During the holiday season you likely have various events to attend where you want to dress ‘festive’. It can be as simple as throwing on a red scarf over a sheath dress, as dramatic as a sequined blazer with jeans, or as funny as an ugly Christmas sweater! Or, it can be less predictable, with luxurious separates that you will be able to wear after the holidays are over… There is nothing more feminine than lace, and in bright white it is a no brainer to pair with black. This blouse is by Anne Fontaine, and the last time I checked it was still available and actually on sale! The black silk bow I added myself…

Now, how about these elegant dress pants??? There is a funny story here to share…

With the fitted lace blouse I decided to search for flowy, wide legged black pants.  Off I go to Bloomingdales in Chestnut Hill straight to the DKNY department where I approached Sonja Miller, a Selling Specialist, and told her what I had in mind. She told me that yes, there are a couple of options, one in particular being her favorite as she walked me over to Elie Tahari. As she reached for these black pants in my size (last pair) another saleswoman immediately approached us: “Those are mine, I’m taking those!” (They were out on the floor, not set aside.) “Oh no you’re not,” replied Sonja, as she briskly walked me to the dressing room, black pants in hand. “These are yours.” she said to me. Wow. These must be pretty special if we are fighting over them. As I try them on – oh my, this is unexpected – they have slits in them!  Beautiful wool blend fabric, slim styling through the hips. A fabulous, fun find!  Thank you Sonja!Needed to visit my tailor to have them hemmed, but no need for new shoes as my Stuart Weitzman satin high heeled sandals were a perfect choice (with red toe polish of course!).  A festive outfit that is practical because the individual pieces can be worn in different ways.  While I haven’t worn the pants again yet, the Anne Fontaine blouse was already a great accent to a work outfit…

Lace is great paired with leather, great paired with plaid, and even better paired with both!

These black watch plaid pants are extra special to me not just because they are Ralph Lauren purple label, but they were actually Ginger’s that were recently tailored to fit me perfectly. Put together with a soft black leather jacket instead of a navy blazer avoids a predictable preppy look.

Festive day or night!

What’s your favorite piece for ‘festive attire’?