Holiday parties are a lot more casual than they used to be. Dressed up jeans are often one way to go, as are trousers with tees, jackets and heels. Jeans or a skirt with a relaxed cozy sweater and boots have also become perfectly acceptable attire. Add a little sparkle and bling to your casual outfit and you’re holiday ready. 

As much as I love the comfort, warmth and ease of a casual outfit, the casualization of holiday parties makes me sad. I so bat for Team Dressy and love to dress up. For many of us, this was the one time of year when we could pull out all the stops and not look overdressed. Now that things have taken a casual turn, I feel robbed of my annual formal outfit occasions. 

The only way I’m going to be able to dress up for a formal holiday event at this rate is if I host one at home and specify a formal dress code. We actually did precisely that last year and it was great fun — for me anyway. Yet, it has only just dawned on me that it may have been a drag for my guests to have to dress up! Perhaps they would have preferred to dress casually for the occasion. 

This brings me to asking you about your feelings on the subject. Do you wish for dressier holiday parties so that you can wear a theatrical tulle skirt, maxi gown, sparkly frock, gold jumpsuit, lace trousers, or whatever your dressy heart desires? Or are you relieved that parties have become casual because it’s less stress all round?

Bulky boots can take up a lot of space in your luggage. With the foldable welly, Hunter has now come up with a practical solution to this problem.

Seattle based company Iva Jean has redesigned wardrobe staples like the classic pencil skirt to help women stay stylish while biking to work. On the accompanying blog they often feature innovative and fun cyclewear, so be sure to check that out as well.

If you love to wear brooches, but are worried about poking holes in your favourite clothes, then you might want to give Lexi Beasley’s “magnet tutorial” a try.

Fab Links from Our Members

On The Trendy Purse you can browse an online inventory of over 23,000 items. Isabel is in handbag heaven.

Annagybe recommends this article on the concept of slow fashion that highlights ten brands that are doing it right.

In honour of the Rolling Stones’ 50th anniversary, Marlene1 wants to share this NYT slideshow showing their style through the years.

If you’re a tartan, argyle and tweed lover, you have to check out Chanel’s pre-Fall 2013 Collection. Although the outfits are far too maximal for Angie’s own style, the mixture of texture and pattern is inspiring. Plus, all the models are wearing flat booties. Hallelujah!

Laurinda found this collection of black and gold images on Habitually Chic a great inspiration for festive outfits.

QfBrenda loved how Sally summed up so much Winter dressing advice in one single post.

Can you imagine owning a pair of shoes or a wallet made from the famed old Russian leather, a high-quality material that nobody has ever been able to duplicate. Talk about rare materials, says Vildy.

Nadya enjoyed reading about American Giant, a startup that is trying to make a better hoodie, and is making it in the US to boot.

Ironkurtin is always happy to come across suggestions for fab maternity wear, as she would have killed for something so comfortable and stylish while she was pregnant.

We spoke about sassy sweatshirts a few months ago. Well, they’ve just become sassier. Hello sweatshirts bedazzled with studs, rhinestones, beads and sequins. Some of them are even coated with a metallic layer for extra glitz. 

Wear a blingy sweatshirt with jeans, leather bottoms, combat pants, trousers or a skirt. I also like them layered over an untucked white or plaid shirt. Of course, some sweatshirts are more embellished than others. Go subtle, hectic, or somewhere in between. 

Most of my clients enjoy wearing soft knitted tops that are “an easy pull on and go” for casual wear. So I’ve been suggesting sweatshirts with bling as a fashionable alternative. Just for fun and to change things up from the casual tops they usually wear. 

Some clients have embraced the blingy sweatshirt wholeheartedly, whereas others are not at all convinced. I understand the latter viewpoint because sweatshirts are extremely casual — why adorn them with formal bling and then wear them both casually or with dressy items? It’s dress code confusion. 

Thing is, juxtaposing very casual with very dressy in one outfit is probably the look of our fashion era. And the juxtapositions become more extreme each year. High top sneakers matched with dressy skirts. Flannel shirts worn under sequin vests. Distressed jeans worn with patent stilettos. Ball gowns worn with rugged boots. Track pants worn with silk blouses. T-shirts worn under tuxedo jackets. Sweatshirts worn with heels. All in the name of fashion. 

Although I am not into wearing any form of sweatshirt because I just don’t wear knitted tops other than knitwear (sweaters), I love this concept. I vote yay for fashionable blingy sweatshirts. What’s your verdict?

I have a leave no retail stone unturned philosophy and I take my clients shopping at a wide range of retailers. But we always pop into Nordstrom and the Rack because they stock many different brands, which means a large assortment of sizes, fits, style sensibilities, fabrications, quality levels, colours and price points — all in once place. We are very likely to find something that works for my client.

Long story short, I’m in Nordies often and I know their merchandise quite well. So over the next six weeks, I’ll be sharing my top picks for some areas of their range that catch my eye. I’m kicking off the series with a list of my favourite fancy jackets: 

• Heed Lace Necklace Jacket: A fitted lace jacket with bling in midnight blue that is every bit as romantic and dandy as it is on trend. It’s avant-garde pieces like this that have high longevity and are always in style. I love the longer back hem and cascading silhouette. You might need to size up a size.

• Bellatrix Lace Print Blazer (Plus): Patterned blazers are fun and different. This flop proof little classic can be dressed up or down with spunk. Tailored, lightweight and flattering. Available in regular and petite sizes too. 

• Topshop Floral Print Open Front Blazer: This one double duties into Spring (and Summer if you live in Seattle). I adore the modern and masculine vibe of the low stance and welted pockets. 

• Truth & Pride Coated Lace Bomber Jacket: Bomber jackets are fringe trending, and this one is on my wish list because of its boxy and boyish cut. Perfect juxtaposition with the feminine lace. Fab over a pencil skirt, leather track pants, slouchy trousers, or jeans. 

• Juicy Couture Convertible Tuxedo Tail Jacket: Dramatic and theatrical. The tails are detachable, which means that you score a cropped tuxedo jacket at the same time. Wear it over jeans, trousers, a pencil skirt or sheath dress with the tails attached.

Jackets transform an outfit like no other piece. To my mind, more so than even a great pair of shoes. Their structure and attitude set the mood of an outfit, which is why I feel powerful and pulled together when I am wearing one.