#BLOGMAS: Holiday Party Style Guide 2017

December 21, 2017 by Bree Fesh in Style Guides

Wow, I cannot believe that there are only three more days until Christmas! Is it just me or has this holiday season just flown right by? However, with Christmas coming up quick, for those of us who celebrate it, means that there are many Christmas Eve and Christmas parties in the upcoming days as well, and if you're anything like me you might be trying to plan the best outfits for this year's Yuletide events. So in order to help you (and myself) brainstorm, I've decided to put together this holiday party style guide, which I am sure will have a little something for everyone as well as every occasion.

Greensleeves

This first look if perfect for a holiday cocktail hour with your girlfriends. Due to this green, lace dress' fun hemline and short cut, it's sure to be a show stopper at all those trendy Christmas pop-up bars and shops I'm sure you'll be hitting up. And of course you need some shimmery accessories to accompany this playful look, so try pairing it with these gorgeous earrings and fun faux pearl studded bag. Then, to complete this look, you can try something a little unconventional and pair it with these fun over the knee boots! (So this way you'll be rocking one of the hottest trends this winter and you'll keep your legs warm.)

Items Left to Right: Green Lace Dress, Gold & Bronze Earrings, Faux Pearl Studded Purse, Over The Knee Black Boots .

Rudolph Reds

This next outfit is a great choice for your office Christmas party. The reason this dress is a great choice is for this occasion because it is not overly formal and is comfortable for wear around the office, but also because it is super chic and easy to glam up a bit. To add some shimmer to this fabulous number, I paired it with a layer necklace along with a gorgeous gold and berry bracelet, along with this pretty envelope clutch. Then to top off this outfit, I chose to pair it with these nude, lace up stilettos.

Items Left to Right: Red/Orange Bell Sleeve Dress (Love this dress? See how I styled it here!), Layered Necklace, Gold and Berry Bracelet, Black Glitter Clutch, Lace Up Nude Stilettos.

Starry Night

The next look is for a more formal occasion, and features this beautiful star studded evening dress. Due to this dress' elegant nature, I chose to keep its accessories simple with a gorgeous rose gold pendant necklace and simple evening bag. But to up the wow factor, though this dress is gorgeous enough on its own, I chose to wrap up this formal look with these show stopping, diamond strap heels.

Items Left to Right: Black Star Mesh Evening Dress, Rose Gold Pendant Necklace, Black Evening Clutch, Diamond Ankle Strap Heels.

Blue Christmas

For those of you who want to put a twist on the classic holiday colors, I also always am a fan of the color blue for Christmas simply because it is so underrated this time of year. So, for the outfit I chose to style this pretty blue and silver lace dress. (Doesn't the lace remind you of frost? Which is totally perfect for this time of year.) The reason I chose this dress is because it is super versatile, meaning you can wear it to just about any type of holiday party without it being inappropriate. To style this piece, I chose some gorgeous drop earrings, a beautiful crystal clutch, and to complete this look I chose some faux pearl accented, glitter pumps.

Items Left to Right: Blue & Silver Lace Dress, Silver Drop Earrings, Crystal Clutch, Faux Pearl Accented Glitter Pumps.

Naughty or Nice

This next pretty holiday look is perfect for your more semi-formal occasions with friends and family. Much like the first outfit in this guide, this two piece dress would make for a perfect cocktail outfit while out with your girls, or even just for a casual holiday brunch with your family. To accessorize this pretty two piece, I chose to pair it with a gorgeous delicate choker, a fun fringe cuff, and a plain but chic evening clutch. And to add some extra shimmer to this outfit, I decided it would look best with some diamond accented heels.

Items Left to Right: Red Two Piece Dress, Delicate Gold Choker, Gold Fringe Cuff, Red Evening Clutch, Red Diamond Accented Heels.

Silver & Gold

This last look is one of the more traditional variety. For this outfit I chose to go with this classic silver dress, which would be perfect for those of us who have traditional family Christmas parties to attend. The reason I went with this silver dress is simply because its just so pretty and its classic cut would be flattering on anybody. To style this gorgeous classic, I chose some pretty chandelier earrings, a nifty clutch, and some pretty, bedazzled pumps.

Items Left to Right: Silver Dress, Chandelier Earrings, Silver Clutch, Bedazzled Pumps.

What are you wearing to your holiday parties this year? Let's chat about it in the comments below or you can tweet about it at @StarkRavingChic! Wanna show off your favorite holiday party outfit? I'd love to see it! So feel free to tag me in your Instagram story at @StarkRavingChic. Later, babes!

Xx, Bree

P.S. Psssssst! If you love the jewelry in this post as much as I do, you can try Rocksbox for a whole month 100% FREE when you sign up using my promo code "starkravingchicxoxo". Don't know what Rocksbox is or how it works? You can learn more here!

Also, I am now a proud member of rewardStyle and LIKEtoKNOW.it! Meaning you can shop straight from my Instagram feed when you click here or here. Don't know what LIKEtoKNOW.it is all about? Learn more, here!

Elegance Underneath (Feat. PPZ Lingerie)

December 19, 2017 by Bree Fesh in Lifestyle/Travel

As I am sure all my readers know, one of the many things I love to do is dress up, I mean I am a fashion blogger after all. However, though I have always loved clothes and fashion since I was a little girl playing dress up in my mum and grandmother's clothes, and have gone on to build this blog from my love of clothing. However, I feel there is one reason why I love dressing up so much that is often overlooked. That reason would be that fashion and the way I choose to style my clothing is also a form of self-expression to me, as I am sure it is a form of expression for many of my fellow bloggers as well. I think we can all agree and all forms of fashion can be considered artwork in their own light.

Speaking of things being often overlooked, I think something that many of us generally do not think about after we get our clothes on, is what we are wearing underneath that little black dress or killer crop top and jeans combo, and that would our lingerie. However, I find this to be interesting because if you are anything like me, you probably spend tons of time shopping for the perfectly matching bra and panties set, or just the bra that fits divinely. So, with this in mind, when I was approached recently by my newest sponsor PPZ Lingerie to work with them on this project I was absolutely thrilled for the opportunity! Because I don't know about you, but I feel what I wear underneath my clothes is every bit as important as the garments that I style everyday.

PPZ Lingerie

Before I dive into the review and styling of this lovely bralette and pantie set, I'm sure you would like to know a bit about the company that I received this dynamic duo from, and that would my newest sponsor PPZ Lingerie. If you have never heard of PPZ Lingerie, here are some highlights that you should know:

Firstly, PPZ is a fashion lingerie brand that was established in Michigan, USA, back in 2001. PPZ specializes in gorgeous lingerie but also sells a wide selection of women's underwear (I have to say they have some super cute bras and panties!) shapewear, and even yoga pants. So basically, PPZ has you covered for all your undergarment (and some activewear) needs. Another great thing about PPZ is that they live up to their tagline which is "The Most Comfortable Bras, Shapewear, and Panties", which I will be honest, I was skeptical of at first however, I was very pleasantly surprised, which I will tell you all about later.

But the last thing that sold me on the company PPZ is besides their contemporary, fashionable, and comfortable lingerie, much like my sponsors SheIn, Modcloth, and Swim Classy, PPZ embraces body positivity, and encourages girls and woman to practice self-love. Which if you recall an earlier post of mine from this year, you know that this topic is something I am very passionate about, and think that it is an absolutely outstanding movement towards empowerment.

Underneath It All

As I stated earlier, PPZ is a huge supporter of body positivity and practicing self-love, and that really hits home for me because that is something that I still strive to do but also still struggle with doing. As I stated in a post early this year, I opened up to you all about how that I myself struggled with severe anorexia in the past and though I initially went into rehab four years ago, it still continues to be a constant struggle for me, though I am still working hard everyday to overcome my negative self perception. With that being said, aside from personally loving lingerie, I also love it because it makes me feel confident and sexy when wearing it, either by itself or under my favorite outfits. Which is why I decided to take the plunge and model this absolutely gorgeous set from PPZ here on Stark Raving Chic!

So, since I'm sure this is what you all have came here for, so without any further to do, let's get to the review of this lovely set! Firstly, as I mentioned earlier, PPZ really lives up to it's tagline because this bralette and pantie set is definitely so comfy, and to top it off both pieces are true to size and fit absolutely perfectly. I also liked that the bralette, unlike some of the other bralettes I own, has four hook and eye enclosures which makes this piece much easier to take on and off and these also make the bralette fit much more comfortably.

Along with the hook and eye enclosures being a plus, another thing I loved about this bralette is though that it is a push-up, the cups are perfectly sized and held my breasts perfectly, so the bralette did its job without making me feel like I was going to bust out of it. I also liked that the panties are bikini style, but with a cheeky fit, giving them a more playful and sexy feel. And finally, the reason why I love this set as a whole is because I love the lace design of each of these pieces, to me its just so romantic and feminine, but with a bit more sultry touch due to the lush navy color and turquoise bow accents on both the bralette and panties.

Lastly, though this isn't an "Outfit Of The Day" post, I did want to talk a bit about how I chose to style this pretty lingerie set. Though this was a lifestyle shoot, due to the fashionable nature of this set and PPZ's focus on body positivity, I thought that it was only natural for me to model and style it opposed to simply shooting some flat lays and using the site's model images. So to style this bralette and pantie set, I chose to wear it under my silk robe from Nordstrom that I received ages ago from my mum as a Christmas present, some simple jewelry, and light makeup from bareMinerals.

One Last Look

So, have you ever shopped with PPZ and love them as much as I do, and what are your feelings on lingerie? Do you like it as much as I do or is it not as important to your styling routine? Let's chat in the comments below or you can tweet me about it at @StarkRavingChic. And don't forget, to keep caught up on my latest posts and to have my looks sent straight to your inbox, be sure to follow me on Instagram at @StarkRavingChic and sign up for LIKEtoKNOW.it. Later, babes!

Xx, Bree

P.S. Psssssst! In case you haven't heard, I am now a proud member of the rewardStyle and LIKEtoKNOW.it family! Meaning you can shop straight from my Instagram feed when you click here or here. Don't know what LIKEtoKNOW.it is all about? Learn more, here!

#OOTD: Lovely In Lace (Feat. StyleWe)

December 15, 2017 by Bree Fesh in Personal Style

Though I generally complain about the winter season and how much I absolutely loathe the snowy and cold weather, I must say that there is a least one redeeming thing about this time of year, and that one thing would be the holiday season. Like all small children, when I was a little girl I always loved the magic of Christmas, despite never liking the cold, an this still holds true to me today. However, now that I am long past my years of believing in Santa Claus, I still love the festive and joyous mood that this time of year seems to put mostly everybody in.

I also particularly love the holidays because I have a huge family, and pretty much only get to see all of them at once spanning from Thanksgiving to Christmas. And generally at my family's get togethers, we all tend to get a little dressed up for the occasion. However, the outfit in this post was not worn for a family affair of mine, but it was actually worn to attend a dinner cruise on Pittsburgh’s Gateway Clipper. But before heading to the docks to board the boat, I made a pit stop at Old Economy Village to take some photos on their beautifully decorated grounds.

Fashionably Festive

The reason why I chose this gorgeous lace dress from StyleWe for my outing on the Gateway Clipper is because the dinner cruise itself was a black tie affair, so I felt that this dress was a perfect choice due to its chic and modern nature. However, though this dress is a bit more on the modern side, it also has a very elegant and classic feel to it as well. So, when faced with a decision of what to wear to a swanky dinner party, this dress gives you the best of both worlds, which is a total win in my book!

As I mentioned earlier, this dress is from my lovely sponsor and affiliate StyleWe, and though I have talked about them loads on here before, just for my new readers, I will give you a quick run down. StyleWe is an online clothing retailer specializing in women's clothing. And though they do sell some more casual pieces, their main focus is on business, evening, and cocktail attire. Personally, if you have a formal affair to attend, or are looking for some new dress clothes for the office, I would suggest shopping with them because they have a fabulous selection of clothes and a variety of unique designers. And since they have some many unique designers, you are guaranteed to have a fresh and stylish look no matter what the occasion.

And this dress is no different in the unique department. Though everyone I met at the dinner party was fabulously dressed, there was definitely no one there wearing anything remotely similar to this piece, which was great because who wants to ever look the same as someone else? The dress itself also holds up to StyleWe's pristine standards. Much like every other piece I have modeled and reviewed for StyleWe, this garment is incredibly well made. The under slip of the dress is polyester so it has a semi-satin feel making it very comfortable. And the outer shell, lace portion of the dress is actually quite thick and heavy which is great, because this will help keep the dress fro getting snagged or torn. This garment is also true to size and fit me perfectly.

To style this beautiful lace dress, I decided to go with classic accessories and jewelry due to the nature of the event. Since this dinner cruise was black tie, I did want to go overboard on jewelry, or add a pop of color by wearing colored pumps, so I went the one hundred percent classic route: some plain gold hoops, a simple gold bracelet, a small evening bag, and my black Kate Spade heels. These accessories were practical and kept me looking classically chic for the dinner party.

Lastly, to complete my classic evening look, I decided to have my hair done in a simple twist, thank you to my local beauty salon, The Cut Company, located in Baden, Pennsylvania, and paired it with some simple makeup. The makeup I chose to use for the occasion was my classic bareMinerals kit, my Maybelline City Minis palette, and my Kat Von D lip liner and lipstick. The reason I chose such a neutral palette is because I really wanted stick with a classic, sophisticated feel. And though I do love bold makeup looks, I just felt it wouldn't be right for this occasion.

One Last Look

What looks are you styling for your swanky holiday events? I'd love to hear about them! So, let's chat in the comments below or you can tweet me about it at @StarkRavingChic. Have a fabulous holiday party look you just need to show off? Feel free to tag me in your Instagram story at @StarkRavingChic. Later, dolls.

Xx, Bree