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header party guideGet ready for the Holiday Party Season! Look your best and be party ready and party pretty with this easy holiday party wardrobe guide!
It’s the holiday party season! The most magical time of the year! The time to connect with friends, family, co-workers and clients to celebrate good tidings, holidays and the New Year. Now that you have your invitations that typically include:
• cocktail parties
• dinner parties
• office party
• team dinner
• New Years Eve party
• Christmas Eve gathering
• Christmas Day gathering
• drinks out with girlfriends
• client party

Your next question is: what are you going wear? Does deciding what to wear to your holiday parties sound anything like these 3 scenarios?

1. Scrambling at the last minute to find one or all of the following:
• Where’s my black velvet clutch?
• I was sure had the perfect shoes for this outfit, where are they?
• Didn’t I buy an amazing slinky halter top on sale last Dec.?
• I keep all my black pants together, where are my black, velvet cigarette pants?
• What coat am I going to wear? My sporty down jacket doesn’t compliment my dress! Ugh!

2. You located all the items you want to wear only discover that one or more of the items has an issue:
• Black patent heels need new heel tips!
• Holiday blouse is soiled and needs to be dry cleaned!
• You’ve gained or lost weight and your dress doesn’t fit!
• Your jewelry is dated and doesn’t work with your outfit!

3. Because you got unexpectedly side tracked due to the fact that you could not find an item that is key to your outfit, you had to substitute with something else. Now you’re stressed because you’re late and don’t feel that good about your outfit.

With this simple “holiday party look or outfit” guide you can avoid:
• Stressing about putting together a last minute outfit
• Not being punctual to the party
• Being frazzled upon arrival to your event
• Not feeling comfortable or good about your outfit
• Rushing out at the last minute to buy a “party” piece of clothing or accessory, only to discover later, that you already own a similar item, or that it really wasn’t the best choice

The bottom line is: Every woman, no matter her age wants to look nice, and have an outfit that is appropriate, flattering , comfortable, well assembled and put together. Here is my guide to help you feel well dressed and looking your best during the busy holiday party season! Be party ready and party pretty with these easy steps!

yes (3)1. Get all your parties and events on a calendar or one list / sheet of paper. Make a note of the dress code: casual, dressy, black tie, business, etc.

2. Schedule an hour or 2 at least 1 week in advance of your first party, depending on how extensive your party schedule is and go to your closet and plan out each outfit for each party, head to toe, including handbag, undergarments, and coat or wrap. You must try everything on to make sure the fit and look will work. This exercise will benefit you because:

* You will have time to locate, change up, repair or buy any items needed to complete your outfit.
* Reveal if something has an issue such as:
• Shoes: need polishing or repair
• Blouse or dress: needs cleaning, repair or a button is missing

* Identify if an article of clothing or accessory is ill fitting or worn out and needs to be replaced or substituted. Examples include:
• Blouse, pants, skirt or dress doesn’t fit or is worn out
• Handbag, shoes or jewelry is broken or not worth repairing
• This will give you time to access if you can substitute with another item you already own or if you need to shop for a new one.
• If you need to buy an item, make a list of exactly what you need. This way you can shop on line, at the mall or drop by your local boutiques to find just the right pieces in your budget. Again this will save your time and money and prevent a desperate, last minute purchase on something that you don’t really love, need or is way over your budget.
• If you need to have something cleaned or repaired, put those items in a shopping bag and drop them off at the tailor, dry cleaners, shoe repair or jeweler. Even if things won’t be ready for your party you can still get them remedied for events down the road.

3. As you confirm each outfit for each event, make a list of ALL the items for that “look”. Ask a friend or family member to take a photo of you, on your cell phone, in the outfit or lay the items out on your bed, and photograph it that way. So, this is kind like organizing “looks” for a fashion show. And aren’t you worth a little planning and prepping a la Dolce & Gabbana? My favorite episode of Sex and the City is the one with the fashion show, called “The Real Me”! In it, Carrie is modeling clothing for Dolce & Gabbana in a big fashion show and at the last minute they change her outfit to skimpy, jeweled panties and bra top with a cut away coat! If you have not seen it you can buy it here or find it on YouTube!

IMG_6679IMG_66824. Make a simple hang tag or take a piece of paper  and cut a hole in a corner and label that main article of clothing (dress, or blouse and pants) with the date and name of the party, each article of clothing /accessories for that party and slide the hole over the hook of the hanger so the look is labeled or tagged. For example:

  • LA Magazine Party
  • 12/4
  • business /cocktail attire
  • black cocktail dress /slip/patent sling backs /rhinestone bracelets and earrings/ red clutch/ vintage fur wrap

yes (2)5. Clear a section in your closet that is your “party place”.  Hang and organize the “looks” by date, left to right, or choose an order or system that makes sense for you. Line up the shoes and accessories on a nearby shelf, or in a bin on the floor below the “looks”. You can put jewelry and clutches  in a zip lock bag and shoes in a plastic bag if you are pinched for space to help protect everything.

yes (2) - Copy6. It may be that you will use one item for multiple parties. If this is the case you can start with that item tagged with your first look and then just move it to the next party look where you plan to wear it again.

7. Pro Tip: When in doubt about what to wear, ALWAYS overdress!

8. The main point here, is PLAN AHEAD and organize your wardrobe so that you can easily get dressed and feel great about your outfit!

9. If you need a little help with jewelry or accessories, email me! I am always happy to help you look your best! Or check out my on line store as I have lots of party worthy, splashy jewels available! Click here to shop the Susan Jane collection!

So, there you go! One of the keys to having a fun holiday party season is doing a little planning advance to make getting dressed easy and stress free! Cheers!

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