Holiday Dressing

Though the turkeys are not yet in the oven and the mercury hovers in the 50's, the holiday invites are beginning to collage the fridge and thus the season has arrived. For the first holiday season post-baby, I knew a closet overhaul (part 2) would be in order. The size 0 go-to LBD is no longer a good, dear friend, but rather an unflattering frenemy. Bridesmaids dresses lingering in the background are ready for their next home.

With a smaller budget than the usual holiday shopping spree would be allocated (Tucker is the proud owner of many new winter treats- Ralph Lauren classic cable sweater and overalls for thanksgiving, cashmere argyle vest with fine wale cords for Christmas) I have to re-imagine the party dress. I own a cream silk tank with black lace applique, that's probably even more on target now than last fall when I bought it at Scoop. That can pair with a fitted black silk tulip skirt that was a steal from Ann Taylor at $68 (reduced from $119)! Pants can do evening (love this skinny pair from Rachel Zoe at Intermix), if they have the right heels (a re-do of the classic black peep toe from Michael Kors) to support their night out. And an LBD doesn't have to be black at all-sapphire blue, grey and even red are good options (like this under $100 score from Loft).

The silver lining to the economic tumble is the steep discounts and routine promos you can count on each week, brand-wide. I haven't enjoyed such prices since my days as a buyer (which still make it difficult to fork over $150 for a J.Crew bauble bib necklace when the industry standard 75% IMU (mark up) lingers in my mind). I'm sure the black Friday deals will be epic, but I've never had the stomach for a buffet, let alone shopping in hoards (someone booked our nanny to be at their house at 4am to watch the little ones while they take to the malls. I'd rather wear polyester in the summer). Happy shopping!