Ringing in the New Year

Oh what a night! Bob and I had possibly the best NYE celebration that we've ever had in our 7 years together. (In fact, this New Year's marks our 7th anniversary!) Our dinner reservations weren't until 9pm, so our evening got a late start, but the amazing food, wine, friends and laughter we enjoyed as the stroke of midnight came closer were a-plenty.

Black back draped top - Banana Republic / Lurex striped pencil skirt - ASOS / Suede heels - BCBG (eBayed)

Naturally, a little (or a lot of) sparkle is something of a prerequisite for NYE dressing, so I wanted to run with it this year. I bought this ASOS skirt on Black Friday and I was excited to finally break it out for the big night. The skirt is quite long on me, even for a girl who prefers skirts long, so I hiked it up, added a wide belt, and wore it as a high waist number. (I may hem it, but we'll see. I can also fold the waist under to adjust as necessary, and I kinda like the flexibility.) It took me a while to find the perfect top, but this draped back stretch satin loveliness was the perfect complement to the skirt, for just the look I was going for. Back seamed sheers seemed obvious, too, no?

I did want a little pop of color somewhere, and I toyed with pinks and reds, but I really liked how turquoise stood out against the blacks and golds, so I chose one of my favorite Banana Republic turquoise rings to play off the gold necklace, earrings and gold shimmer/copper glitter french manicure. I also played with a little gold and turquoise eye make-up, even though it did get a little out of hand. I'm wearing the BareMinerals Color Shift set, which I bought just for this purpose, but the gold "shifted" far too easily into the aqua and gave me an all-over aqua look instead. Yikes! (I was going for 50s glam, not 80s rocker!) All bets are off on NYE, though, so I just worked it. (And I'm probably going to return it...)

Necklace - Banana Republic / Clutch - Macy's / Ring - Banana Republic / Earrings - Anthropologie / Sheers - HUE

Nina Garcia tweeted over the weekend "If you look amazing, you’ll feel amazing; and if you look and feel amazing, you’re guaranteed to have an amazing night." Quite right. I felt absolutely glamorous in this outfit and perfectly festive for the holiday (and anniversary ♥). And an amazing night was indeed had.

Happy New Year!!! Heath, happiness, love and peace to all of you!

Holiday Attire Sneak Peak

Oooooh weee! I'm so excited for all the festivities this month! Between my birthday next week, Christmas, and New Year's (also my anniversary with Bobby), I have so many occasions to get all dolled up. While this can often be more stressful than not (I distinctly remember having a helluva time getting dressed for New Year's last year), I'm ecstatic that I've not only found outfits for all of these events, but I look and feel fabulous in them! So here's a sneak peak.

Thanks to a thrilling new partnership with Kiyonna, I'll be decked out in the Betsey Ruched Dress (in teal) for my birthday next week! I really liked the bluish-grey patent platforms that the model is wearing, so I searched high and low for something similar. I think I found them! A shoe-loving girl can always count on Zappos or Endless, can't she? I snagged these earrings from Anthropologie with my 50% off sweater over the weekend. Ironically, the sweater is going back, but I think the earrings are absolutely beautiful and make a great match for the dress. Now if only I had her hair...

Betsey Ruched Dress - Kiyonna / Clara Chandelier Earrings - Anthropologie /
Grey patent Pumps - Type Z "Clara" (via Zappos)

For New Year's, a little sparkle is always a good thing, if not practically required. I bought this fabulous lurex stripe pencil skirt from ASOS on Black Friday (my first purchase from them, actually) and instantly knew it would be perfect for the holiday. But what to wear on top? I've been keeping my eye out for options as I've been Christmas shopping, and luck would have it that I stumbled upon this gorgeous stretch satin boatneck top from Banana Republic on Sunday. Plain though it may seem from the front, the back is the real show-stopper. I tried the whole ensemble as soon as I had returned home and it.is.PERFECT. I'll be wearing a wide black belt to marry the two pieces, sultry black suede heels, and possibly back-seamed tights to top it all off. Elegant, festive, divine!

Draped low-back top - Banana Republic / Pencil skirt in stripe lurex - ASOS CURVE

Seriously, I can't WAIT to get dressed for these events! And share them with you, of course. =)

And speaking of sparkle, check back later for my EBEW "Sequins & Sparkles" outfit!