outfitting: marching with penguins

Aéropostale Gray Polo:
- $5.35 @ Aéropostale
- I grabbed this polo off the rack right away because it's cheap, is a simple and basic wardrobe necessity, and one of the few things at Aéropostale without the butterfly or monkey head logo.

Tartan Wrap-Skirt:
- $3.99 @ Thank You Mart
- I bought this skirt late summer, knowing that the colder season would be the best time for tartan because of the thick fabric texture. I think plaid/tartan is an easy print to combine with solid clothing items, but it's also easy to go overboard and veer towards tackiness with too much contrasting plaid prints and colors.

Sweet Tart Black Leggings:
- @ Mervyn's
- Black leggings are comfortable and is a great covering option to keep your legs warm or cover unshaven legs. Every store carries black leggings, so they're incredibly affordable.

Behnaz Sarafpour NYC Gold Charm Necklace:
- $16.99 @ Target
- I think the Target Go Collections just keep getting better and better. I love Behnaz Sarafpour's holiday-inspired Target line. As usual, I went a little nuts at Target when Behnaz Sarafpour became available, but what's new? This necklace is by far one of the better jewelry pieces of the Go Collection. The chain is thick and there are a bunch of NYC-themed charms: a taxi, pretzel, pizza, subway token, apple, walk/don't walk sign, whistle, the happy/sad theatre masks, and the letters N-Y-C. There's also a matching bracelet, but I plan on just twisting the necklace around my wrist a couple of times to wear it as a bracelet.

Mossimo Black Diego Flats:
- $23.99 @ Target
- See Polking Around DDCLab, Pretty Badass Princess Skulls and Stoked at the Delfina

Ellen Tracy Black Neutral Territory Handbag:
- $99.99 @ Marshalls
- See Surprise at Shakey's, Birds, Birds, Birds Everywhere and Pretty Badass Princess Skulls

The Original Penguin Store opening in West Hollywood last night turned out to be quite a party: tons of celebs, a live concert by Ringside, Brent Bolthouse deejaying, open bar, little snacks and great clothes.

The employees were busily helping Chris Kattan and Kato Kaelin shop until the arrival of Paris Hilton. The two guys were pushed aside and forgotten while Paris Hilton's arrival was made into a big commotion. Once inside the store, she must've checked herself out in the mirror at least 50 times. She sashayed her way throughout the women's section and any item she was remotely interested in was promptly taken to the register counter and stuffed in shopping bags. The bathroom line was ridiculously long, so Paris told her entourage that she wanted to leave because she didn't want to wait in the line. But to her credit, she refused to cut unlike Haylie Duff and Stacy Keibler who bum rushed the bathroom claiming that they had an emergency. Everyone in line was pissed. When Paris Hilton has more courtesy than you, that's bad.

Ringside performed behind the store, where we bumped into Lindsay Lohan. Emil was excited to rub elbows with her. I thought she looked great minus the nasty bandages she had around her wrists. I assumed she had snuck through the back and was trying to dodge the photogs. Thora Birch was rocking out to the band. She totally has a crush on Scott Thomas.

Back inside the store we spotted Miss J from ANTM (surprisingly, he’s less feminine than on TV), Jason Biggs (looking slimmer than I expected), Pete Wentz (flashing his signature crooked smile) and David Arquette (without Courteney Cox) mingling and shopping.

My favorite, although short-lived, sighting was of Benjamin McKenzie. He was with a buddy in the far corner of the store. He had one beer and left. I was sad that I didn’t get a chance to take a photo with him.

After Emil had a bad run-in with bacon and cantaloupe (I always, always ask the waiter what the food is before stuffing it into my mouth!), we headed home.