Hello again from the Pacific Northwest! So, you have probably heard about the general raininess out here. I honestly typically don’t mind it, but right now…it’s REALLY rainy. Our basement flooded while we were gone last week. I was shopping in SoHo as a very special treat trip to NYC one day and the next day I was vacuuming water and mud from our basement. Le sigh. #realitycheck
Anyway, because of our *lovely* weather here it’s tough to want to dress up very often…to slop through the puddles in nice heels or a long skirt or dress. Most days you’ll find me in jeans, boots and a sweater. No…make that everyday in the fall/winter/spring. But…we were invited to an actual, grown-up holiday party this year! Exciting. I quickly realized though that thanks to the #Konmarimethod I had gotten rid of pretty much every dress up item in my closet. Doh. Decluttering fail.
So, I ventured out in search of a few special items that might add some holiday sparkle to the few remaining pieces I had left in the closet. Here are a few combinations I came up with.
Casual Holiday Parties
scarf | Sweater (similar) | pants | shoes (similar) and LOVE these
First of all, I LOVE these Gap Velvet Side Zip Leggings. They are so good, y’all. They are comfy but dressy enough to wear with a ton of things. And this scarf. Also from Gap and SO soft. I really love this combination and…look! Heels! I’m pushing myself here.
But…not for long. Here I am back in flats, but THE coolest flat shoes ever. After Shana posted them a couple of months ago I realized I had been waiting my whole life for them. They are amazing and will dress/class up jeans and a sweater any time. The calf hair isn’t the most appropriate for Portland weather (no hiking in these bad boys,) but I’ve learned to walk REALLY carefully through puddles in my time here for the sake of good shoes. Hahaha! No, but for a casual office party where you’ll be standing a lot or for a quick dinner out they are perfect.
Speaking of shoes, I had to include a close-up of these boots I just found from Nine West. They are beautiful, low heeled and flattering. The wider opening at the top makes them so good to balance out the leg. They are just right for dressy black boots which I’ve had a hard time finding lately. Seriously, I have tried on so many pairs. They look great with the final outfit, too.
Dressier Parties
Next up, a sparkly top! Who doesn’t love a sparkly top? Even this jeans and boots girl does this time of year. I cannot find this specific one anywhere on the Forever 21 website. Sad. But there are so many options out there. Love love this one!
top | pants | shoes (similar) | coat (similar and I LOVE)
Sparkly top, meet velvet pants and faux fur = yes. I do love this outfit. I think if we were going out for New Year’s Eve I would totally rock this, puddles and all.
But, I think the winner for the Christmas party is this…
Sparkly gold dress! Lace tights! Heels! All the things I usually never put on my body! Haha. It worked out though. Stretching myself paid off, I think. What are you wearing to holiday parties?
dress (ack! Sold out) This one is lovely | tights (similar and they’re perfect) | shoes (similar)
Shop the looks and other favorites for holiday style
Happy Party Time! ALSO — if you need more inspo for fun, festive garb this season (everything from cozy to glam), head over to our current (2018) page of holiday outfit ideas…
xo,
Laura
Love that first outfit. A LOT. Definitely interested to see more of your style in action! Now for the important questions…
1. Are the Nine West booties comfortable? Like, on your feet all day or all night, chasing littles, shake a groove thang comfy? I’m done fighting the good fight for gorgeous but painful heels but every one of the 1000s of black ankle booties I’ve tried are a combo of too high and too narrow and too stiff and…and is there any chance these are Goldilocks booties?
2. KonMari… Does that mean you have a wee little capsule wardrobe, by any chance? Always super interested in my fellow CW-ers who keep it stylish and would love to see your take if so!
3. That ink…you’re in Portland…it’s not courtesy of Alice, is it? There are days I think a cross-country flight makes PERFECT SENSE for her work. Speaking of Le Sigh…
Hey, thanks Maggie! I will be honest tonight will be the first time I wear the Nine West booties for any length of time. I have pretty sensitive feet and do not wear heels much, but just putting them on a few times I’ve been impressed. I don’t know that they are an all day on your feet boot, but it seems like they’ll be good for wearing out. I’ll report back! I attempted to have a capsule wardrobe but I do enjoy shopping, so…I am trying to keep a good handle on getting rid of things on a regular basis though. My ink was acquired right before we left Nashville, so it’s not Alice, but yes. Maybe I can swing that sometime!! 🙂
So, to report back…the boots were really great for an evening out, but hard to say for a whole day. Maybe they would be after being broken in? They were good for me though until the end of the evening, but I stood for about 3 hours straight at the party we went to. You should definitely check them out I think! I am really happy with them for dressing up.
I love your hair. happy to see somebody with a short do on this blog, as i have similarly short hair. also, i live in pdx and wouldn’t mind knowing where you go for cuts – if you don’t mind sharing 🙂 Totally understand if you do! Lovely outfits too. Also, to the person who wrote above about comfortable shoes: I can SO completely relate. Check out Cobb Hill, a brand owned by New Balance. I recently was forced to look for a pair of dressy black ankle boots to wear to a wedding and found a cute black pair in this brand. I had never even heard of them before. I was pleasantly surprised – no kidding they were not only super cute but VERY comfortable right from the start, even with a heel (though not as high and thin as the heel on Laura’s boots, but I don’t even try on boots with heels that high anymore because they’re always painful). Just a suggestion for what it’s worth!
Love the black pants! I have been looking for a sub for a similar AG pair that I cannot justify $188 for:)
great outfits!
Loving the PNW perspective!
I really love the sparkly dress lace tights combo!
We don’t have a whole lot of parties to go to around here (homebodies. 😉 ) But I’ve been wearing my maternity leather leggings to the ones we’ve had. I think I need to invest in a pair of lace tights, though. I have wicked, wicked varicose veins this time around so I’ve sworn off anything showing my legs, but lace tights may camouflage them enough. 🙂
Thanks for reporting back, Laura – I’ll have to check them out!
Really great, affordable suggestions! Love this post!!
Thanks, Elizabeth!