Glitter, sequins and lace, oh my!

Hello dolls! I hope you had a terrific Thursday! I have arrived in sunny Florida and am loving it already! Yes, my flight mess got all worked out and I made my way to the Sunshine state tonight!! I had forgotten how much I loved this place. While I am obviously thrilled to get a little beach time in this weekend, I am even more excited about seeing family I haven't seen in far too long. This will be my first visit with my grandmother, cousin and my godson in 4 years!! Way too long. I still can't believe my little Jonah is 8 years old now. I hope I still recognize him! 

To begin, I would like to say congratulations to the fabulous Jessica from Style Obsession for being the winner of the In Fashion giveaway!! I hope she will enjoy the book as much as I have so far! Thank you to everyone who participated. I appreciate all of you SO much. Stay tuned for more fun giveaways to come!

Well my loves, the season of twinkle and shine is fast approaching once again, and you know what that means? Holiday dress shopping time! With the abundance of party invitations sure to be flooding your mailboxes in the coming days, you will inevitably find yourself in a very familiar position: standing in front of your closet frantically searching for the perfect party dress with that certain je ne sais quo that will impress that cutie from HR, or turn your slightly snobby cousin green with envy.  Rather than stressing yourself out playing the classic game of "I have nothing to wear", why not start planning a magnifique wardrobe selection now, in order to ensure your spot at the top of this year's "best dressed" list! Holiday parties of any kind are the perfect excuse to go wild with metallics and sparkle to make yourself even more of a knockout than you already are on a daily basis.So eschew simplicity and minimalism for a night and bedeck yourselves in shimmer kittens!

For a family gathering, sophisticated comfort is essential. Try pairing a cowl neck sweater dress or tunic in a rich purple or plum color (one of the fall's hottest colors) with a pretty pair of lace tights and classic flats. Add in a playful waist-cinching belt to define your shape,a gold satiny clutch and some fun metallic earrings and rings to really shine. Loose curls half up, half down would be the perfect finishing touch to this glam/casual look. Your family will think you are the definition of chic, which of course you are! This is a great way to try the metallic trend in a small dosage, if you aren't quite sure you are ready for the more daring full-on frock of shimmer. 

In the working world the holiday season brings with it a myriad of pseudo mandatory (if you know what's good for ya) work soirees. These get-togethers could potentially be the most difficult to dress for, as you try to achieve a standout look, while remaining professionally appropriate. A silver hue dress is an on-trend selection, as we saw many gracing the runways as part of designers modern metallic designs. This divine DVF wrap dress perfectly balances sexy with coverage, making it a great choice for any holiday work function, if you can swing the price tag. I am actually dying to own it myself!! Accessorize with your favorite pair of black strappy heels, evening clutch, cocktail rings and dangly earrings (essential if you style your up like the model) for an effortlessly coiffed look. I personally would go with a shorter, statement necklace with this dress (rather than the longer version pictured on model), but I certainly don't doubt the styling team at DVF, so go with your personal preference there. Show up to any work party this season in a similar ensemble and you will no doubt make a top-notch impression!

Cocktail parties with friends are simply a given this time of year, and for this occasion I don't think you can ever go wrong with a LBD! These days there are so many styles to choose from in order to make your LBD reflect your shining personality, but one of my personal favorite party options is a one shouldered LBD. They are utterly sexy and chic all at the same time! And when discussing glitter and sparkle, I couldn't miss an opportunity to once again drool over one of my current shoe cravings: the phenomenal Steve Madden Caryssa gold glitter pumps! I die :) The beauty of working with a LBD is the freedom you have when it comes to your accessories! Just have fun with metallic jewelry here! I threw in a lace clutch to incorporate another great holiday season trend, but you really can go a lot of ways with this one! When mixing with tes amis, anything goes  really so don't fret over too many "rules" for friend-hosted cocktail parties!

*Sorry about the distortion on this dress. I had to import it to polyvore* I would be totally remiss if I didn't present an ensemble for the mecca of all holiday parties: New Years Eve! I have to say, it is one of my all time favorite nights to get dressed for! I am actually showing you the dress that I am planning to wear this year, but I bought it online so we will have to see how it fits and all. But I think it encompasses a lot of what a great NYE dress should be: sexy, sparkly and slightly embellished. To achieve the embellished look, you can also choose a dress with a statement bow. I would personally recommend going all out on the shine for this particular occasion, whether it be with a sequined number or just a shimmery frock like this. You can go for metallics here or one of the season's hot colors, like purple. I actually like that the model here kept her hair fairly low maintenance, because I think the attention should be on your dress and not your hair. Play up the shine of your dress with sparkly shoes, and then keep the rest of your accessories rather muted. I really like the pearl theme here, but you certainly don't have to go that classic. Just make sure your accessories aren't so wild that they are competing with your dress for attention.

 Darlings, what are your holiday party plans so far? Have any outfits lined up yet? Do you enjoy playing with glitter, sequins and lace this time of year??

Bisous!