My Two Cents

Rachel Zoe Newsletter

penniesandthoughts — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:36:41 +0000

Rachel Zoe has launched her newsletter! I used to dislike her, but after watching her show, how can you n0t be entertained by her and her crew? If you’re interested, sign up here.

The Next Food Network Star!

penniesandthoughts — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 23:24:05 +0000

Yay Melissa!!!! Congratulations!!!!!!

Shopping Tips

penniesandthoughts — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:46:49 +0000

As a result of the recession, I’ve seen shopping tips on blogs everywhere – I consider myself a very smart shopper (after a couple of years of experience), so I thought that I would share my tips! Here you go:

Don’t shop right before an event– Chances are you won’t get that perfect dress or perfect suit. Not to mention you won’t have the time to leisurely browse through, so you’ll probably plunk down a big pile of cash for it. Instead, even if you don’t have an event soon, get it. If you might be able to use it, and you love it, what other reason do you need?
Quality over quantity – Buy good stuff for what you care about. If you’re on your feet all day, invest in a great pair of shoes. Things like camisoles and tee shirts? Get a pack of Hanes for $3. It all depends on what’s important to you. Don’t skimp on the important stuff.
Love what you buy – If you love it, you’ll wear it. And then you get your money’s worth. Easy as that.
Be patient – Don’t just gloss over racks – go slowly and you’ll find what you want. And always
Shop at the right times – Shop at all the big sales. Especially now with the economy, deparatment stores are really going crazy with markdowns. I make 3 big shopping trips a year: Fourth of July, Black Friday, and after-Christmas sales. Most of it is last season, but I could care less when I’m getting J Brand jeans for $30!
Forget trends – I don’t really care of trends. Besides, I feel like that limits the amount of (cheap) clothing. I don’t shop to keep up with people, I shop to build my closet.
Just because you’re there doesn’t mean you have to get something – Don’t force yourself to find something you love. You’ll find it eventually, it just might take some time.
Don’t look – If you don’t want to spend money, just don’t go. This might be easier said than done, considering how you can online shop, but just block those sites. And then you won’t be tempted at all.
Have fun! Try new clothes. Shop with a girlfriend. Make shopping fun, and you’ll find something you love. If you see it as a chore, one to finish as soon as possible, you limit yourself to the volume of clothing you see. Besides, I’d much rather see every activity as fun than every activity as boring.
Go vintage! Vintage clothing is awesome, and you can get one-of-a-kind clothing cheap. Granted, sometimes some of the clothing can be a little dingy, but if you go to a good vintage store, you should be able to find some great buys.

Well, I hoped you liked these tips! Feel free to add your own in the comments!

Most Lucrative College Major

penniesandthoughts — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 22:35:45 +0000

Guess what the new most lucrative college major is? Petroleum engineering. I wasn’t so surprised by the ‘engineering’ part, but rather by the petroleum part. I thought that computer engineering (which was fourth) would be the highest.

Unsurprisingly, 9 out of the top 10 are engineering majors. And that lone shark that’s not engineering? Yeah, that’s computer science. Unfortunately, I’ve already pretty much made up my mind that I won’t do engineering (think 9th grade engineering class, a trebuchet, and lots and lots of hot glue. Oh, and a pile of hot glue on my hand). Guess I won’t be getting the Benjamins.

You can check out the whole list here.

Teens, Texting, and Driving

penniesandthoughts — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:10:08 +0000

So I’ve got a bit of thing with teenage drinking. I’m totally against any argument for lowering the drinking age, to the point where I spent hours googling statistics for my online health class. And if there’s one class where you don’t do any wor, it’s online health. I’ll save you my very long rant on it, but I think I may have to take up a new cause: teens texting while driving. How stupid is this? It’s an accident waiting to happen. I don’t even like the idea of texting (I have never texted in my life) – why would I want someone to be able to find me 24/7? I would like to keep my privacy, thanks very much

Anyhow, that’s the end of my rant By the way, if anyone’s interested, Catherine Malandrino is taking 30% of sale items!

Street Style

penniesandthoughts — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:04:37 +0000

For some reason, I am really loving the pictures street style blogs are uploading today. They’re all simple, chic, and perfect for summertime.

I love that dress. It’s like a street version of a ballet tutu.

I wish I look this cool when I bike.

In slightly unrelated news, Lily Allen’s Chanel ads came out! She actually looks rather classy, a bit of a departure from her usual style.

So you think you can dance – Melissa and Ade

penniesandthoughts — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 21:27:13 +0000

I normally don’t watch So you think you can dance – but last night I stumbled across this performance while I was channel flipping, and I have to say, this was a gorgeous piece. Everyone who hasn’t seen it yet should press play right away.

Ballet

penniesandthoughts — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:38:05 +0000

Ballet + Chanel = Love.

I think I need to invest in a good tutu that I can wear on the street. Ballet flats wouldn’t hurt either.

Street Style

penniesandthoughts — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 22:48:41 +0000

Recently I wrote about celebrity street style – now here’s some real street style:

So simple and chic.

That is some expert layering.

I really want that coat.

Why can’t my legs look so good in shorts?

Also, my posts may become more and more sporadic – things at my internship are getting really busy Sorry! I’ll try to update as much as I can.

Rosettes

penniesandthoughts — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 14:29:33 +0000

I have a love affair with rosettes and florals. Show me something with a rosette on it and I will probably love it. Florals I may be a little pickier, because I generally like the large dramatic prints, but I love the
This Emanuel Ungaro is so gorgeous and dramatic at the same time.

I’ve drooled over these Prada clutches quite a bit.

Alexander McQueen is a genius – check out the flirty camisole. How cute is that?

The rosettes really bring this dress up a notch for me.

Vivienne Tam – I love how the rosettes make the dress sweet, while the red adds a fiery punch to it.