The Christmas Party Dress

With Halloween and Guy Fawkes recently passed, now is the time we all start feeling the Christmas spirit, yes the much anticipated season full of festivities! You can be sure that there will be plenty of party invitations; Christmas-time is most everybody’s excuse to kick back and enjoy themselves after a long year of work or study!

Don’t be left wondering what to wear! Whether you are after a newer LBD or something a completely different, now is the time to start hunting around for that perfect party dress (or more if you don’t want to be seen in the same outfit twice!... don’t worry you can always sell them on Fabricjam after you’ve worn them!).

If they haven’t already, many retailers will have their party dresses hitting the stores this week and it’s up to you to find that gem amongst the rubble.

I’ve spent some time browsing around and have managed to track down some great dresses to offer you some style tips and inspiration. If you’re sitting at an office desk – it’s the next best thing to being in a fashion show! (I’ve included the weblinks should you wish to buy any).

So these are my favourite little finds…

Oasis is always one of my first stops when I’m looking for something a little special and yet again they haven’t disappointed. My favourite from the collection is this beautiful art deco dress.£110
(Link to buy)

It tackles one of the biggest trends this season, sequins, which on paper could be a disaster but in reality it is truly gorgeous.

If you just can’t live without your Little Black Dress then why not take a look at the range devoted to them at Oasis. My favourite from the LBD range is this foil lace creation. The classic shift shape makes the dress timeless while the lace design feature is bang on trend for this season. Just team with thick black tights and sky-high heels, keep accessories to a minimum and let the dress do the talking! £75 (Link to buy)

Kate Moss launched her Christmas range for Topshop last week, which included some great party ideas. This aptly named ‘flirty dress’ is gorgeous and is available in two colours. (Link to buy )



This dress would work perfectly for a work Christmas party as it can be worn from day to night. And when the summer months come back around it can be worn without tights and your favourite pair of Havaianas!

And again, Topshop wouldn’t be complete without its own version of the LBD. (Link to buy)

This dress is gorgeous and adds a little fun to the normally plain LBD…it’s also quite reasonable at just £40!

My final High Street best buys come from a different source than usual, Debenhams! Perhaps not one of your normal stops on the High Street for party wear, but their more recent collections are definitely worth taking a look.

If your are lucky enough to be attending a truly glamorous Christmas party then you will be set to turn some heads in this classic red dress (also a massive colour for this season!) Think Katherine Heigl at the Oscars this year...

Link to buy

(Image courtesy of JustJared)

If you are after something a little shorter but still want to add a some colour into your outfit you really cant go wrong with this deep purple baby doll dress, from their ‘Sirens’ collection. (Link to buy )

It can be worn with or without opaque black tights, depending on how brave you are, and the weather of course!

Lastly, a few of my favourite designer pieces this season if you want to splash out or go full glamour!

Lover

Floral mini dress

£385 / $770

Philosophy Di Alberta Ferretti

Stretch satin dress

£280 / $560

Oscar de la Renta

Silk faille embroidered dress

£3180 / $6360

Missoni

Clarissa strapless dress

£1515 / $3030

Marni

Ruffle neck dress

£775 / £1550

Marchesa

Asymmetric pleat dress

£2,660 / $5320

(My personal FAVOURITE!)

Celia Kritharioti

Ruffle front dress
£535.00 / $1070

Antik Batik

Kika Tunique mini dress
£180 / $360

Fendi

Bow belt dress
£960 / $1920

Christian Dior

Strapless dress with rose detail

£3,815.00 / $7630

Whatever style you are going for this Christmas the High Street will have something special to offer you…with classic LBD’s and jewel coloured shifts you are sure to sparkle at this years Christmas party!

Remember if the colour is brighter than your usual, or if the detail is interesting then it’s wise to play it down with classic jewellery and thick black tights. Here Sienna does doesn’t let anything detract from the intricate detail on her Balenciaga dress.

...And lastly, don’t worry if you play it safe with a LBD, they’re called a classic for a reason... They are slimming, flattering, can be adapted to any style and quite simply never go out of Fashion!

Post by Alexa Gilbert, contributions from Claire Webb

Socks and Heels

I'll take you back to the 2004 Autumn Winter Collection where Socks and Heels were worn on the Cacharel, Marni and Dior Runways. We were told back then by 'Vogue' that this style was going to be a massive hit! I'm not sure about you, but I hadn't seen anybody in person donning the 'short sock' with heels look over the past few years until very recently. Yes people have been wearing 'over the knee socks' for a while, but short socks? Not so much.

Everybody has a their own unique style nowadays, street fashion quite simply isn't as structured and regimented as it used to be and I love that. People aren't afraid to be quirky and experiment with different genre's of dress such as Vintage, Retro, Brick Lane, Punk, Festival, Rock n Roll, ... (I could go on for a while). Perhaps this is why Socks and Heels fit in so well now in 2008 as opposed to 2004. Or perhaps it's just another case of designers doing their job rather well and foreseeing the trend waaay ahead of us mere mortals.

So, how to wear it on the Street?

Wearing socks and heels with a dress or something pretty can look kind of 'bobby-sock' Lolita cute as Peaches Geldof does it. Don't be too afraid though, the 'Lolita look' is totally in at the moment with the likes of Alexa Chung confessing that Lolita is one of her favourite icons and stating she loves dressing like a child: 'I'm dressed like a five-year-old' she said in her interview with the Telegraph .

If cute is definitely not your thing, then you can do as Chloe Sevigny does here and team socks and heels up with a bit of Vintage, Rock or Retro gear producing a quirky yet undoubtedly stylish look.

As with any trend, you need to adapt it to your own individual style to get a result that you feel comfortable with. There aren't many boundaries as to which style shoe you can wear with socks - though I personally wouldn't wear the pointed court shoe with socks. This is a great day or night time look, so I say go to town with it (try different colour socks and outfits), don't analyze it too much, as long as you feel comfortable and confident I'm sure you'll look great!

Cacharel, Marni and Dior runway 2004

Marilyn Manson's flame and beauty Evan Rachel Wood looks gorgeous in socks and heels

Adventurous Agyness wears her socks with Oxfords, though I'm sure I'd have been able to find a photo somewhere with Agy wearing heels and socks!

Taylor Momsen (Gossip Girls) looks stunning pictured here with Polka Dot Socks and cute Red Heels. The stylists imagination pulled off here!