Get Glam for New Years!

 

It's been a pretty incredible year.  2014 will always hold a special place in my heart, but I'm definitely ready to ring in the New Year with a bang.  My girl, Silvie, came to visit last week from Chicago with her husband and long time friend, Mike. 

 

We had a Holiday party on the books and I've never seen a girl do so well at packing options.  She had two amazing dresses and a pair of satin pants that I was drooling over.  She ended up choosing the stunning dress (pictured above) from AKIRA and paired it with a black belt around her waist and a gunmetal necklace.  She nailed it.  And she did it out of a suitcase. 

 

Once I saw how fabulous she looked, I had to step it up with my favorite sequin dress from Forever 21.  A pair of black tights and heels and we were turning every head at the party.  There's something to be said for getting all dolled up.

 

New Years Eve is a perfect excuse to get glammed up.  Forget about the past, focus on the New Year, Drink champagne, celebrate the good times and surround yourself with the ones you love.  Happy 2015! 



Shopping Tip #3

 

 

Shopping Tip #3: Read Fashion Magazines

 

I honestly get very little time to sit down and read.  Life is SO busy, but one thing I always make time for are my fashion magazines.  They bring me so much joy.  I subscribe to InStyle, Lucky, Glamour and People StyleWatch.  Here are a few advantages to reading fashion magazines:

 

• They feature upcoming fashion that people in certain regions (like Maine) don't see until they're practically out of style.  And some of those magazines feature the upcoming fashion in an "everyday" (not runway) style. 

 

• They feature upcoming fashion that is designer and costs a fortune and then show comparable looking pieces for way less.  I love the idea of looking like a million bucks, but really only spending a fraction of it.

 

• In my opinion, the best advantage of reading a fashion magazine is that it helps put ideas in your head about items you want to purchase.  When you have knowledge of what is in fashion and where to find affordable pieces, you're so ahead of the game.  Shopping becomes a breeze. 

It's a hectic time to shop right now, so enjoy the holidays with your family.  Be sure to redistribute or recycle your fashion magazines.  Then, get out there and scoop up all the amazing "after Christmas sale" prices.  Happy Holidays everyone!

 





Christmas & Knit Pants

It wouldn't be Christmas without a slew of holiday parties.  When I say slew, I mean every other night for three weeks of holiday parties.  It's exciting, fun, exhausting, delicious... did I mention exhausting and delicious?  Cookies, cakes, candy canes and my favorite, cocktails.  It's virtually impossible to not overindulge this time of year, so I have decided to embrace it all and pack on a few holiday pounds.

I always start the season with my cutest cocktail dresses.  Always matching my jewelry and shoes and hairstyle.  As I get a little closer to the end of the season, I get a little sloppy.  I run out of cocktail dresses and energy and found a need for the perfect holiday party substitute.  Something with stretch, something I can throw in the washer and dryer and something I can dress up or down.

The perfect solution: knit pants.  I don't think I have seen a more versatile pair of pants in my life.  The picture above was in NYC and I paired my knit pants with a top with leather embellishments and black booties.  It was raining and cold that night and I couldn't have been more warm and comfortable.  The next day, I paired the knit pants with a wool sweater and flats and took on the City.  I couldn't believe how many compliments I got on these pants!

Everyone was asking me where I got them and when I told them Burlington Coat Factory, they were all floored.  They'd be really floored if they knew I spent under $20 for them!  The day I bought them, I was looking for a cocktail dress and walked out feeling a little deflated about my purchase of pants instead of a dress.  After wearing them to drinks with the girls and then out shopping on 5th Avenue the next day, I realized I had totally scored.



Shift Dress

The shift dress has been around for ages.  It's basically a simple, one piece dress that falls above the knee.  It's quite possibly the most versatile wardrobe piece of all time.  When I say versatile, I mean you can wear a shift dress for almost any occasion.  Work, dinner, playground, class... You name it. 

Traditionally, a shift dress doesn't have much of a wow factor, but there are many ways to amp it up.  You can add to a simple shift with a leather jacket, statement jewelry, patterned tights or even a pair of booties.  If your shift is simple, add a fun accessory to give it more of that wow factor.

OR, you can sport a shift dress in an amazing pattern like my girl, Filomena.  Her hounds tooth print shift is from Express and she rocks it by keeping her accessories simple.  Filomena always gets it's right when it comes to fashion.  She takes a traditional style and kicks it up a notch.  She's the perfect model for a shift dress done right.



Hat Season

 

 

Hat season.  I love it.  It's the perfect excuse to keep warm and protect your hair from the harsh winter elements.  Whether it's a wide brimmed hat, a beanie or a baseball cap, a hat is a great way to add a fun accessory to your outfit.  Some may disagree and say that summer is hat season.  I find that a hat in the summer just makes me itchy and hot.  Slab on your SPF and save those hats for winter. 

 

I originally was going to blog about thigh-high socks when I took the picture above.  BUT, they're really not practical for 90% of women.  Unless you have long lean legs, they'll pinch at the top and if worn wrong, can make you look less than classy.  I looked at the pictures and immediately ran to my closet to get my favorite black hat.  It totally completed the look and gave me new inspiration for this post.  I got this fabulous black hat at Forever 21 for under $15.  The romper is from Macy's and the thigh-high socks and black booties are from DSW.

 





My Best Accessory

There was a time when I thought my best accessory was a Chanel purse.  I was so proud of it and carried it everywhere.  I felt like I had really accomplished something having that Chanel.  What a fool I was.  Purses are great for carrying things, diamonds are sparkly, stilettos make your legs look super long and lean... but nothing compares to my best accessory, my son.

Ironically, in the beginning he made me really ugly.  Between the fat belly and a complete lack of sleep, I was starting to think having a baby wasn't the best idea.  BUT, as time went on and complete strangers were constantly stopping me to tell me what a beautiful baby I had, I realized this baby was making me look pretty good.

Today, Michael is a bright, fun and energetic five year old boy.  And he's gorgeous.  He's already breaking hearts of every girl in his Pre-K class when he tells them, "I don't like girls".  Whether his opinion of girls changes as he gets older or not, I live and breathe for my beautiful boy.  My best accessory.