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Floral Maxi Holiday Party Look

December 16, 2016

Hi, loves!
In case you didn’t already know, I LOVE to dress up. It goes back to being a little girl and borrowing my mom’s gold-veined drawstring velvet pouch, stepping my feet in to her platform wedding shoes, and taking a huge fluffy brush and dipping it in to her Lancôme loose powder. My mom is not a fancy person by far, but when she gets ready for an event, she definitely has her standard go-to’s. She always has an elegant bag that goes with everything and holds only the essentials, and a tried-and-true simple beauty regimen.
Definitely one thing that I learned from her getting-ready routine is to not make anything too complicated. Find a bag that’s not too big (it’ll get in the way at the dinner table or when you’re dancing!), use a lip stain or long-wearing matte lipstick so you’re not constantly worried about your lip color smearing, and don’t line or put mascara on the bottom of your eyes, because they’re just a set-up for smears.
My present day beauty routine for parties is quite simple! Neutral shadow, a cat-eye liner application (always black), mascara, a touch of bronzer and blush, tinted BB cream, concealer when needed, and either a pale pink lustre lipstick or bold lip stain, depending on my outfit/mood. I’d rather be in the moment and enjoying myself and my company then worrying about how I look. Keep it cute, pretty and simple, but never basic 😉

Dress c/o Rent the Runway (Erin Fetherston Floral Olivia Gown) // Beaded bag / vintage // Heels / Ivanka Trump (more on these in a future post) // Wrap / gift from my mom <3

This post is sponsored by Rent the Runway. All thoughts and opinions on items in this post are my own. I would never recommend brands or products that I don’t personally use, and have actually been a Rent the Runway customer for a couple years.

How to Dress for Holiday Parties Without Freezing

November 30, 2016

Hello, loves!
Well, typical Southern California, we skipped fall and headed straight on in to winter! Mark and I just returned from the East coast, visiting family, and I thought we would be coming back to moderate temps and sunshine! The temps are actually about the same, but it just feels so much colder here today. With all of the festive events coming up, I wanted to share a couple of tips on how to dress for holiday parties without freezing, because of course we all want to look cute (and/or sexy), but also don’t want to be distracted by how cold we are!

First and foremost, consider outerwear. I flash to any of the wintery episodes of Gossip Girl for inspiration. Some of their coats and jackets were more bedazzled than the dresses underneath! I love this idea, because some places you’ll end up will require you actually keep your outerwear on, so why not treat everyone to some extra glitz? Another idea is to add a lovely cluster of brooches to the lapel of a simpler coat to give it a sparkle boost. If the climate is more moderate, opt for a cape, like I did here, to create interesting lines and still show off some of your outfit underneath.

Your bottom half.. No, I’m not suggesting wearing pants for all of your holiday festivities, but a nice pair of thick, opaque tights under a dress or skirt can really help shield you from the bitter cold. If you’re rocking a solid colored dress, consider patterned tights for an unexpected take.

For footwear, heels are lovely, and I still prefer them because they make me feel more “dressed-up”, but a classic pair of heeled knee-high boots or sleek ankle booties are another great way to add warmth and coverage. Just make sure you don’t wear a pair that’s scuffed/too plain or it makes the overall look much more casual. And please, for the love of everything, no UGGS.

Lastly, I love a pashmina or fringe scarf for keeping the heat in around your neck and shoulders. It’s something you can keep on after taking your jacket off that doesn’t look too bundled up, and I LOVE a bold pair of dangly earrings against an artfully folded scarf.

Check out how I’ve styled the gorgeous Vivian Sheath Dress from London Times, and see what other lovely new dresses they’re offering for this holiday party season.

Dress c/o London Times
Shot by Holli Zenko Photography

This post is sponsored by London Times. Items contained in this post were provided to me for reviewing purposes. This post also contains affiliate links and clicking on them or purchasing items through them may provide me with a small commission. This is part of what helps keep Dressed for Time going.

Holiday Party Look : Sequin Tank

December 23, 2015

Well, hello loves!
My third and final party look for the holidays is a simple, tried-and-true pairing of a sequined tank, a black blazer and skinny jeans. You can definitely opt for ankle booties if the weather won’t allow for heels (it’s been raining in Redlands since last night!) or even some knee-high boots with gorgeous hardware would be a fantastic substitution. This outfit I would definitely wear to a NYE party with friends.
Speaking of New Year’s Eve plans, currently, the idea is that Mark and I will be meeting up with a few couples for a little prix fixe menu action at a local eatery and then back to our house for some drinks to ring in the New Year. I have to work on New Years Day in the morning so I’m completely fine with keeping things local and low-key and this outfit will work perfectly for the occasion!

Blazer / H&M (similar) // Sequin tank / Milly (Rent the Runway) // Jeans / Mavi Jeans // Heels / Ivanka Trump // Bracelet & Clutch / vintage

Photography by Holli Zenko.

Holiday Party Look : Striped Dress

December 21, 2015

Hello loves!
I hope you’re all having a fantastic weekend. I’ve just come back from brunch with a few of my favorite people and the tipsiness has mostly worn off by now. I love that we have the tradition of meeting up every year around this time, exchanging gifts and stories and so much laughter. Even though we all have so much going on in our lives, we manage to find one afternoon where we can all get together and I think that’s so special. I’m one of those people who consider my friends as family, and I treasure them all so much!
Sorry for getting sappy for a minute there!
Let’s get back to fashion, shall we? This second party look is featuring a super versatile dress from Layered by Cake. It can easily be worn with heels and a statement necklace and little jacket, or as I’ve shown here, with print flats and a lightweight trench. I wanted to keep the look pretty simple, so I paired it with some delicate gold jewelry, a luxe little vintage handbag, and a bow belt to accent my waist and add some interest.

Dress / Layered by Cake // Trench / H&M (similar) // Flats / Sole Society // Necklace / Gorjana // Clutch / vintage (similar) // Crystal ring / Alexis Bittar (Box of Style) // Belt / Forever 21 (similar)