i have no idea how long these have been available, so i could be THE LAST ONE TO KNOW: american apparel is apparently selling skinny jeans, the slim slack, in a very limited number, and only online. the 'dark peacock' color is really great and different, haha then again so are the 'fluorescent yellow' and the 'poppy.' they've also got basic black ones. at 68 bucks they're not super cheap, but they are comparable to cheap mondays and far, far less expensive than most other denim. they're unisex, every size has a thirtyfour inch inseam, and refreshingly, the waist looks like it actually hits NEAR THE WAIST. i want them, bad. i can imagine that these are going to sell out almost immediately, so get on them quick before all the other aa kids add them to their christmas lists.

i found little paper planes just this morning and i'm really excited about it. they have simple, lovely jewelry by urban bloom; my favorite of which is the 'love me tender' necklace, above, for $28. i'm especially stoked because in addition to the requisite screenprinted shirts, charming jewelry, and adorable printed and knit bags (all at Very Reasonable prices) they also sell neat little books and prints - including several by one of my favorite artists, rachell sumpter. 'big city girl,' below, is 4x5 and only $12.

i found these fred flare rings after seeing this on popgadget, by way of parasol party. they have some killer rings for around ten bucks, but of course my favorite is the only one over fifteen - the $40 'peter pan skull ring.' the one pictured below, however, is only $14 and is almost as good. i hardly ever wear jewelry (other than the occasional necklace or two) but i AM comfortable with wearing a big huge ring for a night and i feel like those are both great alternatives to classic (read: boring) cocktail rings. don't get me wrong - i love big vintage costume jewelry as much as anybody else, and i own my fair share, but i feel like these are a fresh way of getting the same effect. check out the rest of their accessories; the prices are right on and they seem to have something for every personality.

and speaking of sequins (and ebay), how cute is this??

i have been horrifically absent as of late, and there's no real excuse, so i'll just pretend that this whole time i've been too busy struggling with what to wear to upcoming holiday parties to update - which is somewhat true.
the beauty part of thrift store shopping is that you're able to justify wearing something only once because you paid so little for it to begin with. so after being blindsided by an improptu-holiday-party-invite this past weekend (and having to repeat-wear a dress) i realized that i need to get on buying some cheap stuff (that looks great) to wear over the next few weeks.
for any adult-party invites (is it still okay to say that when you're a month shy of 26? because clearly i'm talking about people's parents' parties and not my friends') i actually just bought this american apparel turtleneck dress to wear to WORK. at $40 it's definitely NOT a wear-once and never-again purchase, but it's a blank slate; you can style this however and wear it many many many times until spring comes. put a necklace on, then some tights and some flats, and you're ready for grandma's. or that office party where you're expected to only get 'tastefully drunk.'
i absolutely am in love with flashyshinyridiculously sequined ANYTHING right now. i really feel like you could put this on over tights and whatever heels you have around and it would look fantastic. or ANY version of that - shorter ones over skinny jeans and longer ones...well, take a pair of scissors to it. thrift stores live to sell these things exclusively to you and crazy grandmothers for like $12.
if you're not a brat and don't mind wearing the same dress to more than one holiday party, make sure to invest in something you can style a bunch of different ways. even if each party consists of different people and you're the only one who knows your dress is a repeat, HOLIDAY UNIFORMS are boring and all your pictures will look exactly the same - so make sure to change up shoes/tights/jewelry/outer layers each time. the remix has a ton of formals, and other vintage shops in the area do too. if you're in the district try meeps and polly sue's also, and, as always, i'm a HUGE fan of ebay. good luck y'all.