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

Its all about the Cardigan

This season I've taken a real shine to cardigans. A year back they had a dated feel to them, however being spotted on most catwalks last season, they have certainly made a ferocious comeback and look comfortably chic when teamed up with the right outfit. Girls and rockish, emo style boys are both pulling off this trend often paired with skinny jeans and plimsoles. The fit of a cardigan is pretty important in getting the look right, they can be snug, but shouldn't be too tight and if you're going for a more feminine look - they shouldn't be too loose either. Mid length sleeves and waist cardi's look great with pretty day dresses, and some more glamorous cardi's can even look gorgeous with an evening prom dress, re-creating the 50's look which is very in. A cardigan can keep an outfit glam or tone it down, depending on style, colour and for example beading or sequin patterns. The long sleeved cardigan looks effortlessly stylish with skinny jeans or tights, definitely a comfortable daytime outfit, especially useful during this time of year when the weather can change at the drop of a hat. The longer cardigan is also making a comeback, but personally, I'm not a huge fan. On some, it can really drown a womans shape. You can get creative and cover a huge spectrum of styles, emo, rock-chic, hippy and glam to name a few. Having fun with geometric, colourful prints that can spice up an otherwise plain outfit and can be worn sans accessories. As long as you're careful with it (make sure you wear your cardi together a decent outfit) you can't go too wrong.


I love this Black and white spotted cardi by Betty Jackson for Debenhams uk selling at £40. It's a little bit different, feminine and fun. You can buy online at http://www.debenhams.com/ which is handy. Postage is fast and returns are easy as they send a courier to your door. I can picture it on somebody like Kiera Knightly, it would look great on a slim figure.









Missoni have brought out this beautiful cardigan which you can buy at http://www.bloomingdales.com/ for $645 (or if its a little out of your budget, you can always wait for it to go on sale!). I immediately thought of Sienna Miller when I saw it, but then not surprisingly, Missoni is one of her favourite designers.











American Apparel sell this fun purple and blue striped cardigan at £29, again you can buy online at http://www.americanapparel.co.uk/.

Juicy Couture are also cashing in on the horizontal stripes with this eye catching 3/4 sleeved red smocked cardi which is currently selling for $198, I especially love the buttons with little crowns on them. You can find this one at http://www.shopbop.com/.














One of my best finds was this gorgeous little cardigan from Oasis (http://www.oasis-stores.com/), I love the bow and contrasting stripes with plain black sleeves. This one costs £35 and they have many more great cardi's on their brand new website in a huge range of styles and colours. Definitely a site to check out if you're keen on this trend.

If you want to buy at a more reasonable price, you can try dropping into Zara where you can usually pick a plain cardi up for around £14.99.


Ciao, till next time x