Friday, February 10, 2017

Festive Holiday Style


Here's to layering! I love this white dress, but it's oh so summery and the neckline is a bit low for work-wear. To get around those two hurdles and wear this dress to work in December, I layered the dress with a sleeveless, mock-turtle neck swing dress that is the same length and voila! Instant coverage from the cold and the oglers. This is also a bold combination when it comes to pattern mixing. The red plaid combined with the star burst pattern is a lot to take in and my coworker said that I looked like Punky Brewster but I decided to take that as a compliment.


I wore this for a a performance with my choir at the Fitzgerald theater. This is the second time that I've worn this dress and the second time that the dress has ripped in the armpit. I was able to patch the tear up the first time, but it might be torn beyond repair at this point. I must have a larger upper body than the average 60s woman because this is where my close fitting vintage dresses always get torn. So sad.


I had been envisioning this outfit ever since I bought this skirt at My Sister's Closet last year. The skirt is made out of a heavyweight velvet fabric and the bottom half of the skirt is adorned with many embellishments. It's very lush and beautiful, but it's not entirely versatile. It's a winter party skirt and that's about all it is. This skirt reminds me how much I dislike ugly Christmas sweater parties because I don't want to wear ugly clothes to a party. Never have, never will. I want to wear this skirt, dammit! And I don't have many opportunities. While I still have not had the opportunity to wear this skirt to a Christmas party, I chose to wear it out to dinner with my in-laws and to see my husband perform with Nicholas David at the Pantages Theater and it was just lovely.


On this particular Sunday, my husband and I were invited to a number of Holiday parties. I know what you're thinking. "Why didn't you wear your damn skirt, Anna?" Well, I put the outfit with the skirt on and while I was still in my house, I couldn't stop shivering. It was so cold this weekend that the people of Minnesota were advised not to leave their homes. But we're hearty Minnesotans and we had plans, so I changed my outfit to what you see here and I think it's perfect. I've got on many layers of silk and wool and I even threw on a fur stole under my coat for extra warmth and glamour. In my opinion, this outfit was even better than my fantasy Christmas party outfit. It's still got the richness that the velvet skirt has, but it's warm and cozy and comfortable too.


This is what I wore on Christmas after spending the day cooking for my family. I thought it would be nice if we got dressed up and enjoyed the delicious beef tenderloin that I had prepared. My husband, however, had other ideas. I had to fight him tooth and nail to put pants on. This is my life, people.


I don't know why, but I always wear black on New Year's Eve. I also always wear a fur of some kind. And glitter! Lots and lots of sparkly glitter!