Party Season

With Thanksgiving passing, the holiday season is in full swing, which means holiday parties for work, holiday parties with friends, family parties, new years, and the list goes on!  Tons of opportunities for dressing up and adding a little glitz to your outfits.  I found this beautiful blue satin dress on Piperlime and knew it could be beautiful for the holidays.  Beware, this outfit is a little pricier than some of my normal looks, but all of the pieces in this outfit could be used in so many ways if you did decide to splurge; but you could also find budget pieces in place of the shoes, jewelry, and clutch that look very similar to what I picked if you need to make this a more affordable option for your December events.

I picked the silver beaded belt to cinch the waist of this dress, because don't get me wrong, I love a flowy dress, but sometimes it is nice to show off your figure.  You could wear this dress either way and i would look great, but if you feel like accessorizing this look a little more, the belt is an awesome piece. The shoes are ahhhhh-mazing.  The rosette is the same color as the bootie, so it doesn't stand out too much, which I like since there is already a lot going on in the belt.  The booties just give the outfit a bit of "cutesy".  I love the toughness of the studded bracelet in contrast with the romantic shoes - like I said before, they work together because nothing sticks out too much that it attracts attention away from the cohesive look.  It's fun to pay with different fabric (suede shoes, metal cuff, beaded belt) and different looks, if you keep them in a similar color palate.  The Lauren Merkin clutch is awesome,  I have been eyeing them up for a while now but haven't decided to purchase one yet.  Her clutches come in a few different shapes and a ton of colors and materials.  I like this Louise Clutch in shiny silver. Hope this gives you some ideas to glam up your outfits for this holiday season!  (Let the Christmas music begin!!!!) 

Items Listed Above:
Betsey Johnson Kilburn at Zappos.com $229 - zappos.com
Delightful Dazzlers Jet Drops Earrings $12 - 1928.com
Women's AE Tights - Black $13 - ae.com
Women's apparel: Shiny Satin Tie Neck Dress: Dresses
Piperlime $78 - piperlime.gap.com
Lauren Merkin - Silver Metallic Lambskin Louise $200 - laurenmerkin.com
Gunmetal & Crystal Cuff - Kenneth Jay Lane $188 - shopbop.com (this is definitely one of those pieces you can find a substitute for unless you have a full wallet!!)
ASOS ASOS Premium Hand Beaded Deco Waist Belt at ASOS $46 - asos.com

Thrifty Thursday Thanksgiving Edition

Hi you guys!  Happy Turkey day to you all.  I hope you are preparing your bellies for feasts of mashed potatoes (my personal fave) and canned cranberries.  Today's thrifty Thursday brings together the colors of fall and thanksgiving in a chic, affordable option.  You'll have to forgive me because I am using the boyf's Macbook and can't get Polyvore to work for me, so I'll be showing you the outfit piece by piece today... and also, sorry for the delay in posts... I've really been enjoying my time off from work and haven't been near a computer much, but don't worry, I will be back next week with tons of new ideas.

Okay, first up is the skirt - this cranberry-reddish color is so pretty and it is from Forever 21's "Love21" line, which they say offers a more modest fit, and which is code for "doesn't make you look like a cheap hooker"

Forever 21 Satin Pleated Skirt - $22.80

You could probably pair this skirt with a couple of colors, but I like a cream colored blouse the best, so that the skirt is the punch of color in the outfit.  The shirt below has a little romanticism in the small ruffles, and doesn't overpower the skirt.

Ruffled Sateen Blouse in Marshmallow, $24.50, Oldnavy.com

 

In order to give the outfit a little sparkle, I would add a fun shoe - you could wear a heel or a flat, but since most Thanksgivings that I attend aren't too dressy, I picked a flat for today.  This particular flat is a little wild (Lizard Print!?) but since it is a pretty bronze color and a flat - it isn't too flashy - perfect to give this outfit a little pizzazz.

Lizard Print Flat in Gold - $24.50, Oldnavy.com

For accessories, I would keep it simple with some complementary cream and gold bracelets.  I like pairing these bracelets from Forever21.  The cream colored bangle has a bit of an antique feel to it, and I would use the other two bracelents to give it a little more substance.

Faceted Accent Bagle $6.80, Mara Bracelet Set $4.80

Total Cost of Outfit: $83.40
Hope you guys all have a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving with your family and friends! 

Thrifty Thursday - Heidi Merrick Edition

I got an email today alerting me that Heidi Merrick was having an online sale, so I decided to stop on over to see what was left - unfortunately, not much.  However, I did see that she has a bunch of pieces in this pretty green, black, and white Ikat print.  At full price, these pieces can range from 300-830 dollars - this particlar skirt retailed for $315 (gasp... I swear, I am getting to the thrifty part)  but is now on sale for $75!

Score! Until I realized that there are only two sizes left, neither of which are my size...(and as I am writing this post I went back to check the sale... almost everything is sold out!) but have no fear thrifters... I did a little more research and found out that Heidi designed a very similar version of this skirt and it is for sale on Target.com for $55!!!  If you enjoy designer styles but your pocketbook does not - this is really a steal.  I know it is not as super cheap as my usual Thrifty Thursdays, but it is an 83% discount off of the original retail price on Heidi's site .. sure, the target version looks slightly different... but I'd almost argue that I like it more because it is a little bit more fun than the longer 'stepford' design above.

I put together two outfits because this skirt is really versatile and I wanted to show how it could be dressed up or down and for summer or a cooler month of the year.  On the left I paired it with a casual pocket tank, a pretty and delicate locket necklace, and some simple strappy white sandals.  I added a wide braided belt to pick up the black in the skirt and give a little more interest to the outfit.  The addition of a camel colored bag gives the outfit a more relaxed vibe by still "going" with the outfit, but not being too matchy. 

 On the right, I paired it with a simple scoop neck tee that has a bit of embellishment in the back in the form of an external zipper.  I added some sparkle with a knotted silver necklace and the rhinestone studded clutch - and since all the pieces in the look are black except for the skirt, these sparkly accessories aren't overwhelming.  I added some black tights (sorry about the strange white spots - they should look opaque) and a pair of sleek black booties to top it off. 

Items featured above:
Left
Heidi Merrick Skirt - $54.99, Target.com
White Pocket Tank - $4.99, Oldnavy.com
Locket Lavaliere - $5.80, forever21.com
Sandals - R2 Gemma in White- $25, piperlime.gap.com
Wide Braided Belt - $10.80, forever21.com
Side handle Leatherette Tote - $26.99, forever21.com
Total: $128.57


Right
Heidi Merrick Skirt - $54.99, Target.com
Zipper Back Top - $8.80, forever21.com
Chaz Suede Ankle Boot - $24.80, forever21.com
Opaque Tights - $5.80, forever21.com
Rhinestone Studded Clutch - $9.80, forever21.com
Knotted Rope Necklace - $6.80, forever21.com
Total: $110.99

Roughin' It

I don't have a particular issue with purchasing real leather,  but if I was presented with a choice between a real leather jacket for $500 and a faux leather jacket for $98 that felt like real leather, I would probably go with the latter - and bonus! no cows hurt in the purchasing of this faux jacket.  This brings me to my inspiration piece for today's outfit.  I was perusing the internet and stumbled upon this great faux leather jacket from Express.  It comes in 4 colors (black, cognac, current, and powder) but the Cognac really caught my eye - it can be worn with brown or black and it looks really expensive!  I like to keep this outfit simple since I want the focus to be on the jacket, so I paired it with a plain v-neck tee, a pair of skinnies, and some killer black ankle boots from Steve Madden - and although these boots look kind of badass in this setting, you could easily pair them with some black tights and a dress for a night out - they're a good versatile style.

To accessorize,  I found the beautiful "Crater Ring" on Shopbop.com and thought it added the perfect touch of style to the outfit, without being too "pretty".  I like this duffle shoulder bag from Forever21 because it is cheap (duh) and it really goes with the toughness of the outfit, without being too matchy.  The sunglasses are a nice addition to top off the look because they have some brown hues that complement the cognac of the coat.  If it happens to be a cool day, you could also add a scarf to the look for a bit of color.  I included a scarf here that ties together the cognac and black, and also adds some cranberry and blue hues to the mix - but there are lots of options when it comes to scarfs.  Mix it up with colors and patterns to give a tired outfit a fresh look. 

Items featured above:
Jacket:  (Minus The) Leather Belted Jacket in Cognac, $98, Express.com ($25 off using code 4368)
Scarf: Madewell Wooly Printed Open Weave Scarf, $50, Shopbop.com
Bag: Duffle Shoulder Bag in black, $34.80, Forever21.com
Ring: Alex and Ani Crater Ring, $58, Shopbop.com
Jeans: Real straight jeans (dark wash), $69.50, Gap.com (use code Gift123 for 25% off!)
Ankle Boots:  Steven - Brant; $129, Zappos.com
Tee: H81 Pocket Boyfriend Tee, White, $6.90, Forever21.com
Sunglasses: Marc Jacobs, Green stone inset aviator sunglasses, $219, bluefly.com