flare. On sale for $4.99. Can't do a hell of a lot better than that!

Props to Girlprops

As I'm sure readers have already seen, I did pretty well shopping in NYC. I got to most of the places where I wanted to go, and I got most of the things I wanted to get. In fact, there's only one place that I'm sorry to have missed: the every illustrious Girlprops. Girlprops is the perfect purveyor of all sorts of cheap-chic jewelry. "But Principessa," you're surely saying, "aren't there cheap jewelry shops all over New York? And, despite the poor quality of their jewelry, aren't they usually overpriced?" And the answer is: yes, which is all the more reason why Girlprops is important. Unlike similar places in New York (coughCinderellacough), their jewelry isn't just a cheap mess of rhinestones and over interpreted trends. There are some real gems (hahahaha) to be found there.

I mean, who wouldn't love a shop with a "funny" section of earrings? I'd love this adorable unicorn pair, but it gets much wilder. Think aliens, miniature toothpaste tubes, armadillos, and more.


Girlprops is also one of the few places that can get me excited about necklaces. I love this gold chain with tiny clubs on it, and I don't even wear gold. The buddha pendant is totally nifty. I actually remember subway tokens (gasp! Has it really been so long?), and I would wear the subway token pendant with pride.

So, next time I'm in the city, I won't forget to hit up Girlprops. In the meantime, thank God they have a website!

Shopping: Concluded?

It's Marc Jacob's fault. I could have gotten piles upon piles of new clothing, but instead, I'm coming away from NYC with a very small, well-edited, selection of pieces. I have a dress, new pants, two new pairs of jeans (because my favorite pair of all time has a hole--I got the exact same pair again), and two new tops. Why not more? Because I fell in love with and was swept away by a Marc by Marc Jacobs dress. It's a bit extreme--there's always that terrifying moment when the salesgirl says "exchange or store credit only"--but it's actually a rather good thing. It's limited my funds enough that I can't buy things I don't need. So, no closet clutter for me!

Besides, the Marc by Marc Jacobs dress that I got is worth it. It's light, easy to wear, fun, simple, and even, I think, a bit sophisticated in its simplicity. It's long enough to be worn as a dress, but short enough that I can easily wear it as a top until it's warm enough, and I love purple. I know it looks a bit silly in the picture, but you'll have to trust me when I say it looks great on. Hey, maybe I'll post some pictures of me wearing it on Wardrobe_Remix. . .

I got a great dress from H&M on one of my first shopping days, but upon reconsidering, I decided it was a bit formal for day-to-day wear, and I already have enough formal clothing that my life doesn't afford opportunity to play with, so I decided to exchange it for a simpler piece that had been catching my eye. Now, I've always liked tunics, but yes, that is a denim top. I have strong feelings about denim being used outside of jeans: namely, that it shouldn't. Still, I liked the shape of this top, and it's a lighter denim, almost a chambray, so while its weight makes it drape nicely, it's not too heavy and structured. It's a change for me, but I really like it.

I did, as I said I would, end up getting a pair of bright skinny pants. Thanks to the dress, I was purpled out, so I got a bright blue pair instead. They're surprisingly easy to wear, since they're only a little brighter and more vibrant than jeans would be. They're a bit extreme, but I'm enjoying them immensely.

I also got a new pair of (aforementioned) Levi's skinny jeans, but they're not really new to me, since they're exactly the same as a pair I already have, sans hole in the thigh. Still, I'm happy to have them--Levi's skinny jeans fit really well, sit high enough not to facilitate any embarassing crack moments, and slouch perfectly.

Lastly, the frosting on the cake--jewelry. I have a magnificent earring collection, adore bracelets (though don't wear them often--hmm), have two rings that I never take off, and yet, I've never been too taken with necklaces. It's not that I dislike them in principal, it's more that I'm not very often attracted to them, and when I am and I do buy them, I never really wear them anyway. So, it logically follows that it's stupid of me to buy necklaces. But hey, I never claimed to be smart. This little beauty came from Forever 21, and I'm totally going to make an effort to wear it sometime soon.

And that, I suppose, is that. That is, until I'm back in New York City again.

My newest obsession?

Stud earrings!

When I was little, I begged and begged my mother to let me get my ears pierced. When she gave in (I was in third grade), she had one stipulation: studs only! I did, of course, get them pierced anyway, expecting her to back down, but she held firm. Anything that dangled at all below my ear lobe (save for a very small loop she finally allowed me in the sixth grade) was strictly verboten. Her reasoning? They could get caught while I was running around on the playground at rip my ear off! The combination of their intrinsic danger, watching all my friend sashay around in whatever dangly earrings they pleased, and admiring my mother's own rather impressive collection of dangly earrings made me lust for them like nothing else. When I realized that my mother was no longer enforcing her 'no makeup' rule, as I was sucessfully wearing mascara to school every day with little to no resistance, I decided to challenge the earring rule as well, with immense success.


After that (and that was ninth grade--ages ago!), all the earrings that I wore and purchased were dangly. I was forever through with studs--or so I thought. This past winter, I was visiting the Czech Republic, and I loved all the amber and garnet jewelry that was for sale in the Chrismas markets. I wanted some, but on a college student budget, my options were limited. The piece that caught my eye and didn't break my budget was a pair of nicely green-tinged amber studs. I went for them. And I wore them every day for about the next two weeks. There's a sophistication, a simplicity, to wearing jewelry so small and subtle. It's especially pronounced when you're wearing very pretty studs--it's just so sexy that something so small can draw the eye. So, on my last trip to the mall (which is a rare trip for me--I usually only go for Target), I hit up Claire's accessories, and came home with two new pairs of studs, a pair of black rosebuds (like the ones pictures, but. . . black), and little princess-cut black rhinestones (I couldn't resist a pair of sparrow-shaped dangly earrings too, but I mostly got studs!), and thusfar, I'm really enjoying them.

In fact, I need more. Any suggestions?

(Earrings pictured are from Urban Outfitters, La Garconnne, and Forever 21, respectively.)