It’s not essential to wear sparkle to a holiday party, but if you have the magpie gene like I do, you might like to take advantage of the occasion. 

Here are twelve ways to add sparkle to both casual and dressy holiday outfits. Some of the sparkly ideas are bold, whereas others are more subtle. Take your pick and marry the item with YOUR style.

1. Sparkly Top: The easiest and most predictable of the lot, but fabulous nonetheless. Think lurex sweaters, beaded tops, and blouses with bling. Match them up with jeans, leather, or dressier non-denim bottoms.
2. Shiny Dress: A bold option. Wearing shine both on the top and bottom requires a commitment to sparkle. If a sequin dress tickles your fancy, go for it. But sequins are not your only sparkly option here. These days, fabric technology is sublime and fabrics can have shine in less flashy ways. 
3. Shiny skirt: Skirts with sequins and beading are festive for sure. Skirts with lurex are less sparkly, but achieve a super sheen. Think both flared and pencil skirts. 
4. Shiny Jacket: Another bold option. Sequins are a popular choice, but shiny jackets come in all sorts of fabrications. Lurex thread makes just about any fabric sparkle, from wool and tweed to denim and polyester. 
5. Flashy Trousers: I really like this vibe. If I hadn’t already bought a metallic midi dress, I’d be wearing flashy trousers to holiday parties this year. I find the look glam, fun and different.
6. Shiny belt: Adding a glittery skinny belt to an outfit is a great way to add a small dose of sparkle. 
7. Sparkly Shoes: You can go to town with this one. Sparkly shoes are everywhere, adorned with diamonds and glitter, or bedazzled with jewels and embellishments. For a less sparkly option, choose metallic or patent leather. 
8. Dazzling Clutch: Carrying a shiny package of sparkle via a wristlet, clutch or dainty shoulder strap finishes off the outfit. This is my favourite type of bling.  
9. Glittery hose: A few years back, I wore extremely sparkly silver hose with a black sheath dress, red patent pumps, and a sequined vintage shawl to a fancy holiday party. Without a doubt, the hose made the outfit.  
10. Fascinator: This type of headwear comes in many shapes and forms. They can be elaborate head pieces made of feathers, netting, tulle, beads and jewels. Or they can be simple headbands with sparkly and feathery attachments. Either way, they are dramatic, retro and festive.
11. Shiny wrap: These aren’t easy to find, especially with faux fur shawls and jackets being all the rage right now. But they make a lovely addition to a simple knit top or sheath dress when worn like a scarf instead of a wrap. 
12. Jewelry Bling: The simplest of outfits are transformed with sparkly jewelry. Think necklaces, bracelets, brooches, cuffs, earrings and cocktail rings. If you like a maximal look, pile on the bling. Stick to one statement piece if you prefer a minimal look. 

You can incorporate one or some of these sparkly items into an outfit. Furthermore, make-up and nail polish also adds a sparkly effect to your look. 

I’m wearing a simple dark grey lurex midi dress with slash neck and long sleeves to this year’s holiday parties. There’s plenty of sparkle in the dress so I’m leaving off all accessories other than a wristwatch and clutch. What are you wearing to holiday parties this year? Do you like to wear a sparkly something, or do you prefer to leave off the shine.

This Summer I suddenly wished I still had a dress I gave away six years ago. In a fit of madness, I now realize. It was a calf-length midi sheath dress, light grey with a very thin white pinstripe. The fabric was a sturdy crepe de chine with some stretch to it. Very form-fitting, yet it seemed to perfectly camouflage all problem areas. The silhouette could have come straight out of Mad Men, and boy, did I feel spectacular in it. It also had a very unique twist on the classic no-sleeves style: overalls straps! It may sound kooky, but believe me, it was sleek, sassy and would have looked every bit as modern today as it did then. 

I’ve accepted that my “miracle” dress is gone, and I’m super excited about my wardrobe options today, but My Favourite Dress by Gity Monsef got me thinking it would have been fun to still have a picture of me sporting my frock. That’s exactly what this new title is all about: through exquisite pictures and personal anecdotes, designers and other fashion industry professionals share their absolute favourites with us.

If there’s one dress that gets loads of attention, then it must be your wedding gown. It undoubtedly is one of the most photographed frocks too. No wonder that lots of thought and effort goes into selecting the perfect dress for your special day. A process that doesn’t always go as smoothly as we would like it to. For all anxious brides-to-be – and friends and family involved – Nancy Di Fabbio comes to the rescue with Quest for the Dress, a practical guide with tons of tips from an expert in the field. 

Are you in a reminiscing kind of mood too? Then do tell if there is one particular dress, aside from your wedding gown, that you’ll never forget? Do you still have a keepsake photo of it?

New Giveaway

For this week’s giveaway we are continuing with our photography theme. In A Shade of Red – One Lipstick and One Hundred Women, photographer Alyson Fox invites us along on a visual journey in which one hundred very different women have their portrait taking while wearing the same shade of bright red lipstick. Chronicle Books is kindly giving away five copies of this intriguing book. The competition will run until Thursday 24 November and is open to all readers in the US and Canada. Hop on over to our Competition section for a chance to win one of the five copies, and tell us if you feel different when you are wearing make-up.

Guidelines on what length coat looks best with a flared skirt or dress will differ, but let me share the two options that I think work really well. 

1. A cropped coat: We’re talking about a coat hem that ends between your waistline and crotch point. The point is that there is a large distance between the hem of the coat and the hem of the dress or skirt. To my eye, when the distance between the two hemlines is smaller than what I have described, the proportions are off and the combination can look a little dowdy. 
2. A coat at least as long as the length of the dress or skirt: In this way, the hem of the flared skirt or dress does not peek out from under the coat. That’s why the coverage of midi coats is handy. They work with many dress and skirt lengths and silhouettes. 

The key here is that the hemlines of the coat and the dress or skirt must not compete with each other. 

Pencil skirts or dresses with tapered side seams are much more versatile in this respect. Just about any length of coat will work. Somehow, the hem lengths don’t compete when the visible under layer is narrow and form fitting.

Annagybe says that a small town pooled it’s resources to open up it’s very own department store. How cool is that. 

Debora found The Fit Priority Ranking on Dappered very helpful because fitting mens clothes can be a tricky business. 

MaryK shared this short video of the Sartorialist in Tokyo. Mary was surprised at the extent to which the Sartorialist creates the shots, rather than just capturing them. 

Znip shares a wonderful slideshow from Vanity Fair featuring J.F. Kennedy and other rather swish looking gents and ladies. A tribute to the hallmarks of preppy style. 

RoseandJoan kindly dedicated Duran Duran’s new music video to me and YLF because I’m a HUGE fan of the band. The video features legendary ’90s supermodels for their new song, Girl Panic. The models look great, but it cannot compare to the eye candy that the band members provide. 

Lisa enjoyed My (Not So) Style Blog’s bold style. And loves her bright socks!

Bj1111 says that Team Maximal has to look at this fab, fab, fab spread of stacked bracelets, rings, watches and bangles by photographer Michele Lamy. 

Vildy, after reading an article on “The Dirty, Unethical Business of Fashion Blogs”, thinks it’s good to be aware of how much “editorial” content in any public medium is tied, weakly or strongly, to advertising. Ornella found this look at how bloggers make money very interesting. Both of these articles were actually inspired by the WWD story “Hot Fashion Bloggers”. For the record, I do not accept free products, we no longer do product reviews, and we aggressively disclose content that is sponsored.

MNSara enjoyed the creativity of this video, which combines four years of daily head shots.

Helen in Canada was thrilled to hear that Joseph Altuzarra won this year’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund. What a great way to nurture and promote talented new designers!

Laurinda was fascinated by Emily Crane’s creativity as she combines fashion, food making, and lab work to create micro-nutrient couture. You can actually eat these garments after wearing them. 

Inge wonders whether fun and colourful Echo Touch Gloves allow you to use your iPhone when you’re outside. They look like a good idea!. 

I found a super article on the top 10 budget living blogs by the Budget Fashionista.