The best Holiday dress for the chic hostess.
Let's get on our 31!
Oh… Is that not an expression…?! Well in French, “to be on your 31.” (“Être sur son 31.”) means: « to be dressed up ». 31 stands for December 31st; New Years Eve! The evening of glitzy outfits!!! New Years Eve is by far, my favorite day to dress up! But between Thanksgiving, Hannukah, Christmas, our anniversary and the kids birthday within December and January, a little fancy-dress-shopping was in order. My focus stays on feminity and elegance but I also want to be cozy. It’s cold in the Hudson Valley!!! I love a garment that shows simple sophistication. A pretty piece on its own.
I purchased two dresses at TJMaxx in November; my go-to store for their variety and price range. I was initially over the moon about each of them! Neither were perfectly cozy AND elegant but at that price ($29 each!) I wasn’t going to be too picky…
This dress appealed to me right away! It looked warm and had a chic gold zipper detail.
I think this dress t is quite chic but it needs work… With not much eye appeal in the front, I’d want to add interest with a nicer belt. It also needs to be taken in 2 inches… The right length can add elegance.
This dress is no longer available on the website but you may like this Frenchly Picked style;
Pretty red dress for the Holidays
A word of caution; Red is unforgiving and will bring out your blemishes. I would reserve wearing red for good-skin-days.
This black wool dress (also from TJ Maxx) is oh-so-cozy and warm but I wasn’t expecting the slit to come so high… A detail that renders it unwearable it in the daytime… Overall, I would have preferred no slit and 2 inches shorter. I may try to turn this dress into a sweater by the end of winter…
Currently out of stock but here is the link to;
the best little black dress this winter! Continue reading to see my tips!
Third time is the charm! I finally found The Best Winter Dress! It’s so soft and luxurious, I love it so much! Currently on sale at Nordstrom for $63, this dress is everything I was looking for; quality, comfort, elegance and simplicity. So chic and elegant!
Here are a few simple ways to bring a little black dress to the next level.
-go big with the earrings.
-wear the highest heels you can walk with (stay tuned for my future post on walking elegantly with heels!)
-accessorize with gold or silver
-add a belt
-put your hair up in a loose bun
-wear red or flashy lipstick
-carry a coordinated (not matchy) purse
-pair it with a scarf (See my post on scarves)
Did you know…?
Spoons can dress up too!
So you’ve spent too much time getting ready and now you only have a few minutes before your guests arrive? With only a few key ingredients on hand that keep fairly long in the fridge, you are sure to earn hostess points!!!
We are staying in the fancy and chic category with these very easy hors d’oeuvres. These porcelain spoons are a timeless amuse-bouche you can serve to impress your guests. No cooking or experience required! My mom used to make these when I was little and they are still my go-to…
Guests make one bite of them so you will need to pay close attention to your proportions according to your taste. I personally go a little heavy on the caviar and lemon!
Ingredients: Quality smoked salmon, Boursin, heavy cream, caviar, lemon, dill, pepper.
In a small bowl you will need to prepare a cheese mixture of Boursin and cream, mixed with a fork just until you have a light, but not liquid consistency (think soft peaks). Add freshly cracked pepper.
Cut the thinnest slice of a washed lemon and then each quarter again. Each piece should be very small as to not overpower the rest.
Lay a small folded piece of high quality smoke salmon on the spoon. Enough for a small bite.
With the handle of a spoon (or a piping bag), lay some cheese mixture, caviar and lemon piece.
Truthfully, I had no dill on hand when I took the picture but that little touch of green does change everything!
Here is where you can buy the beautiful porcelain spoons;
I hope you enjoyed today’s blog post! Next week, I will talk about the most practiced and very fun French ritual.