12 Days of Holiday: New Year's Cocktail

Sometimes New Year's Eve calls for more formal attire. 

Dress:  Eva Mendes for New York & Company (Available here)

Sparkly dresses are great, but I love black dresses for the clean slate they provide.  This one-shoulder dress is different for me, but I was attracted to it as I think it can be worn in a variety of ways.  

To create a cocktail look, I added a few sparkly sunburst brooches and metallic belt.  I mixed gold and silver here with a pop of rhinestones to add more formality.  

Heels:  Simply Vera by Vera Wang

Clutch:  New York & Company (Available in black here)

The brooch on the shoulder actually came with the dress (it's removable), and I added the other brooch to my belt to create more visual interest.  I have been looking for some pretty brooches for a while, so I was excited to find these as part of Eva Mendes' collaboration with New York & Company.

Earrings:  Torrid
Brooch:  Eva Mendes by New York & Company (Available here)

Belt:  Torrid

This dress is too long, and I haven't had a chance to alter it yet.  I used the belt to create an asymmetrical look that added a bit of drape as well.

After some consideration, we plan on staying in with the kids for New Year's, so my look will be decidedly more casual than cocktail attire, but it's fun to play around with sparkly champagne looks!  :-)

Ring:  The Limited (Available here)

Hope you all have a safe and healthy New Year's Eve!!!  My last holiday post up soon!

12 Days of Holiday: Gilded Brocade

Hope you all have been having a fabulous weekend!

Today's look is what I wore to my office holiday party this past Friday.

Pants:  LOFT Petites (Available here)

I love these brocade pants.  They have a subtle shine without being too ostentatious, and I'm having fun imagining ways to dress them down for everyday work wear.

For the party, I decided to dress these fancy pants up with a velvet blazer, heels, and a scarf tied into a big floppy bow tie.

Blazer:  New York & Company (Available here)

Blouse:  Old Navy (old)
Scarf:  LOFT (Available here)

I had an image in my head of this outfit, and this is an instance where I used tailoring to get a look that was close to my vision.

When I first tried these straight leg pants, I looked like all thigh.  They were very unflattering, and I was sure that I was going to have to keep searching to get the look I wanted.  

Heels:  Target (Available here)
Clutch:  Jason Wu for Target (Available on ebay here)

Bracelets, right hand:  Torrid and The Limited (Available here and here)

After having the pants pinned to a slimmer fit, I realized that they would work.  Tapering pants legs is a relatively simple and inexpensive alteration, and since these are special pants not easily found everywhere, I found tailoring to be worth the cost.  The legs were tapered to create more of a skinny fit, and I got the look for which I was hoping after all!

Bracelet, left hand:  Vintage (Similar here)
Earrings:  Torrid (Similar here)

What would you wear to an office holiday party?

Taste of Fall

Blouse:  New York & Company (Similar here and  here)
Blazer:  New York & Company Petites

I'm sooo ready for fall fashion, so lately, I've been incorporating more fall prints and colors into my clothing selections.

Pants:  The Limited (Similar here)
Tote:  New York & Company (Similar here)

Shoes:  Target (Available here)
Ring:  Earthbound Trading Company

The outfit blends a summery peachy pink with fall-ready houndstooth and burgundy heels for a fun and easy work look that has been perfect for the cool weather we have been having.

Earrings:  The Limited

Are you a fan of houndstooth print?

Stay tuned next week for the start of two full weeks of Fall 2013 Fashion Trends!

For this blazer in other looks, see here.
For this blouse in other looks, see here, here, here, here, and here.

Ruffles for Work

Ruffles were a huge trend on spring runways.  Many designers showed huge, exaggerated ruffles for a dramatic flair.

For today's look, I chose a more low-key version of this trend, pairing a ruffle-front tank with my work essentials.

Pants:  New York & Company Petites (Available here)
Blazer:  New York & Company Petites (Available here)

This ruffle top and pink blazer are ultra-feminine and almost too frothy and sweet for me.  I paired the blouse and blazer with more masculine trousers for a look that feels more balanced.

Blouse:  LOFT Petites (Available:  here)
Quartz Necklace:  Earthbound Trading Company (Similar here)

Shoes:  Target (old)

The windowpane check on the pants adds visual interest to the outfit but remains a subtle detail that doesn't overly compete with the ruffles.

The soft ruffle top and pink color help lighten the pants up and give them a more springy feel.  These pants definitely read more fall/winter to me, and I'm looking forward to pairing these pants with a leather or tweed jacket when the weather cools back off. 

Purse:  New York & Company (Similar here)

Do you like ruffles?