Dipping your toes into the Palmer Square fashion scene

I thought that being at Princeton would at least prevent me from making new purchases, since there's a lot of work and no shopping mall in sight.

Man was I wrong.

Actually, despite the absence of a shopping mall within walking distance of campus, Princeton offers a unique mix of stores. And their presence makes for an awesome shopping experience, as I discovered in my recent explorations beyond FitzRandolph Gate.

The first store I visited was J. Crew. The store, set slightly back from the street, prominently displays a staple item from the American girl's closet: the classic wool pea coat, in neutral, black and white, getting the mannequins ready for the winter months.

Inside, the overpowering presence of wool was evident not only in the beige coats, but also in some fairly unexpected pieces. J. Crew offers wool pants in neutral tones, with fitted waists and flattering wide legs, which looked appropriate for any body type. Wool (or rather, a polyester/synthetic/wool blend) was also the material of choice for the J. Crew interpretation of the classic little black dress: a conservative, knee-length dress with a decorative band of fabric stretching from shoulder to shoulder.

In the midst of all the beiges and blacks is a rainbow of cashmere scarves, in every imaginable color. Laid out before the neutrals that dominate the store, they complement the outfits sold on the racks perfectly.

Coming out of J. Crew into Palmer Square, my next stop is Banana Republic. A quick step inside, and it immediately becomes clear that purple has become the new black. In one corner, an entire display is dedicated to tops in shades of violet. This bright splash of color stands out against the simplistic styles that make up the rest of the store.

This season, Banana Republic is celebrating the chain's 30th anniversary by bringing back older styles: high-collar shirts, dark dress pants and high-necked panel dresses. It's like moving slowly back in time, to a much simpler era, before the insanity of college (and problem sets). My time travel halted, though, once I stepped outside the store and spotted Zoe.

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Zoe is the modern fashionista's paradise. Anyone who knows anything about fashion can find something interesting, albeit expensive, at Zoe. I bolted for the ladies' side, where I found pieces by Valentino, Diane Von Furstenburg, Miu Miu and my favorite designer, Marc Jacobs.

For the autumn season, Zoe has a massive collection of long, heavy cardigan sweaters and coats of all shapes and sizes. The short, red Marc Jacobs corduroy coat provides a whimsical touch, while the long Stella McCartney trench with cape adds sophistication to any outfit. Throw on a pair of velvety black Jimmy Choos from Zoe's shoe collection, and you've got yourself the perfect outfit. It's a pity everything is a ways out of the average student's price range.

Moving along to a (relatively) more affordable shop: Hidden behind the usual crowd around the Bent Spoon on Palmer Square is Stacy Gemma. The store offers a wide variety of fun outfits ranging from dresses to jackets. One outfit that stood out from the others was a short, vibrant, red party dress paired with a tweed jacket and black belt, perfect for a night on the Street. As a complement, accessories of all sorts - including shoes from Toms, a company that uses its profits to donate shoes to children in developing countries - are scattered around the tiny shop.

Finally, no shopping trip is complete without a visit to that age-old Mecca of collegiate prep: Looking out over Nassau Street, the Ralph Lauren windows never cease to look chic and polished. And the inside is no different.

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It seems as if Ralph Lauren and Banana Republic got the same memo about the rise of violet. Purple is a popular color choice this season, and wool and cashmere figure prominently in stores' selections in preparation for the cold weather to come. The traditional Ralph Lauren colors - navy blue and neutrals - also dominated this season's outfits.

Of course, no Ralph Lauren store is complete without a collection of polos for men and women. Set in contrast to the more conservative wools and sweaters is a display of polos in every color under the sun, each bearing Polo logos of different sizes. In case you ever run out of polos, you know where to go.

With all these stores around town, I guess I'll have to put my plans for paring down on hold. For now, the big questions are how I'm going to convince my parents to help me buy some of these fine articles of clothing and how to fit everything in my closet.