to shop / marni x h&m necklace

As smoothly as the H&M collaborations are run, I’m usually too lazy to wait in line. I’ve never gotten anything from their designer collaborations, but couldn’t resist the lily of the valley necklace from the highly anticipated Marni x H&M collection.

It reminds me of a toy because it sure looks like one! It is very well made. Each piece’s position can be manipulated and moved up or down the leather cord. I like to wear it as a choker style (as seen in the last image), but think it could also work as a belt!

to shop / hidden treasure: forever 21 beaded accessories

I’m a big Forever21.com junkie. There are some well organized stores (like Times Square in New York), but I hate the crowds. When you shop online, you get pristine inventory and cash refunds when you mail back returns. I go through splurts when I actually like their stuff with the peak being the warmer months. I bundle orders together to return — sometimes in a big USPS flat rate box since they are all the way on the other coast. I justify the return costs with the cost of the items. They really are cheap and going to the store may cost money too. Most importantly, I always rather get cash back than credit. Besides, if you use credit on an order and then return it, it gets messy. Over the years, I’ve returned a ton but found a few loves. In general, their accessories are dirt cheap and the quality reflects that, but I was quite surprised by their new beaded accessories:

I received the bead & sequin stripe clutch in the mail the other day and was impressed with the workmanship. It is a pricier item at $22.80. The tag states it was made in India. There was some glue smell so I left it out to air for a week and the smell is now gone. Don’t be fooled by the stock photos. I’d thought there was a ombre blue scheme going on, but both sides are solid navy stripes. It’s a slim clutch so you can’t fit much. I’ve been pretty preoccupied in my spare time, but may take a few IRL pictures soon. I’ve also been tempted by this bubble gum pink beaded clutch and by this shade of pink in general, but have been resisting so far because I never wear this color.

I also love this simple beaded collar necklace. Based on my experience with the clutch, I’d expect this one not to disappoint either!

Update: Here’s a new beaded clutch that is very Missoni.

to shop / favorite things, pt. 5

I bought a pair of Bing Bang Vivienne tiny stud earrings in rose gold almost two years ago. I love them because they are slightly offbeat and I can wear them to work. Sadly, I misplaced them during my European tour of Spring 2010. They were hard to replace because they were sold out or overpriced.

to shop / j.crew love and more!

One thing I love about living in NYC is having access to tons of J.Crews, Gaps, Zaras, etc. This is particularly useful when it is sale season. Today, I stopped by the Midtown East J.Crew to do a huge return and saw that there is an additional 30% off sale items in stores. This location hasn’t impressed me for a while; I was not impressed with the selection. Talking to the cashier, he mentioned that the newly renovated lower Fifth Avenue location, which I visited in early June, surprisingly only has a rush around 6pm and doesn’t have as much foot traffic as one would think. So, I scurried over after a few errands and sure enough, I easily found what I was looking for in my size. And then some.

I took a breather in the kids department, Crewcuts, and admired all the small details.

If you need a baby sailor stripe baggu, look no further than J.Crew!

Then, I saw a stylish European woman in line with Crewcuts necklaces (girls’ jewelry is currently 25% off) so I had to investigate. I ended up picking up a blue bead necklace with pink ribbon and a braided/beaded concoction. Both are not online. They were around $10 after discount. The nice thing about the tie closure is that you could use them as belts! I also found the coveted leopard print calf hair belt, on sale!!!

In other J.Crew news, I am a fan of the perfect shirt in amory floral. I call it my “getting in touch with the English countryside” shirt, and it matches perfectly with my current wallet and notebook.

For the Longchamp fans, the Soho boutique is having a huge sale. There are tons of apparel marked to 70% off (still $200+ after discount) as well as leather items that are discounted 50%. Their Le Pliage colors from last season are around 20% off. Meh. If you were at the 2007 Sample Sale, you would understand why I walked out emptyhanded.

I also stopped by the Tucker and Clare Vivier sale yesterday afternoon. The CV was mostly cleaned out. Not that I needed another one! None of the Tucker prints interested me.

Thursday and Friday were too productive.

to shop / favorite things, pt. 4

A gift from my grandfather to the women in his life, this is the most worn piece of jewelry in my collection. It’s on my neck more often than not. Diamonds are a great, but not best, friend.