What to Wear to a Casual Holiday Party

What to wear to a casual holiday party is harder to decipher than James Brown lyrics. Women's magazines don't help. Most of us don't get invited to full-on galas or swanky cocktail parties in trendy restaurants. For most of us, it's shrimp cocktail, egg nog, and holiday cookies and punch at a friend or neighbor's house.

My formula for such occaisions is as follows: sparkle + something casual + heels = holiday magic. Here are some examples:

It has the sparkle a woman needs for holiday events, jeans to stay comfortable and a pop of color to keep the outfit interesting. You could always substitute the heels for jeweled or jewel-toned flats if the notion of wearing stilettos for an entire evening is unbearable.

This is outfit is trickier and a little harder to pull off. But the pants are slouchy, giving you enough room for an extra piece of pie.  The t-shirt and blazer are casual enough to offset the sparkliness of the pants. The shoe-booties are just plain adorable. If the pants are too much, you could always swap them out for jeans and include a sparkly necklace. May I suggest....

So that's it. That's my advice for what to wear to a casual holiday gathering. Happy Holidays!

Disney Digs in its Archive for a New Clothing Collection

Disney unveiled a new line of luxury apparel based on never-seen-before concept art from the “It’s a Small World” attraction, according to Fast Company.

The magazine’s design blog reported that the new Disney clothing line for parents and toddlers will range from $18 to $56. More expensive items such as the Petunia Pickle Bottom Diaper Bag will go for $168. Items will be sold exclusively through Nordstrom starting in spring 2011.



Image: Fast Company



The designs are based on a series of artworks by Mary Blair that taken together formed the artistic blueprint for the Small World ride. Blair, one of Walt Disney’s personal favorites, is best known for the coloring of the Peter Pan, Cinderella, and Alice in Wonderland movies, Fast Company reports.



Image: Fast Company



Blair created collages using paint and other media that served as tableaus for the ride’s set. Each features elements of a country’s visual identity such as shamrocks, rolling hills, and stone castles for Ireland and “rustic garnet and amber tones” and a bull to distinguish Spain.

The clothing line will highlight only one country’s traditional color palette each season. For example, Japan’s “beautiful cherry blossoms, butterflies and buttery pastel shades will work perfectly for spring styles.” India, Scotland, and Russia will be featured in the summer, fall, and holiday push, respectively.

Banana Republic Offers Free Shipping for Orders of $50 or More

Banana Republic today announced they are offering free shipping on any order over $50. There is also free shipping and returns on purchases from Piperlime, an affiliate company.

This is great news! Shipping prices can range from anywhere from $5 to $15 or more, depending on the order. Costs can also ruin a good deal.

Let's say you ordered a $100 sweater for 25 percent off. After taxes and shipping, your discount hasn't added up to very much.

J Crew is the worst shipping offender. They've charged as much as $12 to $17 for shipping. In the guise of a sale, they have offered free shipping for orders of $125 or more. Who wants to pay $125 just for free shipping. It's ridiculous and I'm glad that someone (Banana Republic) has gotten the message that free shipping is valuable purchasing incentive.

Kudos to Banana Republic for understanding what their customers want. May the shopping begin!

Caroline Glam Movie Review -- For Colored Girls

For Colored Girls, Tyler Perry’s latest movie starring a constellation of African American actresses, was one of the most poignant and depressing films I’ve ever seen.

Tackling issues such as rape, abortion, domestic violence, and infanticide, the movie is based on Ntozake Shange’s 1975 choreoplay For Colored Girls Who Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf.

In the face of such somber themes, it may seem superficial to talk about the costumes. Spoiler alert – who can think about what the character was wearing as her babies are being thrown out the window? However, the play features chromatically differentiated women (brown, yellow, purple, red, green, blue, and orange) whose stories of “dark phases of womanhood” are seemingly disjointed yet woven together.

Costume underscores the interior geography of the characters and the journey they take throughout the movie.

The best-dressed character was Jo/Red, played by Janet Jackson, who is at her most chilling as a brittle, haughty magazine editor, a la Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada.

Red belies the passion in Jo’s life, whether it’s the red roses her husband sends as yet another apology or the red soles of her towering Christian Louboutin heels. Her elegant, architectural, mostly black dresses, are everything you might imagine a high-powered magazine editor to wear.

Anika Noni Rose’s character, Yasmine, begins the movie in bright, yellow, cheerful clothes that match her personality before transitioning to a deeper, more somber marigold as her life take a tragic turn.

Kimberly Elise’s character, Crystal, is dressed in brown. As Jo’s beleaguered assistant, Crystal, she seems more grounded of the two. But then as she deals with domestic violence and its terrible consequences, Crystal seems to lose touch with reality and the responsibility she bears in the circumstances of her life.

Only one female character, Gilda, played by Phylicia Rashad, isn’t associated with a color. But Gilda often acts as the wise woman and connective tissue holding the disparate stories together.

At its best, costumes have the ability to illuminate, inspire and inform the viewer. Oscars for best costume often go to the showiest, grandest period pieces. But For Colored Girls illustrates there is beauty and  simplicity in the everyday rainbow.

Carolina Glam Book Review: The Fashion File – Advice, Tips, and Inspiration from the Costume Designer of Mad Men

I bought this book on a whim. My relationship with the television show Mad Men is ambiguous at best. I own the first season on DVD, loaned it to my friend Derwin, and never got it back. I haven’t watched subsequent seasons.

However, the clothes are divine and have influenced everyone from Michael Kors to the designers at Banana Republic. So, I was more than a little curious about a book that promised to reveal the show’s costume secrets.  

The Fashion File by Janie Bryant, the show’s costume designer, did not disappoint. The book illustrated how a woman could cultivate herself as a leading lady – whether she is a Joan, Betty or Peggy – using elements such as color, body shape, and vintage clothing and accessories. Even if you, like I, did not fall comfortably into any of these character types, Fashion File included many helpful tips on developing signature style.

15 Minutes of Fame

Kate Moss is preparing to unveil her last collection for Topshop. Three and a half years ago, the partnership between the supermodel and the British retailer was heralded with much fanfare with crowds snaking around the block and teenage girls and young women with disposable income foaming in full-blown “Moss Mania”.

Tastes have changed, even if Moss’s bohemian rocker aesthetic has not. As fashion houses like Celine and Chloe move toward clean, simple lines, Moss remained true to her rocker chic roots. In this, Moss seems to have ignored the secret to her fame. She was always on the cutting edge of what women wanted to wear. By refusing to innovate, Moss stagnated.



Photo Credit: The Independent Newspaper



However, that’s the reality of celebrity designers who attempt to turn their 15 minutes of fame into a full-blown hour. With the exception of the Olsen sisters, whose The Row and Elizabeth and James lines have done exceptionally well, most celebrity designers have a sell-by date. The moment passes where one wants to smell like Jenny-from-the-block or pick the children up from school in tight-fitting, high-waisted dresses a la Victoria Beckham.



The Row Fall 2010



Nevertheless, there is a reason White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor remains among the top-selling perfumes and Jessica Simpson’s brand is worth more than $400 million. Their key to success is selling, not fantasies of themselves, but what real women want.

Note to future self

Today, I got a glimpse of what I wanted to look like. I went to a local Ann Taylor to find an outfit to wear during the election results. Win or lose, I want to look like a polished, pulled-together, powerful woman.

Millicent, the world's greatest stylist and salesperson, put me through a variety of paces -- winter white, red, black, mauve, and gray. Most of it seemed pretty "meh" until I found this suit. I paired it with a shirt in a similar color and a gorgeous necklace.

Unfortunately, the whole outfit, including the shoes, would have cost about $500. So I bought the shirt and the necklace and decided to save to buy the suit. I also saved 20 percent off each piece as a result of the promotion they are running.

Clothes don't make the woman, but they sure do make me feel better.