Posts with tag holiday dresses

Wanting to get a celebrity-inspired look for all those holiday parties this year, but worried about coughing up the cash? Jordin Sparks has you covered -- the American Idol has designed a line of holiday dresses for Wet Seal, ranging in price from $30 to $55.

The holiday season is nearly upon us. Wasn't it (literally) just yesterday that it was 80 degrees outside and today it's 55? Oy! No matter. We've got to suck it up and dress it up, even though the weather outside is getting frightful.

Here are some of the best holiday dresses we have found. You can dress them up with heels for a holiday fete or dress them down with flats and a cardigan for an after work cocktail hour. And keep in mind, a holiday dress doesn't always have to be in black either! Buying just one of these delightful little frocks will get you through the entire season and then some so make your purchase worth your while.

You could go to that New Year's Eve Cocktail Party in one of the many Little Black Dresses lining your closet and blend right in with everyone else in their LBDs, strappy black sandals, carrying black beaded clutches.

Or you can put on Carolina Herrera's absolutely deliciously gorgeous "Faille" dress in a vivid green called "clover," slip into a pair of skyhigh gold stiletto-heeled sandals, and forget the purse because thi dress has oh-so-functional (but not really) side pockets with button tabs, and be the belle of the ball.

You decide.

The Faille dress has a flattering scoop neckline, modest tabbed shoulder straps, and crisscross box pleats on side. Since the dress is 100% polyester, you won't feel too horrible when you spill a little Champagne on it at midnight.

Then again, you might feel horrible because the dress is $2,590 at Neiman Marcus.

I am guessing that this weekend, you are twirling off to a casual get-together with work friends tonight, then off to a real Holiday party Saturday night with your beau. It might be a little late to figre out what to do for tonight, but for tomorrow, if tomorrow's fete is a cocktail party, the Strapless Tafetta Cocktail Dress by Max Azria BCBG might fit the bill. Sky-high patentn leather stiletto pumps, diamond and pearl earrings, and a sparkly little clutch will complete the outfit.

The dress has an empire waist that is highlighted with what is the most fetching part of the dress: a contrasting ivory bow. The hemline falls gracefully to the knee, and the back is emebellished with a "train." It sounds a tad bit bridesmaid-y, but it's definitely better than wearing that hot pink chiffon number you had to wear this summer for your girlfriend's wedding.

The strapless tafetta dress is $398 at Nordstrom.

While doing some...err...research a few days ago, I came across an article in US Weekly magazine comparing designer duds to their lower priced counterparts. Always on the lookout for a good bargain, I took a closer look. There were some good and bad comparisons; sometimes designer outfits seem to be truly worth the high price and sometimes they just don't. Usually if it looks expensive, it probably is. Occasionally, however, you come across a designer who is willing to do a lower priced line for a major retailer, but the quality of production stays close to the same. In other words, it looks expensive, but it's not!

One such designer (covered in Styledash here) is Behnaz Sarafpour. Sarafpour has produced a less expensive version of her designer line for Target, and while not every piece will fit your fancy, some of the items are purely delicious.

Still not convinced? Let's play the US Weekly game. I'll show you two dresses and you can decide which is easier on your wallet.





















Have you figured it out? The purple dress is Behnaz Sarafpour for Target, priced at $44.99. the cream dress is Diane vonFurstenburg, priced at $365.00.

Inevitably, we all want to look amazing for our co-workers at least once a year, and there's no better occasion to "wow" our friends than the annual office holiday bash. But what is appropriate to wear? So many women have asked me this exact question in the past couple of years, and believe it or not, there is a fairly simple answer. So when in doubt, follow these few rules for easy holiday gorgeousness.

1) Buy a dress! I have nothing against skirt and top combos, but seriously, you have two separate pieces to deal with, and then once you add shoes, jewelry, and a jacket -- too many decisions! Stick with a dress, and you'll cut your stress in half.

2) Unless your invitation says "black-tie formal", a knee-length or just below knee-length dress is always appropriate. Look for richer fabrics such as velvet, silk, or stretch satin. Chiffon and lighter fabrics can work as long as they are in season-appropriate colors (think dark, saturated hues).

3) Sleeve length is totally up to you. You can go as bare as strapless, or as covered as full-length sleeves. As long as you like the dress and feel comfortable, you are going to look fabulous in any type of sleeve.

4) Bring a long coat, preferably in a black or in a print that picks up on the color of your dress. If you don't have a coat or would rather wear an item you don't have to check at the door, try a wrap. Wraps come in cashmere, silk, fur (real and faux), velvet, and just about any other fabric combo you could imagine. The best thing about wraps is that they can be twisted and pinned (with a pretty brooch) in limitless combinations. You can disguise almost all "lumps and bumps" with a cleverly placed wrap.

5) Sheer black or nude hose (Hanes' "Barely Black" are foolproof) work with almost any type of dress. If you want to be a little more daring, or are wearing a shorter dress, opaque tights can be a trendy look, but beware, as any opaque stocking tends to dress down a cocktail look.

6) You can wear open or closed-toed shoes with your cocktail dress. If you go with an open-toed option, make sure that your hosiery are made without the telling toe seam.

7) Try to match your necklace to the neckline of your dress. For example, if you are wearing a deep-v neckline, try a necklace with a simple drop. This ensures that you flatter (but don't take away from) your dress.

8) Have fun! Confidence is universally beautiful. Have fun and know you look great, because you do!

Target is already getting a jump on the Holidays with a sale on their new arrivals in dresses from Isaac Mizrahi. For one week (October 29 - November 4) the dresses, which are all geared toward holiday parties, are available online. While some of them are fairly simple, like a straight strapless sheath in black, others are a bit more fun like a bright turquoise blue dress with full skirt, that I swear, if you tied a white ribbon around your waist in place of the accompanying belt, would make you look like a giant giftbox from Tiffany's.

My favorite of the bunch is something in between, the Taffeta Trench Dress for $59.99. It's basically a shortsleeved trench coat, but made for "evening" with taffeta.