Friday, November 14, 2008

A Fashionable Holiday

Parties, Cantatas, Christmas Plays and Winter Concerts, Cookie Exchanges, Open Houses, Candlelight Services and the list of special occasions just goes on and on during the holidays. My calendar in December is ALREADY filled with a plethora of events and functions. Of course, you want to look festive for each occasion but still honor the KING with your fashionable yet modest attire. As Shari Braendel (sharibraendel.blogspot.com) tell us "modest is hottest" and "skin is not in". I decided to "shop" my closet this week and take inventory. What could I put together for that festive holiday look? Hmmm.Here's my first option shopped from my own closet. Featured here is charcoal gray pencil skirt paired with a pewter satin top. The top is so versatile and the bell shaped sleeves are very "in" this season. I picked this up at ROSS for under $15. The sunny yellow wrap and yellow leather clutch with silver chain add just enough punch to make this outfit holiday worthy. Topped off with a necklace of white and clear lucite beads and finished with my beloved black slingbacks and I'm ready to attend my son's Winter Concert. Don't be afraid to break from tradition and wear colors other than red or green. I love to pull something together that is fresh and different. I buy a lot of solid colors vs. prints. I like options so mixing and matching is the name of the game.
This simple ensemble is ALL about the accessories. Using the same charcoal gray pencil skirt but paring it with an ivory fine gauge sweater and topped with a amethyst purple "swing" jacket, I've created a foundation to highlight some of my favorite Winter White accessories. All of these pieces have been "collected" through the years. Half the fun is deciding how to use them with a new color scheme for the next season. Gray is a wonderful neutral. A lot of ladies tell me they don't like to wear gray because is washes them out. I say you haven't found the "right" gray yet. Grays usually have an "undertone" of another color. I prefer a gray with a blue undertone. If you buy any single piece of clothing this winter, invest in a good quality ivory sweater. A super fine or fine gauge sweater works great as a layering piece and layers are the thing this winter. It will work great under jackets, suits or sweaters. Nothing is more classic than Winter White and pearls and silver. A wonderful choice for a Candlelight Service on Christmas Eve.

Here is that fabulous pewter top again! Featured with black, wide-leg pants (sorry you can see the entire pants), bejeweled black satin slides and a silver silk clutch. This time I topped it off with a pewter & crystal bead necklace. Add some "sparkle-y" earrings and style your hair away from your ears and you are set for any holiday party on your agenda!


My friend Adrienne hosts a Cookie Exchange each year. It's usually on a Saturday afternoon and the girls have a great time sampling homemade cookies and hot tea or cocoa and exchanging recipes. It's a very relaxed holiday occasion so I want to be comfortable but festive. I pulled together this cute little ensemble featuring a holiday sweater that welcomes the first snow fall. Again, I've used that ivory sweater, my favorite pair of dark-washed jeans and brown leather flats. The sweater has enough embellishment so I will keep my jewelry to a minimum - perhaps just a pair of silver earrings. And of course a roomy brown leather tote carries everything I need for winter - chap stick, hand lotion, a bottle of water, hand sanitizer, more chap stick...

Next week I will dedicate another post to "A Fashionable Holiday". Before you blow your budget at the mall trying to find that perfect party outfit, shop your closet. Or better yet, shop the closet of your mom or daughter or best friend for fabulous "accessories" that are new to you and will add punch to your festive attire!

1 comment:

  1. The pewter top and black pants are for me! Love the purple, too. Cute jeans. Ohhhhh...it all looks good!

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