Day 2: Bookish

What I'm wearing: J.Crew dress, Target sandals, NY & Co. outlet necklace, J.Crew tote

This weekend I will be moving out of the dorm and across town, so today was spent running errands, doing laundry, and getting ready for the move. To be honest, I spent part of the day in sweats with dirty hair, but after taking a shower, I opted for the much cuter option of an easy dress, statement necklace, and minimal makeup. In the afternoon I took a break from the overwhelming task of deciding what to pack for the move and what to send back to Ohio and met up with my friend Natalie for some shopping at the Strand. I've always wanted to do outfit pictures in a bookstore or library, and I finally got my wish! I've loved reading ever since I was little, so the Strand is like a giant playground for me. I caved and bought the book One Day by David Nicholls, which is about to come out as a movie starring Anne Hathaway. While we were in the neighborhood, we also stopped at the Big Gay Ice Cream truck (no kidding, that's seriously what it's called). I got the "gobbler" which was vanilla ice cream with pumpkin and whip cream, and it was SERIOUSLY delicious. I cannot wait until fall when pumpkin flavored things are everywhere...yum!

Bookworm

So after all the excitement and hype, today's thrifting excursion was a bust. The day started out okay; I got up, showered, packed up a bag with my trusty directions printed out from hopstop.com (a lifesaver for trying to plan little trips like this), put on a comfy shopping outfit, and headed to the subway.

What I'm wearing: Gap sunkissed tee, J.Crew cowboy jeans (2007), Target scarf, Mondani bag via Steinmart, Shebead earrings

Once I got to Brooklyn, I started to feel a little overwhelmed. I really don't like venturing so far away from my dorm by myself. Call me overly-cautious, but something about it just makes me a little nervous. The area I was in seemed oddly vacant, and it was creeping me out. I ended up going to Beacon's Closet and Buffalo Exchange but walked away empty-handed. I was overwhelmed by how much there was to go through. Plus, the prices were a little steeper than the stores I'm used to at home. Next time, I will definitely be enlisting a shopping buddy to tag along with me and help me conquer the never-ending clothes racks. I ended up back in Greenwich Village by noon and stopped into my favorite place.

Yes, the Strand, again. I'm averaging about one trip a week there. What can I say, I'm definitely a bookworm. They literally have everything imaginable and at really good prices. I walked away with a hardback for 1/2 price, what a steal.

The book I scooped up was Hungry by Crystal Renn, the most successful plus-size model in today's fashion industry. So far its really good; I haven't been able to put it down since I opened it. Its fascinating to see what the modeling industry is really like, but its also extremely sad to see what she put herself through just to fit the mold. The rest of my night will probably involve curling up in bed with this book or getting cozy with my netflix instant queue. Sounds pretty lame, but thats the life of an under-21 girl in New York City. Exciting stuff, I know.

Self-Control

I finally got a chance to explore the area where I am living , and it did not disappoint. I love having so many different places within walking distance. Plus all this walking is good for me, since I have been avoiding the gym like the plague (next week I will start going...at least that is what I'm telling myself). Today's adventures started with a stop at Ann Taylor Loft where everything in the store was 40%, even sale items. I walked away with shorts for $20 which I was pretty excited about. Then I stopped at the famous Strand bookstore.

I'm a big fan of the Gossip Girl book series, and this was where the character Dan Humphrey worked. It was really cool to see it in person. That place is FILLED with books. They have a whole big shelf of fashion books which is right up my alley; I almost bought a biography of Anna Wintour but decided to wait. I will definitely be going back there to get some books for fun summer reading. Next I stopped at Starbucks to cool off for a few minutes since it was sweltering outside again.

Iced Vanilla Latte...yum!

Next, I headed to the Forever 21 at Union Square to return a dress I had bought at home. I received store credit, so I think tomorrow I'm going to brave the crowds and go check out the new store in Times Square. After Forever 21, I continued to shop around in stores like H&M, J.Crew, Anthropologie, and Banana Republic, but I walked away empty-handed. I'm trying to practice this thing called self-control, plus most of the stores were overcrowded, and I wasn't sure if I had the patience to stand in the lines at the dressing rooms and cash registers. The one shopping rule I have set for myself while I am here is:I'm only buying things I'm completely in love with or absolutely need. I'm hoping following this rule will keep my spending under control.

Speaking of self-control, I have to practice it every single time I walk past one of these Crumbs bake shops. I was introduced to this delicious bakery when I was in New York in May, and their cupcakes are delicious. Expensive, but so yummy. I passed this one at the end of my outing, but I didn't give in. Here is what I wore for my shopping excursion:

What I'm wearing: Gap sunkissed tee, Gap Always Skinny jeans, H&M scarf, J.Crew tote, Urban Outfitters sunglasses

I wasn't planning on doing an outfit post today, but I took two quick photos before I left and this one turned out okay. For shopping, I always like to wear something comfy. I almost always wear jeans because when I'm trying tops on, I want to see what they are going to look like with jeans, since they are the bottoms I wear the most. This outfit was a bit warm for the sunny weather, but it worked out okay.I hope everyone else had a good day, too!