As you can tell, I’ve taken a few days off for the holidays.  I will be back in the new year with all the latest and greatest fashion and style tips and advice.

I hope you’ve all enjoyed your holidays and please have a safe new years.

Erin

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No one says you have to wear true green or red for the holidays. Why not change it up this season with a hot pink or fuchsia top or dress. Or try turquoise instead of regular old green.

These colors are still festive, yet they have a bit more flair. If you want to be fashionable and get noticed and your holiday parties this year, try giving your outfit some pop with one of these great colors.

Liven up your holiday fashions this year!

This look has a ’70s inspired quality.  It’s perfectly ladylike and utterly slick.

Putting it together:

The silhouette up top is lean, so the sweater should be skinny through the arms and the body - but roomy enough to layer a button-down underneath.

Pick a skirt that’s crisp, simple, and falls right above the knee.  Tweeds are great, especially in slightly retro colors like toasty brown.

Completing the outfit with high, chunky heels keeps the overall vibe from feeling too preppy.  A bold necklace is the ideal finishing touch.

* Taken from Lucky magazine’s January edition.

I am absolutely obsessed with this boyfriend tuxedo top by Nickolas K. It is the perfect combination of the traditional tuxedo top with a relaxed, undone style. This is something you could throw on with jeans and leave untucked like this picture. Or, you could wear it tucked in, with a great black pencil skirt, and the black tie tied for a more old school put together look. Jazz it up even more with some great gold accessories.

It’s that time of year again. Your social calendar is getting out of control with all the holiday parties, you’re trying to finish all your work before year end, the days are getting shorter, you have less time to get everything done, there’s no time for shopping, yet you still want to look fabulous at all those parties. What’s a girl to do?

Here are five tips for looking party perfect this holiday season.

Buy What Makes You Happiest

If you like that feminine touch, add bows, ruffles, pleats, or see though, delicate fabrics to your look. If you want a more alluring look, accentuate your waist with a brightly colored belt. If you want to make a memorable impression at an event, go for a more dramatic look. Try wearing statement jewelry or wearing contrasting colored clothing. When you feel good, you look good, so do what feels good to you.

Pay Serious Attention to Details

If you rush when getting dressed, you’ll never feel as put together as you could be. Always try your look on the night before a big event. That way you’ll never be without the right ring, bag, underwear, or bra! You want to feel like you are polished and put together. Rushing will never achieve that.

Set it and Forget it

It’s the idea that once you walk out the door, vow not to fidget or ask every friend in the room if your outfit is right. It’s too late to change, so make sure you’re comfortable in it before you leave the house. Once you are comfortable in your chosen outfit, your wonderful personality will shine through. You want to be that fabulous person wearing a great outfit, not feel like your outfit is wearing you.

Switch Your Bag

Don’t carry your work bag to a party or evening event. Nothing ruins a polished look quicker than a tatty old briefcase or giant hobo bag worn with an elegant evening look. Keep a clutch in your desk drawer for those impromptu dinner invitations.

Create and Replicate a Signature Look

Find a picture of yourself when you really looked fantastic. What was it about your hair, makeup, or outfit that made you look so great? Was it the style, color, fit? Instead of trying out tons of different styles, why not just stick to what works? Replicate that look again and again for guaranteed success!

**Adapted from an editorial in Glamour’s December issue.

I’m not sure where it all started, but the whole concept of winter white is perfect for winter in southern California. It’s warm here most of the year, so the traditional dark, rich, winter colors are not too practical, especially on days like today. It’s December 5th and it was about 75 degrees in most places.

Winter whites are a great way to look wintery without dieing of heat. Try a white coat instead of the traditional black or brown. Don’t feel limited to red, green, and black for dressier events around the holidays. Arriving in white from head to toe can be equally as dramatic, elegant, and appropriate.

Another fun way to wear winter white is to mix textures. Try a white jean, with a white cable sweater, and a white corduroy jacket. Mixing textures creates visual interest and adds some excitement to your outfit.

You can also try wearing all white with a small pop of color. This could take the form of a red scarf, or bag, or perhaps a green shoe.

Any way you wear it winter white is classy, fashionable, and perfectly appropriate for these warm southern Californian winters.

I just returned back from an amazing weekend of training with Alyce Parsons up in the Bay Area.  I am now officially a certified Universal Style consultant.  This means that I will now be incorporating the Universal Style concept in to my private consultations and style assessments.

It is a fantastic system that allows an individual to understand their core style, their subordinate styles, and how to mesh them together to create their own, unique, true, authentic style.

I will be sharing more about the Universal Style concept over the next few weeks.  Stay tuned.  It really is fantastic!