Continuing with January’s Little Black Dress series on the blog today.
If you missed any of the previous LBD’s….click here, here and here.
Today’s LBD is a brand new one I picked up during the holidays when there were crazy sales and deals to be had.
Photo credit: Val Soo
LBD #3: Sheer Panel Swing Dress from CLEO
Photo credit: Val Soo
This dress fit me like a glove right off the rack!!!
It’s the perfect length, no hemming required. The arm holes required no pinning and the neckline didn’t reveal too much cleavage.
Plus, the broad straps easily allow for a regular bra to be worn – #winning 🙂
Photo credit: Val Soo
Sheer panels seemed to be pretty fashionable this holiday season. I like how it adds textural interest in a minimalist way to this all-black dress, bringing lightness and breathability to heavy fabrics in the winter.
I really want to come up with ways to take this frock outside of being just a cocktail dress. If you’ve got some ideas for how to do it – share them with me friends! 😉
Photo credit: Val Soo
How I Got The Look: LBD and jewellery set from Cleo (click here); Wine glossy pumps from BCBG; Sheer hosiery from Dollarama
Do you have a favourite Little Black Dress? Where’s it from and how to you style it? Tell me your tips and tricks by leaving a comment below.
WANNA see the other LBD’s I’ve talked about so far – click #1, #2 and #3.
Here we go – the very last outfit post of our week-long HolidayDoubleFeature collaboration series with Cassie of Style Cassentials.
We’ve been discussing and putting our own unique twists to some Holiday trends ALL week. Hope you’ve been enjoying it. If you missed any of my previous posts I’ll list them at the end of this one…so you can get yourself caught up and festive ready! 🙂
There’s bound to be a few dress-down weekend holiday house parties you’re gonna have to hit – and that’s what we’re focusing on with this last post we’re calling: Casual Cocktails!
I picked this soft pink lace trim top on sale from Penningtons a few months ago. It totally caught my eye with its mix-media textures, this top would go well with a skirt or dress pants, to the office on weekdays and totally works with jeans on the weekend.
The lovely lace trim and cool colour-blocking over soft pink sheer front and cotton back just makes this top oh-so unique.
Since this top has lots of interest to it, I was easily able to tone down the vibe of my outfit while still looking a bit ‘holiday fancy’ for a festive house party at the neighbours or whatever last min invites that may come your way for boozy egg nog and Christmas cookies 🙂
How I Got The Look: Sheer & cotton laced top from Penningtons; Navy tuxedo striped pixie pants from Old Navy; Brown suede booties from Reitmans; Faux fur bag from Aldo Accessories; Bow-tie earrings were gifted.
Cassie’s off-the-shoulder winter white sweater with lace skirt combo is oh-so romantic for the holidays. Head over to Style Cassentials for all the details on how Cassie has styled the trends. Or visit her Facebook page here.
Cassie of Style Cassentials
And just in case….if you’ve missed a few from thespecial HolidayDouble Feature? Not to fear…
Here we are – 2nd last outfit post in our special Holiday DoubleFeaturecollaborationwith Cassie of Style Cassentials.
The female tuxedo was seen on various designer runways, it’s also a look that’s been adopted by many celebrities on the red carpet. It is a great alternative to the cocktail dress for evening-wear.
Today we’re focusing on Tuxedo Glam! 🙂
Photo credit: Val Soo
By total fluke, turns out I had silver stud earrings that totally matched the studs down the lapel of this blazer! This cute little top-hat fascinator was a fabulous find at this year’s BIGDeal Toronto Blogger Consignment Sale.
Photo credit: Val Soo
I’ve had this tuxedo blazer for a year now, and have only worn it a handful of times for fear of spilling food on it and the dreaded dry cleaning bill it would result in. My sparkle heels added a touch of feminine glamour to the monochrome colour palette of this tuxedo look. It would be extra sleek if I went black on black or white on white tuxedo. But I really like the classic black n’ white combo.
When looking at how to wear tuxedo trend clothing, go for slim cut trousers and fitted blazers. Making sure your pieces are fitted to give you that tailored look when trying to pull off tuxedo glam. 🙂
How I Got The Look: Jessica Simpson bone n’ black lapel jacket + Thrifted black taffeta dress + Guess sparkle heels + sheer black hosiery + Top hat fascinator from BIGDeal Toronto Sale
Cassie’s floral pants make me crazy with floral envy!!! Loving the ivory tuxedo top & black tuxedo jacket. Head over to Style Cassentials for all the details on Cassie’s look or visit her Facebook page here.
Cassie of Style Cassentials
What do you think of the tuxedo trend? Do you have any tips for how to wear the tuxedo trend? Let me know in the Comment section below
And just in case….if you’ve missed a few from thespecial Holiday Double Feature? Not to fear…
We’re mid-week in our special HolidayDouble Featurecollaboration with Cassie of Style Cassentials.
What holiday series would be complete without talking about Sparkle & Shine? That’s exactly what we’re gonna focus on today. 🙂
Photo credit: Val Soo
There is A LOT of sequins in holiday wear this year. Don’t get me wrong…I love me some sequins!!! But everyone else is gonna be wearing it right now, and I would rather do something different this time around.
Knowing HOW to wear sequins can be a bit tricky. I’ve done a previous blogpost on How To Wear Sequins & Shine earlier this year, if you’re interested 😉
Photo credit: Rebecca Northcott Photography
For this holiday look, I decided to let the sparkle and shine show in my accessories, rather an my entire frock.
Photo credit: Val Soo
I found this peplum dress last year from AdditionElle and have come up with many uses for it, like say THE South Asian Princess Leia…. click here to see what I mean 😉
There is just something about wearing crisp winter whites that really steps up the glamour of an outfit. I wanted to use the ‘sparkle and shine’ factor sparingly for this holiday look.
This amazing sliver-gold-jewelled belt was found in a lovely boutique on West Queen West called Fashion Crimes (NOTE: this shop has recently closed it’s doors and will be reopening as a bespoke boutique elsewhere in Toronto in 2015).
I matched it up with this jewelled bracelet (Aldo Accessories) and gold drop earrings (Your Big Sister’s Closet) to jazz up this holiday outfit. And lastly, I decided to keep the heels a simple nude pump (Payless), to not distract from the rest of the look.
Photo credit: Val Soo
Cassie dazzles in her boyfriend jeans, black glitter heels, ivory camisole and black sequin jacket! Loving the statement necklace too! Head over to Style Cassentials for all the details on Cassie’s holiday outfit. Or visit her Facebook page here.
And just in case….if you’ve missed a few from thespecial Holiday Double Feature? Not to fear…
Your holiday calendar is likely packed with tons of parties and get-togethers over the next couple weeks. You’re gonna need a festive frock or two for this super-social season.
Not to fear friends, me & Cassie of Style Cassentials, are gonna be giving you some inspiration when it comes to outfits, accessories and all that jazz ALL WEEK with our special Holiday Double Feature collaboration!
We’re kicking off the series talking about the classic christmas combo colours of Red and Green 🙂
Photo credit: Val Soo
When I’m feeling festive, it’s hard for me not to over do it with the reds and the greens. For holiday parties, pick one to avoid looking like a christmas ornament 🙂
This green fanny midi skirt is pretty great – so great in fact, that I even bought it in a wine red too! Click here to see that. To make it holiday and winter ready I paired it up with a simple black sweater and jazzed it up with jewellery.
Photo credit: Val Soo
The details on the neckline and arms of this black sweater were really pretty, and to draw attention to them I kept the jewellery minimal & matching in a deep red-gold combo to give my overall outfit the festive feeling I was after.
How I Got The Look: Fanny midi skirt from Tatyana Boutique; Black sweater from Reitmans; Maryjane shoes from NineWest; Purse from Danier Leather; Red cuff and necklace from Celo, Gold on red belt from Fashion Crimes
Photo credit: Val Soo
I wore this outfit (slightly modified) recently, to Your Big Sister’s Closet store’s holiday bash — since it was a mild evening I wore a simple black corp top (Forever21+, click here), my faux fur bag (Aldo, click here) and black suede booties (Nine West, click here) instead.
While I went green, Cassie did the opposite showcasing a red dress with sheer panel at the hem of the skirt, with green nail polish to add to her festive look. Her crisp white blazer can take this look to the office …and beyond! Head over to Style Cassentials for all the details on how Cassie has styled her holiday look below. Or visit her Facebook page here. 🙂
Cassie of Style Cassentials
What do you think about these looks? How are you going to be rocking the festive red & green this holiday season? Tell me in the comments section…
Stay tuned tomorrow as we continue with this special HolidayDoubleFeatureCollaboration!!!!
Truth is, I prefer ‘cute’ over ‘ugly’ …. so, I picked up this Giant Rudolph sweater from Ardene ($20) to meet this need in my life 🙂
Kinda perfect for just throwing over a dress, and viola! Instantly you’re festive ready outfit is complete.
This is one of my favourite dresses I picked up from Forever21+ earlier this year. It’s perfect for swing dancing too …keeping the ‘girls’ locked n’ loaded AND covered up for close dancing … plus the criss-cross back cutouts are helpful for cooling down between dances. To see it in other looks, click here.
Photo credit: Rebecca Northcott
Wore these cute silver bow earrings I recently picked up at a vintage saleColin Firth **swoon** as Mark Darcy in Love Actually, in his classic xmas jumper
When I saw this sweater … it totally made me think of the handsome and adorable Colin Firth, in my favourite holiday movie: Love Actually…
The hope was to wear this sweater and attend The Gladstone Hotel’s 12 BEERS of Christmas!Sadly, tickets were soldout at the door…so a few of us ended up drinking and dining elsewhere in the area before returning for live music and swing dancing.
If you’re looking for an excuse to wear an ‘ugly xmas sweater’ yourself, click here to see a listing of fun ideas of how to incorporate this fun theme into your holiday plans!
Ok…the holiday season is upon us and I’m sure you’ve got 101 places to be as invitations start filling up your calendar. I aim to write not only about What I Wore …. but rather What I Did while wearing it.
So get ready for a flurry of Holiday Happening posts from me throughout the month of December friends 🙂
One of the first invitations was to a Vintage Cookie Exchange!
If you’ve been following the blog, you know that there is a group of special friends in my life from all my involvement with the Toronto Vintage Society. Among them are the crafty, kitchy, artsy, put-Martha-Stewart-to-shame few who’ve really helped me expand and discover new skills I never knew I had. And this invitation was one of those moments of discovery!!!!
The Mission: Bake 8 dozen holiday inspired cookies to give away to the others who were coming to this shindig, plus a few to be plated, shared and enjoyed at the party.
Now, for a chick (moi) who doesn’t bake, my immediate thoughts were …. DUN DUN DUNNNNN…Run Away! Run Away! in a Monty Python spirited way.
But then I bought this amazing fanny midi skirt, which would be perfect for the get-to-gether …and so I decided I’d make an effort by trying my hand at baking! 😉
I picked up this lovely skirt from Tatyana Boutique’s newest location on West Queen West during their BOGO deal. Yup – Buy One, Get One FREE!!! Naturally I had to scoop up this midi in both colours: wine and green. Needless to say that these two skirts will be making multiple appearances over the holidays (stay tuned to the blog for that!) 🙂
Best part about these skirts: THE POCKETS!! Perfect for iPhone, cab fare and lip gloss … you know, the essentials!
In an effort to step my up holiday glam, I decided to wear festive accessories like my gold xmas bows set I picked up from Target a few years ago. Still kicking myself for not picking them up in the other metallic xmas colours they had at the time. Sigh…
How I Got The Look: Black n’ white polka dot 3/4 length top from Reitmans; Fanny midi skirt from Tatyana Boutique; Xmas bows accessory set from Target; and shoes were thrifted
Outfit Photo Credit: Val Soo
As for my baking effort and contribution … I’ve been told that peanut butter cookies are the easiest of all the cookies to make. And with the help of Pintrest, I found the following recipe and added my own holiday twist and TRIPLED it!
Ingredients (needed for approx 3doz cookies):
1/2 c. butter (unsalted is best, but salted works fine)
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Un-wrapped Hershey Kisses, 1 for each cookie
I’ve even documented my efforts step-by-step for y’all 🙂
Step 1: In the bowl cream together butter, both sugars and peanut butter. Add egg and vanilla. Step 2: Then combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Add flour mix to butter mix. Step 3: Refrigerate dough in bowl for 30 minutes.Step 4: While dough is in fridge, preheat oven to 375C, line your cookie sheets and unwrap all your Hershey’s Kisses. I went with Hugs instead…the swirls looked more ‘holiday-like’ 🙂Step 5: Form into 1 inch balls and place them 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet.Step 6: Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, or until cookies are just a little brown.Step 7: Discard all the burnt ones – lol. This was my very first batch…seems the recommended use of parchment paper was of critical importance. Sigh…Step 8: Remove from oven, and press a Kiss/Hug into each cookie. Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then move cookies to cooling racks (or plate).Step 9: Put a dozen of them into individual festive baggies to give away at your Vintage Holiday Cookie Exchange! I call these cookies: Christmas Hugs!!Step 10: Become Cookie Monsters with your cookie baking friends and eat as many as you can in a violently horrific manner!! #nomnomnom
This was my first cookie exchange ever – first time baking cookies ever, in fact. And with relatively little work and preparation I’m now am able to offer a variety of lovely baked goods to family & friends at upcoming holiday festivities and gifting. HAZZA! 🙂
Between all the shopping, parties, wrapping, decorating, and travel this time of year, most of us would put “more time” as the number one item on our holiday wish lists. So this year, why not kill two turtledoves with one stone by hosting a cookie exchange party?
Have you LIKE’d the Petite Plus, Meow’s
PPMeow! 
