Everyone loves holiday gatherings, but not everyone knows how to dress for them. The truth is looking fabulous and not cliche does not have to be complicated. The best thing to do is wear something festive yet not distracting, and to be comfortable but not frumpy. Here are some ideas regarding what to wear to a holiday party.

First of all, don’t be afraid to wear something that you can wear to work or another occasion. There is nothing wrong with a multipurpose outfit that happens to have red, green or other popular holiday colors. As long as you put thought into it, you will look put together and people are likely to notice the appropriate color choice.

High-end fabrics such as satin work well for nice gatherings. They tend to look sophisticated, and can brighten the entire outfit. Stick to colors that are similar to precious stones, and don’t limit yourself to emerald and ruby. Just aim to look good, not necessarily match the decorations!

Ladies, don’t forget to wear jewelry and give thought to your accessories. Gold or silver earrings, necklaces, bracelets, or rings, along with the right shoes, handbags, and hair clips or pins can really add class to your holiday attire. Choose a focal point and please, don’t go crazy with glitter or sequence.

For New Year, Thanksgiving or Christmas you can use the seasons as inspiration. Think of the holiday foods and the autumn leaves when you choose colors. Match neutrals like brown or black with deep seasonal colors like orange, red, or purple. Use a rich material like cashmere and you will have a very elegant look.

Lastly, don’t forget that you need to be comfortable. Avoid wearing clothing that is too tight, hot, or awkward. At the same time, don’t just throw on a huge sweater that will make a tent over your body. You can look put together and be comfortable at the same time.

Hi Kathi,

What colors go best with eye colors?  What Gotchas should I be aware of? Please point me in the right direction.

Thank you very much.

Regards, Lacey

Hi Lacey,

Thanks so much for this question! I am sure many others are also curious.

What I have discovered over the years is that eyes, like hair and skin tone tend to run either warm or cool, so let’s start there.

In order to answer this question and create a game plan you must always also consider the skin and hair color. The combination of all three elements will determine what colors you should wear close to your face.

Carole Jackson, author of Color Me Beautiful originally and ingeniously developed the idea of seasonal palettes and complexions. She makes it fairly easy to determine your seasonality through her in depth descriptions and color photos. You might want to pick up a copy of that book to actually see the colors that I will refer to in this article. I will also write a more detailed article about seasons and colors with and include a link to it at the end of this article once it is posted. Check back in a week or so.

Green Eyes

Green eyes come in a variety of tones, from gray/green, clear green, avocado green or hazel with a gray tone. If your eyes are gray/green, or clear green a cooler color palette will work best to compliment your eyes.

If you have the green eyes with the warmer tones of avocado or hazel, you can create a striking combination by wearing warmer colors.

Brown Eyes

Hazel / Brown eyes often have flecks of gold or green within. They would be considered a warm tone and are fun to highlight because they can change tonality or color depending on what colors are close to the face. Sometimes they can look green, sometimes gold or at other times, simply brown. These eyes work well with warm, muted colors and tones.

Some brown eyes are very dark, almost black/brown. If this sounds like your eyes and you also have blue/black hair and blue undertones in your skin, then you are probably a winter complexion and cool, clear, crisp colors will look best around your face.

Blue Eyes

Blue eyes that are deep blue with gold flecks, blue/green, turquoise will look best in softer, warmer tones.

Blue eyes that are deep blue with white flecks, aqua/ grey, clear blue, or will look best in cool colors.

I explain how to determine which season you are and the colors that will look best on you in more detail in the upcoming article titled: Seasons and What Colors to Wear. Check back next week for this article.

About a month ago,  during a sweater shopping spree, I decided that I am now all about tactile  and ‘soft to the touch’ fabrics. I have always been a cashmere junkie but now it goes even deeper than that. I can no longer take scratchy, stiff or super heavy clothing. The good part of this realization was that it became easier to weed out more items in my closet. If they did not pass the soft and cozy test they were donated to the Community Resource Center and moved onto a better life.

Now, I am sure you are thinking to yourself, soft and cozy does not necessarily jive with fashion forward and you are correct. There are always compromises in the quest for fashion. I still hold fast to my mantra that if you are wearing the right clothes, they should be comfortable enough to sleep in. The right fabric, cut and fit for your body makes all of the difference between comfort and discomfort and looking disheveled or well put together.

As a long time avid fan of microfiber panties, I was very interested when a Adea the clothing manufacturer approached me to try out their new product line. *I have to say, I really like their product line for many reasons.

Back to my initial statement, soft is one of the first attributes I now consider when I add new items to my closet. This manufacturer uses Italian-made stretch microfiber tops that simply feel really great on my body! They feel like a second skin, breathe and are really soft to the touch.

I use the two shirts I own most frequently under other clothes. Unlike other camisoles I have owned in the past, the microfiber of the Adea fabric helps it stay where it should and not roll or ride up thoughout the day.

One of the current challenges with fashion is that necklines tend to be cut very low. As a professional, showing a lot of cleavage is not ideal. Because of this, I frequently advise my clients to wear camisoles under their tops. Most of they typical camisoles prove to be problematical and uncomfortable.

I personally enjoy the cami scoop neck and back because it covers up my bra straps and cleavage at the same time without having to squirm to keep it in place.

The 3/4 sleeve vneck top, hides everything it should (ie cleavage) and flatters in all the right places.  Vneck tops with  3/4 length sleeves are universally flattering. Additionally, the microfiber does not wrinkle so it stays looking crisp and fresh all day long.

Adea shirts are nice enough to wear alone and also perfect for under suitcoats and blouses. All necklines are designed to hide and flatter at the same time with a choice of scoop, crew or vneck.

So, if you enjoy soft fabrics and need a new camisole or two, check out the new Italian line by Adea.

*A quick note ~ I do not recommend any product if it doesn’t provide a solution or benefit for my readers regardless if it was comped, which these were. The products that don’t pass this criteria are simply not reviewed on this website.

Almost every year I find myself working with brides to help them find the perfect gown for their perfect day. For me, the ideal gown is one that will highlight their best assets and detract from their less flattering features.

This case study is about an athletic bride, a rock climber, hula hooper and yoga instructor. As a quick reference, other possible body shapes include heart shapes, trilliants, ovals, and heart on hearts.  You can check back to this site where I will be adding an article about each shape as a bride but meanwhile, let’s get back to the bride at hand.

This bride was a classic emerald shape meaning that she had an athletic build with her shoulders, hips and waist about the same size.  As an athletic adventurous woman, Stephanie started her wedding dress quest with the vision of a tea length dress, nothing fancy or bridal. Since I had known her fiance for several years, and saw the love they shared, I felt this would be her once in a lifetime wedding. I also knew that the groom’s style was simple, classic, elegant and romantic.

Due to these factors, and the fact that I am a firm believer in wearing a gorgeous gown whenever possible, I wanted to give her the sensation of wearing an actual wedding gown. If she decided at that point to stay simple and not wear a gown, that was fine.  But I knew that this was her once-in-a -lifetime chance to be in a full regalia and I felt it was important to at least put her in several versions of gowns from simple to floor length with train so that she could make an educated decision.

Well, needless to say, once this bride-to-be experienced the Cinderella feeling of wearing a ‘real’ wedding gown, there was no turning back. She quickly embraced the fun and beauty of wearing a once in a lifetime gown!

The gown we ended up selecting was simple and classic. The A-Line was a perfect choice knowing that a true ball gown would be way too much for this particular bride. The key ingredients of a sweetheart neckline and an A-Line construction were included.

I really wanted to build a few curves into her athletic shape and the sweetheart neckline combined with diagonal pleating in a criss-cross pattern added effortless curves. The A-line shape with asymmetrical pleating along the full bodice added curves in all of the right places. The ivory fabric was chosen because it was perfect for her complexion and the floating pearl necklace and earrings were her something borrowed from me!

This close up  photo shows the details included on this gown. Note the asymmetrical layering and floral embellishment at the hip. Both of these, along with the sweetheart bodice and neckline added curves where it counts.

This gown had just enough train to work for an outdoor wedding and the bride and groom were able to kick up their heels in the surf after the wedding with the gown bustled!

And they live happily ever after with baby Bella now in their life!

For Your Quick Reference:

For heart shapes, I add weight below the waist to balance the top of the dress with the bottom.

For the emerald shapes, I build in curves.

Heart on Heart Shapes need to keep their balance and accentuate their curves. If you’ve got it, flaunt it!

For the inverted heart or trilliant, I add volume on the top.

When styling oval shapes I create a visual waistline and often choose empire construction.

Check back often for more wedding gown articles. This is the first in the Gown For Every Body series.

This discussion was recorded between myself and a client who came to me to review and update her image and wardrobe. The common denominator of many of my image clients is that they hire me when they are going through some type of transition.

A life transition is the perfect time to hire an image consultant. We help clients reevaluate if their wardrobe and image to ensure that it will serve them as they move into a new phase in their life.

This client graciously describes her thoughts Read the rest of this entry »