From The Bathroom Mirror: Look of the Day. June 18, 2012.

Lacey-faire

Cream lace top (Sarah, donated). Cognac linen shorts (Mystique Boutique, $15). Gold charm necklace (Sierra, gift). Bronze gladiator sandals (Target, $25). Gold bracelets (Amy, gift).

Estimated Cost of Lacey-faire Look: $40

I forgot to mention that FTBM has been relocated yet again. Not sure how I feel about it yet, as I still miss the original location (it’s neither here nor there really). ANYWAY…..I’ve been in the developing stages of decorating my apartment and wanted to make my bedroom a peaceful, quiet, relaxing place to be. Decided to go with a cream, light pink, and gold color scheme. Inevitably, art imitates life and I’m wearing the same damn colors.

Peaceful, no?

It’s that time of year again, ladies and gents. Egg nog. Bright lights. Gingerbread men (oh, men, yum). Christmas time! Not quite sure it rolled around soo quickly this year, but it has. And do you know what this means, kids? No, not the mad dash to  to the mall and happen to get into a verbal argument with a 4 year old’s mom for the last Lalaloopsy doll (I won’t lie, those things are pretty friggin’ cute). And no, it’s not time to see how much money you can spend on your parents to outshine your siblings. It’s time for parties….lots and lots and well, lots of parties.

So, what’s the first thing you notice upon arrival to said party? No, not the buffet lineup of food which happens to be missing your Aunt Cindy’s fabulous 7-layer salad. No. The first thing that catches your eye is your grandma’s cream sweater with a bedazzled Santa Claus face on it. Conundrum. Do you laugh or cry? While the holiday season brings joy, cheer, and all around goodwill towards man, it can also be the perpetrator of all things tacky. Don’t let this happen to you. I’m here to help.

Lucky for us, there are several great trends that can bring new life to your next holiday party. Lace. Sequins. Velvet. Fur. Tulle. Just to name a few. Now, if you want to get really crazy, you can pair some of these together and create a very fun, fashionable look. BUT, don’t overdo it! I, personally, love pairing sequins with velvet or sequins with fur. There’s something about the combo that feels VERY Carrie Bradshaw to me. And God knows, I love me some CB. The rule of thumb boys and girls, however, pair things such as these in twos. When adding to the equation, one runs the risk of trainwreckdom. And during the holidays, who really wants that? Honestly. Wait to ring in the new year as a trainwreck, if need be.

There’s something about this time of year that always makes me crave all things shiny and sparkling. Okay, I admit it. I’m a sequin whore. I can’t help it. 23 years of dance training will do that to you. Now, let me also say that, being fashionable doesn’t mean you have to break the bank. It’s the holidays. We are already low on time, energy, and of course, money. There’s no reason why you can’t be the best dressed gal at the party and still have leftover drinking money for New Years’ Eve.  

With all of that in mind, sometimes the hardest thing, even for me, is trying to stay warm. More often than not, I’d rather walk out of the house freezing, than put on a coat or jacket that clashes with my outfit. It is one of the many annoyances in life. There are two options as I see it. 1. Move to a warmer climate (but apparently, even the hotter places in the US are dropping digits. Suck on that, Florida. Quit whining with your 50 degree weather. Try living in bipolar St. Louis). 2. Find cute outerwear that you won’t EVER want to take off. While it’d be more desirable to just move to say, Hawaii or California, purchasing fun outerwear is worth spending a few extra bucks on. All of your winter cold’s can be solved with fashion. Didn’t you know? Fashion creates miracles. :-).

Here are just pieces that I came across and fell in love with. Enjoy! Also, please check out my guest blog spot at www.eventsbyashlynn.com. Pretty awesome!

The Anti-Nutcracker (from top left to bottom right): Sequin Babydoll dress by Rare. $70. topshop.com. Cream Sequin Sleeveless dress. $63. dorothyperkins.com. Sequin Mesh dress by Rare. $70. topshop.com. Betsey Johnson “Get Your Glitz On” Sequin Bow Clutch. $65. nordstrom.com. Frozen Dew cardigan. $65. modcloth.com. Sequin Leaves headband. $6.80. forever21.com