I love the holidays.  With a career that dictates business holiday engagements and my social butterfly friends,  it all adds up to one very busy holiday season.   Needless to say, this requires a bit of planning on the fashion front.   And I’m always up for fashion planning – I know that comes as a surprise to those of you who know me…Me, planning and fashion.

Holiday fashion planning includes perusing my favorite stores and catalogs for my latest and greatest Holiday Season acquisition.  Because like no other time of year, the Holiday Season screams for the sumptuous, the statement-worthy, bling, velvet, lace and all of those fabulous outfits that most of us who don’t walk the red carpet on a regular basis seldom get to wear January through November.

Even if I’m not buying, I love to walk the stores during the holidays for inspiration.  The clothes…and the jewelry..and the shoes!  I better lock away my credit cards because I’m beginning to have shopping drool drip on my laptop-NO BUENO!

Well, I wanted to share some of my fashion obsessions for the 2009 Holiday Season to give you some inspiration:

Cocktail Rings: I love bling and I’m obsessed with Tony Duquette’s aquamarine and amethyst creations.  Bulgari as always has rings that I drool over and Chanel has bling to sing for.  Not your price point?  Hit up Swarovski for the priced-within-reach variety and those of you readers who are my clients, call me and I’ll help you find the most divine cocktail rings.

Liz Palacios at Nordstrom

Necklaces:  As you know, I’m obsessed with pearls.  My Achilles heel being May Yeung Jewelry and Claudia Endler Designs (don’t think that Claudia Endler Designs pearl necklace from earlier this month isn’t on my Christmas list).  Some of other favorites, Nordstrom’s has a Liz Palacios floral filigree statement necklace that’s to die for.  Worn with a cocktail ring and a black velvet shift you’ll channel so much Chanel that you may start speaking French.  And of course I’m drooling over Chopard’s 255-ruby and 57-carat diamond necklace.  Unless my husband and I become Bonnie and Clyde it’s so not going to take up residence in my jewelry wardrobe, but I can dream and I can be inspired to find something similar at Banana Republic – I am a woman on a mission!

Chopard Ruby & Diamond Necklace

Shoes: Loving the funky, sexy and over-the-top shoes these days.  Favorites include Guess by Marciano’s cage sandal, Stella McCartney’s disco-inspired gold sandals and Louis Vuitton’s Coquette and Cancan styles.

Louis Vuitton Coquette Pump

Cost-effective alternatives: Use high fashion designers for inspiration and hit up H&M, Forever 21, Banana Republic, Bebe, The Limited and Loehmann’s.  They may not have everything you want, but if you are willing to think outside of the box you’ll find interesting pieces to make your 2009 Holiday Season outfits truly festive.

Happy Holidays All!

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The goal of this blog is to dispel that twisted feeling of dread in your stomach that you get when you realize that you have a business holiday party to attend after work and then yet another holiday party with your friends after that.  Now why would someone experience dread at the thought of having fun with colleagues and friends over the holidays?  Well, if you live in L.A. there’s no godly way that you’re going to be able to drive home from work to change for a party, drive to your work-related party and then do the same thing over again for the party with your friends.  Actually, this is virtually impossible in any city!

So, I’m here to help dispel that feeling of dread.  In three easy steps I can help you change your outfit from work, to business holiday party, to personal holiday party.

1.  The Work Look:  Wear a shift.  Look for something simple and classic and if you want to make it super easy, black.  Think little black dress with an appropriate hemline for work – This isn’t the time to show off your gams starting at mid-thigh if you know what I mean.  Throw on a chic jacket, sweater or whatever will cover your shoulders that is appropriate for your work environment.  Personally I’m a big fan of the statement fitted jacket in a color that contrasts nicely with the little black dress.  Wear day appropriate makeup – aka put together but not screaming “look at me”.  Depending on your work environment, throw on some layered chains or a subtle pearl necklace.   Complete your look with a statement bag and nicely-turned out heels.

Piazza Sempione Dress

2.  The Work Holiday Party:  Retouch your makeup.  You can get away with a more pronounced look but don’t go for the “I’m hitting the club after this party” look.  Change your jewelry to a statement piece.  Think long Coco Chanel pearls looped around three times.  Personally I’m a huge favorite of these stunners by Claudia Endler Designs - gorgeous modern and contemporary interpretation of the classic. 

Claudia Endler Designs Pearl Necklace

Emitations Ring

Take off the work jacket and go for a hot, fitted leather jacket that ends at your waist.  Not your look?  Wear a wrap to keep the cold away, you’ll be taking it off at the party anyhow.  Shoes, here’s another shot to go sexy.  Go strappy or go stacked heels – just go with statement. 

Christian Louboutin Ernesta Sandal

All three looks can be prepared the night before, just drop the component into your stylish tote or leather overnighter (I do hope you have one, yes?) and you are ready to rock-n-roll.

Happy Holidays Chicas! Party Safely and With Style!

Since I can remember, it’s been a ritual before going to sleep to ask myself the question, “What am I going to wear?” And if I didn’t plan it out the night before then it was the same question in the morning, which brings me to not only what we wear but “who” we wear.  By “who” I mean the designer of course.   For instance, let’s take the red carpet.  Envision a plush red carpet ignited with paparazzi flashes and celebrities sauntering down with an air of exalted confidence only to be asked the brilliant and buzzing question, “Who are you wearing?”  We are now not only wearing animals, but people. Well, the names of people but people nonetheless or more accurately, their brand.  It’s all about who you wear these days, so much so that the basic rules of dressing seem to have been left behind.

Do we care more about what we are wearing or who we are wearing? If you subscribe to the latter, and you’re a “Labelista”, think outside the box when dressing and accessorizing.   The “leave some things to the imagination” motto of our mothers’ day holds true.  When it comes to designer clothing and accessories you don’t need to be so obvious and flashy.  Unless you are getting paid to wear these labels, there is no use in being a walking advertisement.  So how do you keep your designer labels and leave things to the imagination? If you’re shelling out cash for some designer shoes, skip Gucci’s monogram pumps and peep the red sole of some Christian Louboutins. These baby’s are gorgeous, classic pumps and unmistakably designer.  The red sole says it all without saying anything.

Another option, mix high- and low-end designers-This fall, ditch the Burberry trench for an H&M coat. Pair it with Louboutin pumps complete with a-not-so-obvious designer bag like the Marc Jacobs “Stam” and Voila! You stay loyal to your designers without yelling “LABELS!”

Most of us don’t walk the red carpet and Melissa Rivers isn’t asking us who you’re wearing. Like mama said “Leave things to the imagination”.

Poor flip flops.  They have gotten such a bad reputation.  But certainly a well-deserved one when you consider what you see people wear out on the streets.  Icky, dirty flip flops that look like Lassie has chewed on for fun.  Or flip flops that look like they’ve been on a trek in the Himalayas.  It’s no wonder that the average Fashionista turns her nose up at the flip flop. 

Well thank God for us Fashionistas, designers such as Tory Burch, Cole Haan and Stuart Weitzman have come to our rescue (but not necessarily to the rescue of our pocketbooks, these babies ain’t cheap). 

Stuart Weitzman Bloom Jelly Thong

Tory Burch Flip Flop

Cole Haan Lindsey Thong

Though flip flops aren’t appropriate for many occasions, when they are, then you may as well look hot wearing them.  Plus, if they’ve sufficient padding, they are much more comfortable than leather thongs (aka flip flops, not the underwear my dear).

While doing some personal shopping and styling with a client this past week I decided to test drive as many flip flops as possible.  The above are just a few of  my favorites for the Summer.  

Other adorable options that are so channeling the 80’s are jellies.  Yep.  They are back and they are hot.  I loved them as a kid and I love them now.  Tory Burch has especially cute jellies that are great for looking chic when those Summer rainstorms come along.  Which is so not likely to happen in city of drought – aka Los Angeles.  Which means I need to skip an L.A.  ”staycation” and head out to Miami Beach.

Tory Burch Jelly Reva Flat

Okay.  I admit that I’m one of those fashion-obsessed women who just doesn’t mind wearing high heels.  Not only do I not mind, I revel in wearing heels and I strive to not show the occasional searing pain that they can cause.  Which is highly amusing to my fiancée who just shakes his head (while thanking God he doesn’t ‘t have to wear heels).

Along with handbags, I’m just in love with heels.  I mean what a great way to add zing to an outfit.  Sleek, sophisticated black suit and then WHAM add some hot shoes and you’ve taken your outfit from the office to out on the town!  Well, to my intense satisfaction the shoe that is surprisingly comfortable is back and it’s back in a good way not in a bad way.

Kelsi Dagger Joanna Platform

It is my belief that the most comfortable heel is the platform heel.  Porque, you ask (high school Spanish coming back to you)?  Well, because you’ve a good 1/2 to 1 inch between the concrete and the oh-so-sensitive balls of your feet.  Call it impromptu shock absorbers, but they look good!  Oh, and for those of you petite chicas, it also adds a good amount of height.

So this last week, I had a crazy-long week of events where I had to gallivant in high heels from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m.  And I am so thanking my lucky stars that I found these awesome Kenneth Cole platforms (pictured below but mine are in a lovely sunflower yellow with caramel accents).  With the exception of one night where I had to slip on a slinky stiletto, my platforms kept me going all week with minimal pain.  And you know me…I go!  I mean I’m walking a few blocks in my heels, running up and down stairs, etc.  My current favorites include Kelsi Dagger, Kenneth Cole Reaction, Michael Kors and Aldo.

Kenneth Cole Reaction Chip Mall Platform

Mind you, platforms are not for every occasion, but with the current trends they do seem to work for most occasions.  So if you want to indulge in high heels, this personal stylist (aka me) recommends that you give platforms a shot.

Oh and another tip for wearing heels – Look for booties, mary jane styles or anything that straps around your ankle.  The less your foot has to work at keeping the shoe on, the more comfortable it will be.