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Happy Black Friday!

Today is Black Friday, and I hope that everyone is having a successful shopping day and taking advantage of all of the great sales out there! This morning I woke up to a Facebook newsfeed filled with status updates about shopping from midnight to 8am or waking up at crazy hours in the morning to go hit the stores at opening time. I'm sorry, but to me, the sales on Black Friday are nowhere near good enough to get me out of bed at 5 am. I mean, yes, there are good discounts on computers, televisions, and things like that, but for clothing (which is the only thing I'm interested in buying), the sales aren't too spectacular. This is not to say that people shouldn't shop on Black Friday; I just think that there is no need to wake up super early (unless of course you're shopping item). Though, I do love to hear stories about wild shopping adventures, so if you have any fun Black Friday tales, please share them with me!

On another note, I am currently in Washington DC for the first time in my life. I'm here spending my Thanksgiving break at my aunt's house, since LA is too far away :( I really like DC, though. There's excellent shopping and so many historical places to explore. I wish my break was longer so that I could do more while I'm here, but I guess now I have a reason to come back :)

This morning I explored Downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, which is walking distance from my aunt's house.  I was very pleased that some of my favorite stores were there, including Whole Foods Market, Borders, DSW shoe store, Ann Taylor Loft, and American Apparel.





I stopped in to American Apparel since I haven't been there in several months, and I was pleasantly surprised to find tutus, mini skirts, lace tops, slouchy cotton jackets, denim button-up shirts, and sheer maxi skirts. 

The maxi skirt is a trend this season that I have been dying to try, but I'm still not sure if I can pull off a long skirt.  At American Apparel I tried on the Chiffon Full Length Skirt to see how it looked.  I actually don't think it was that bad.  I think that if I wear it with the right outfit, it would look good, but I have this rule that I should only buy something if I would wear it at school.  Unfortunately, I think I would feel uncomfortable walking around campus in a full length skirt.  So I didn't get the it, but at least now I know what I look like in a long skirt!


I also really liked this Flower Mesh Jumper that I tried on. It was so pretty, and I really wanted to buy it, but, even on sale, I thought it was too expensive. To be honest, I never buy clothes from American Apparel because everything is so over-priced. But just because she doesn't intend to buy anything doesn't mean a girl can't go in and window shop every once in a while! :)

Source: American Apparel

Lazy Saturday

H&M Cardigan and Top, Urban Outfitters Denim Skirt, Blue Scarf, Adrienne Vittadini Flats, Forever 21 Gold Bracelet, Beaded Friendship Bracelet, Bag from LA Garment District

Today is a very lazy Saturday, so I wore a very casual and comfortable outfit.  Luckily, it wasn't too chilly today, so I was fine wearing just a cardigan and a light scarf.  On my lazy day, I decided to wear my hair curly and in a high messy bun.  I'm starting to like wearing my hair curly more and more.  I wore it curly almost the entire summer, so by the time school started, I was bored of it and wore my hair straight for the first couple of months.  But now, I'm starting to miss all of those unpredictable little curls!  I think I'll keep my hair like this for a while...or at least until I need a change again!


P.S. Sorry for the lame mirror pics, but I kind of don't have anyone to take my picture in college :/

Tights Season

Forever 21 Cardigan and Top, Gap Wool Skirt, H&M Skinny Belt, Hue Black Ribbed Tights, Paris Hilton Flats, Clear Beaded Bracelet from Century 21

It's officially tights season in Princeton, New Jersey.  The weather is just cool enough where I would be cold in only a skirt but not so chilly that I need to wear a bunch of layers.  This will be my first winter on the East Coast, and I have to say, I am very nervous for the freezing weather ahead of me.  Right now I can't imagine there being snow on the ground every day.  And how is one expected to trek to class through multiple inches of snow?  These are the kinds of things I, a Southern California native, wonder when I think about the coming months.  Before I could buy a winter coat in September, I had to ask several different people from the East Coast what one wears during the winter.  Apparently I have to get snow boots?  As for the winter coats, I settled on a couple of North Face jackets a wool pea coat.  I look forward to collecting more pieces of outerwear over the next four years. Now that I have the basics, I can get more creative with my coats. :)

Want Right Now: Black Suede Wedges

My best friend Sarah just got a new pair of black suede wedges, the shoes I have seen almost every fashion blogger rocking this season.  I love these shoes because they're so bold and edgy, yet they're so versatile that you could wear them with basically any style. Needless to say, I am super jealous right now, but don't they just look so good on her?!



P.S. Sarah has a really cool blog that you should check out, should you have a minute!

Source: Sarah

TGIF

Thank goodness it's Friday!! I hope everyone had a wonderful week this week! For me, this week has been filled with several all-nighters, late night Facebook convos, yummy Taiwanese shaved ice, and the debut of my wool pea coat this year (it's starting to get chilly!) But I'm so glad it's the weekend because now I get to do what I love most: chill out and blog.

One of my favorite things I saw this week was a Viva! Moda editorial featuring five Polish models wearing some beautiful and quite sexy LBDs. I seriously want every single one of these dresses!










Source: Fashion Gone Rogue

Mariah Carey Merrry Christmas II You--So Festive!

Over the weekend I bought Mariah Carey's new album Merry Christmas II You.  People who know me well know that I am obsessed with Mariah Carey, so it is no surprise that I, of course, LOVE this album! Right now I'm really into her new song "Oh Santa."  It's really good, go buy it on iTunes! And of course her song "All I Want For Christmas Is You" is a holiday classic, but this CD has the extra festive edition!  Listening to this album is really putting me into the Christmas mood...only 46 days to go!

 

Speaking of the holiday season, while I was at Costco the other day, I saw what could be one very fabulous gift for the festive fashionista: a complete set of every Sex and the City episode ever! I really wanted to get it for myself as an early Christmas present, but I'm trying out this weird thing where I save my money rather than spend it right away on online shopping. :P

"Love" by Matt White

While watching reruns of The Nanny tonight, the McDonalds McRib commercial came on playing the song "Love" by Matt White. Kind of a funny selection for a sandwich, but I love this song right now! It put me in such a peaceful mood. Perfect for a chill Friday evening at home. Happy weekend everyone!

Homesick

Yummm! This sandwhich reminds me of California. Nobody does guac like the Southern Californians (sauf les mexicains, bien sur).

Sources: Soul Surfer

Lanvin for H&M Update

A little over a month ago, H&M announced their upcoming collabo with Lanvin. Two days ago a video was released featuring the highly anticipated collection, which will appear in stores November 20th (mark your calendars, ladies!). And today H&M put all the pieces in the collection and their prices on their website www.hm.com. Before today Vogue UK also had the Lanvin for H&M collection featured on their website as well. I encourage you to visit these sites and check out the collection because it definitely got me really excited for November 20th! I'm already planning my day trip to New York to go shopping at H&M!

For those of you who also can't wait to get your hands on some Lanvin for H&M, please read the How To Shop instructions on the H&M website and check which stores near you are offering the collection. This line is definitely going to go fast just like Mulberry for Target did, so be prepared and plan ahead!

No Sweatpants Please!

Salut my fabulous fashionistas!!!  Oh how I've missed you so! Today marks the end of my unbearably long hiatus from The Student Fashionista. Let me assure you that I've been MIA for a good reason as the Princeton workload is no joke. However, I return to you with interesting news of Princeton style and trends that I will definitely keep you updated on.

At the moment, though, I am sitting on a plane en route to Los Angeles and I couldn't be more excited! Princeton is rewarding us with a fall break after an incredibly painful week of midterms. Speaking of midterms, I have to admit that I haven't been the most stylish individual this past week. Perhaps it was the lack of sleep, the extreme stress level, that awful feeling you sometimes get when you're overwhelmed and you're just like what I look like is the last thing on my mind, or a combination of the three that led me to dress in my most casual attire. Yes it was a week of bad outfits, but I have to say that no matter how bad I feel or how late I wake up I will never ever go to class in sweat pants or a sloppy jeans and t-shirt ensemble (note: I am not talking about the classy jeans and a white t-shirt kind of outfit, I mean like a plain, I-just-threw-this-on kind of shirt). It actually really annoys me to see people walking around campus in sweats (unless they're working out) because I think of school as going to work and the dress code is student professional. This means that students should look presentable and should dress to represent the school well.  So no athletic clothing to class. No sweats. No flimsy flip flops (yes I said it). And absolutely no pajama bottoms.

If you're one of those people who wears sweats to class on your off days, then shame on you! It really does look sloppy, and you owe it to yourself to look fabulous all the time, even when you're not feeling fabulous.  On those mornings when you wake up late and you have about 2 seconds to choose an outfit and throw it on before rushing out the door, it is really easy to grab the sweats or the t-shirt lying on the floor, but if you have a back-up outfit ready for these occasions, then you'll never have to look sloppy going to class again.  For me, when I really need to get dressed fast I put on a pair of jeans, a white t-shit or an American Apparel deep V, and a cardigan or a sweater.

Here is an example outfit that is easy to throw together in a rush.  It consists of dark jeans, a basic T, some sort of sweater, and flats.  If you have the extra minute you can also add jewelry, like a statement necklace.  This outfit is made up of items that everyone probably already has in their closets, so if you can just remember where these pieces are, you should be able to avoid the horrible sweats to class situation!

Lazy day

Dear Blog

Dear Blog,

I'm sorry that I'm ignoring you.  I miss you a lot, but until I get settled with the beginning of college and my new schedule, I have to take a break from you. :( But I promise to start writing again soon!

                                                                                                         Love, Carly

I would also like to publicly apologize to my readers for not covering Fashion's Night Out. I planned to do a bunch of posts about all of the things I was excited for at FNO and all the things I wish that I could have gone too, but I was on a community service trip, so I missed the festivities, the shopping, the events, the celebs, the designers, the models. It was especially frustrating since I was only about 1 hour away from NYC on Sept 10th! So close, yet so far away. :( But to everyone who did go, I hope that you had a fabulous fashion-filled night!

Before I return to working on my homework tonight, I wanted to leave you with some pretty things at which to look. There is a Kate Spade store across the street from campus, so I visited it a few days ago, which was a big mistake because now I'm obsessing over everything Kate Spade. But I thought that I would share with you a few things I saw in the store that I absolutely loved: a fabulous black everyday bag, an extremely cute black crystal beret hat, and emerald green and gold statement jewelry. Enjoy!

Kate Spade



H&M Designer Collaboration 2010 - The Dream

Here's the video about the upcoming collaboration between Lanvin and H&M. See post below for details!

Lanvin for H&M!!!

I'm freaking out right now! Earlier today there was a very big rumor going around that H&M may be doing a collaboration with Lanvin! I first read about the rumor from this article from Shine on Yahoo:
"Usually, we don’t credit fashion-world rumors until they’re confirmed—in the age of online, it’s just too easy for any @Tom, @Dick, or @Harry to make them up as they go along. But H&M is clearly courting mystery with its new designer collaboration: Yesterday, the brand released a video teaser on its Web site, daring users to figure out its new collaborator. Facebook responses ran the gamut, but insiders think they’ve hit on the answer—Lanvin’s Alber Elbaz (that’s him peeking in at right). If so, it would be a major coup for the fast fashion retailer, and a chance for Lanvin to build on the success of its collection with Acne (which, admittedly, was sold at a contemporary, rather than fast-fashion, price point). Too good to be true? Just maybe. Only a few months ago, Elbaz told Style.com that he hadn’t considered a fast-fashion collaboration. But we’ll keep hoping until proven otherwise."
A few minutes ago H&M confirmed on their Facebook page and in a YouTube video that the people guessed right and that they are indeed doing a Winter designer collaboration with Lanvin!  You have no idea how excited I am! Or maybe you do! Between this and Mulberry for Target, we fashionistas on a budget have a lot to look forward to in the coming months.

In the video, Alber Elbaz talks about the collaboration with H&M, claiming that the project is more than just about making "a dress for less". He says that "H&M is going luxury". Uh oh, I hope that doesn't mean luxury prices (Does anyone recall Jimmy Choo for H&M?).  I wouldn't be surprised if the new line is pricey because H&M has some pretty expensive items in store right now.  For example, yesterday I went to H&M and spotted the cutest cropped leather jacket for $199. I realize that it's a good price for a leather jacket, but when I go to H&M, I want to see clothes that I can afford.

When the time comes, we'll see how affordable Lanvin for H&M is, but for now, let's all just be really excited that this is actually happening.

BTW, I love the first comment on the Shine article: "omg omg omg my wallet is already out". HAH! I am right there with you girl!



Sources: Shine, H&M Facebook page, YouTube

hello new riding boots!

My new boots came yesterday! They look pretty good and I am very excited to plan outfits around them. I have to say that the "leather" looks kind of cheap,though, but I guess that's expected of an inexpensive pair of boots.  Though the retail price of these is $179, so I thought the boots would feel a bit sturdier, as these feel thin and sort of flimsy.  These boots aren't the leather riding boots from Ralph Lauren that I've been lusting after, but they will certainly do for now. :)



dinner in the 90210

Last week I decided that before I leave for college there is one thing that I must to do: eat a Kobe burger with truffled sweet potato fries at a small restaurant on Rodeo Drive and get a red velvet cupcake from Sprinkles.  Most of my friends choose In-N-Out or Pinkberry for their last meal, but I don't think I could have left California until I satisfied this craving that I have had since February.  That's right, February.  Indeed, it's been a long time coming, but I finally made the trip to Beverly Hills for the sole purpose of getting my burger and cupcake.

And it was good. It was really good. Those truffled sweet potato fries alone would have been worth the trip to Rodeo.  But boy was it expensive! The last time I went to this restaurant, 208 Rodeo, my friend's mom payed for our lunch, so I forgot how pricey this place was! The bill was $85 for two people.  That included two Kobe burgers and fries at $27 each, $15 for water (what!?), and the tip. (Okay I can't help myself from going off on a tangent, but I HATE it when people deceivingly charge you for random things. For example, when I sat down at the table the waiter asked if I wanted to start with some water. Thinking that water is free, like it is in every restaurant I've ever been to, I said yes.  Later, I found out that the bottle of water he brought to the table cost $9! I don't remember consenting to that! Alright, I'm done venting.)
 
Here's a picture of the restaurant I went to and the Kobe burger I had:

I was stuffed from dinner, so I brought my Sprinkles cupcakes home to enjoy them later.
By the time we left the restaurant, all of the stores had closed and Rodeo Dr. was pretty much empty of people and crazy traffic.  This gave me the perfect opportunity to whip out my camera and take pictures of all the stores without fear of looking like a tourist or getting strange looks from salespersons for taking photos of merchandise. For all of you fabulous fashionistas who haven't yet discovered the wonders of Rodeo Drive, I offer you a view of the famous street and a slideshow of window displays of a few stores that caught me eye.  Which displays are your favorite? (I apologize for the poor lighting; it was dark out, and I wasn't using a high quality camera.)