Five Dazzling Looks for Holiday Wear and Tips for Shopping Your Closet

What's Your Holiday Party Wear Style?

Hello, hello! Did you notice it's been awhile since I've posted? Let's just say that life has definitely gotten in the way of my blogging these last couple of weeks between finishing up at school, preparing for retirement and trying to keep up with all that needs to be done to be ready for Christmas. I plan to do a big post on my retirement as the new year begins, but for now let's focus on something more holiday like, which I figure is what folks want to read about now anyway.....namely party wear! I've been shopping my closet to bring you some ideas on how to use what you already own to be party ready for not just Christmas parties, but also those upcoming New Year's events. Everyone has certain styles they prefer in party wear, so I have chosen five different looks from formal to casual to share with you. As you look at how I have styled what I found in my closet, be thinking about how you might use what you already have in your closet to create similar party wear looks. Ready? Here we go!

Formal Party Style

For my formal look I chose an ankle length black skirt and paired it with a wide neckline sparkly mauve top. I love the drape on this top which adds such a feminine touch to this look. Add a pair of black heels and a vintage clutch and I'm good to go to a formal "do." You can see a close up of the sparkly top in the first picture of this post.

Semi-Formal

For my semi-formal look I kept the same sparkly top but switched out the skirt for some great skinny capris by Rafaella. These capris are so comfortable, stretchy and move with you. Notice I also exchanged the black heels for my wine color heels which adds a pop of color that matches well with the mauve top. I also added a bead bracelet with mauve/pink beads. Sometimes, something as simple as changing out the shoes and/or accessories can give an outfit a whole new look. 

I'll also add a caveat here that my idea of formal and semi-formal may or may not fit your idea of what these terms mean. I think it all depends on where you live and the types of parties you attend. For this almost retired elementary school teacher, these styles fit my definitions of formal and semi-formal.

Semi-Casual

For the first of two semi-casual party looks, I chose basic black slacks paired with a silver/black sparkling top. I've had this top for years and have gotten a lot of mileage out of it for parties. A little extra sparkle is added with a long length tassel necklace. Can't you just see yourself drinking a sparkling grape juice or another beverage of choice wearing a similar outfit?

And it never hurts to add a pop of color like I did with these gorgeous red pointed toe heels. I introduced these heels in this post and I love the way they add to the overall sparkle of this semi-casual holiday wear. 

Semi-Casual

And speaking of red, here is another semi-casual look in which I keep wearing the same black slacks but add a favorite wide collar cowl neck sweater with a long multi-strand pearl necklace. I also changed out the shoes for a low heel strappy sandal. You can't see it in the photo but the straps on these slip on sandals have sparkles on them. 

In my opinion, you can't go wrong with red for holiday party wear and I find the wide collar of this cowl neck sweater to be elegant looking. The pearl necklace also adds an extra touch of elegance to the overall look. 

Casual

And, finally, I'm sharing a very casual holiday look. Not every party we attend is a dressy affair. Gatherings with close friends and family don't necessarily call for the heels and sparkles. But, it's still nice to give a nod to the holidays. That's why for this final very casual look I wore my favorite jeans with a red faux turtleneck sweater, added a cute snowman scarf and topped it all off with my Gloria Vanderbilt blue jean jacket. And, to add even more comfort and style, I'm wearing my favorite booties---the Skechers Go Walk bootie. These babies are so warm and comfy. I have to say that out of all the looks I have styled for you today, this is my favorite.....and also the most "me." 

So, there you have it.  Five holiday looks ranging from formal to casual, all put together by shopping my closet. Nothing new was purchased for these looks. So, what can we style fashionistas learn from this? For me, there are a few lessons which I took away from this shopping my closet challenge:

• It's important to have some "basics" in my closet to build outfits from. Staple articles of clothing such as black skirts and black slacks are a must. A variety of shoes with different heel heights/colors is also a must. 
• I shouldn't be so quick to give away/donate articles of clothing because I may decide to wear them again. I tend to go through my closet a couple of times a year to weed out items. And, yes, I know about the rule, "if you haven't worn it in two years get rid of it." But, I also know that the silver/black top went through a few seasons of not being worn and now I am pulling it out again. I'm just sayin'.....I don't want to get too hasty with the give aways. 
• The same articles of clothing can look vastly different depending on the shoes and accessories worn with them. This also can move an outfit from looking formal/semi-formal to more casual. Accessories and shoes are important!
• Mix and match different tops with the same slacks/skirts to experiment with the looks that can be achieved.
• Pops of color....especially reds can add to the overall festive holiday look!

So, did you get some ideas for shopping your closet for the holidays?  Which outfit do you like best?  Are you a formal, semi-formal, casual or "all of the above" fashionista? Please take a moment to leave your thoughts while I go clean up all of the mess I created while shopping my closet!!  

Until Next Time,
Debbie


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