10 under $100 for the Holidays - Party Dresses

Christmas has rolled around once again and for many of us, this time usually comes with invites to plenty of cocktail parties and Christmas dinners. If you're going to get through all your holiday events in style (and with your sanity intact), a fabulous cocktail dress is a definite must-have for the season.

We ladies all have different holiday dress personalities - some of us like to be the centre of attention while others prefer to have a more subtle party presence.

The 10 lovely dresses I've listed below cater to both personality types and are well below $100! Budget-friendly and stylish options because you've all been great girls this year - you deserve it ;)

BOLD AND FLIRTY

Ochre Draped Slinky Dress

Price: UK£17.00 (US$26.40)

Printed One Shoulder Dress

Price: US$53.94

2b Velvet Drape Dress
Price: US$49.95

Closet Pink Gathered Drape Dress

Price: UK£30.00 (US$46.89)

Strapless Party Dress
Price: US$23.80

DEMURE AND ROMANTIC

ASOS Embellished Waist Drape One Shoulder Dress
Price: UK£38.00 (US$59.00)

Ivory Tower Cream Dress
Price: US$34.00

Sleeveless Sequin Ballerina Dress
Price: US$24.99

All Over Lace Pleated Bust Tube Dress
Price: UK£34.50 (US$53.57)

Ruffle Shoulder Dress
Price: US$31.47

Guest Blogger Feature - '5 under $50 for Spring' by Couture Carrie

Since early 2008, ultra-fabulous fashion blogger, Couture Carrie has been thrilling us with her daily trend reports and abundant selections of inspirational photos from the runways as well as online retail stores. Now, here to help us get ready for Spring, CC has listed below her top five fashion picks under $50 for the season.



Thanks to Danz for being a blogging inspiration and inviting CC as the first Guest Star in this series of posts!

For Spring, darlings, CC suggests whimsy, color, retro glamour, and an adventurous spirit. Here are CC's five picks for fab fashions under $50:

1.

American Apparel Unisex Oversized See Thru T Shirt
Price: US$32.00

CC loves this versatile piece as a belted tunic, a swingy dress (just layer it over an AA tube dress, and be sure to roll up the sleeves to show off those shoulders), or as a chic beach cover-up. Get it in basic black or experiment with some of the 80s-throwback brights that designers are championing for Spring!

2.

Victoria's Secret Shadow Dot Bikini
Price: US$37.00

CC absolutely adores VS bikinis, and the price is right on this one; not to mention that polka dots are the ultimate in retro chic for Spring. Just witness all the fab dotted swimsuits at Michael Kors!

3.

Alexander McQueen for Target Tiger Print Shift Dress
Price: US$44.99

The pieces in McQueen's collection for Target are sure to be collector's items, and CC loves this one for its unique design - remember that patterned dresses are hot for Spring - and its flirty length. Accessorize with last year's gladiators or #5 below!

4.

Delia's Morgan Low-Rise Skinny Jean
Price: US$49.50

CC loves the acidwash and shredded denim trends, but how about something a little cheerier for the warmer weather? Coral and lemon yellow are big this season, and these skinnies are just so fun!

5.

Forever 21 Fringe Open Toe Boots
Price: US$34.80

Leave it to Forever 21 to knock off the season's hottest trends - the open toed bootie and the fringed sandal. This hybrid is the perfect transitional pair to take you from late winter through Spring. Show off those mile long legs by donning these booties with a micro mini or some of Spring's fabulous Alexander Wang-inspired rolled shorts!



Be sure to tune in to Couture Carrie beginning on Monday for CC's ABCs of Spring.

xoxox,

CC


Thanks CC for those stylish and budget-friendly tips for Spring!

Also, I'd like to remind U.S residents that there are five days left to enter to win a Rachel Leigh Sex and the City-inspired Studded Belt from Chickdowntown. Click here or on the banner in the sidebar to submit your entry or for more details!

Shouldering the weight

Whether they're on a NFL linebacker, King Kong or even on Alexis Carrington from Dynasty, big shoulders usually conjure up ideas of power and intimidation.

photos courtesy a.bebo.com, black-magic.co.nz and flickr.com

When I was younger, I completely despised my mother's 80s career jackets which had incredibly huge shoulder pads (or so they seemed at the time - everything looks ginormous when you're five years old). I vowed that when I grew up, I would never wear anything that would accentuate my shoulders like that.

Now that I'm older and a bit wiser, I realize the problem was not the shoulders themselves, but the fact that, a lot of the time, they were featured on big, shapeless jackets in stiff fabrics that had no sex appeal whatsoever. Sexiness was not something career women in the 80s wanted to convey as they desired to have a commanding presence and be taken seriously in the male-dominated workplace.

These days, we ladies don't need little gimmicks like this to prove how powerful and fierce we are...but we sometimes like to do it anyway.

There has been a resurgence of bold shoulders recently (as is the case with most, if not all, 80s styles these past few seasons) and designers such as Balmain, Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs and Jean Paul Gaultier showed looks featuring structured shoulders in their Fall 2008 collections.

photos courtesy style.com

This season, big shoulders are combined with more tailored silhouettes for a look that's no longer outdated and intimidating but rather modern and fabulous.

Celebrities who have jumped on the 'bold shoulder' bandwagon include Natalie Portman, Ashley Olsen and Anne Hathaway (who has been seen in this look on many occasions).

photos courtesy justjared.com and forums.superiorpics.com

If you think this is a great look for you, check out these toned down but still lovely options below.

BCBGMAXAZARIA Short Sleeve Woven Top
Price: US$59.97

Gingham Check Dress
Price: UK£28.00 (US$43.87)



Floral Print Jacket
Price: US$30.00



Taffeta Puff Sleeve Blouse
Price: US$48



ASOS Puff Sleeve Dress
Price: UK £18.00 (US$28.80)



Stripe Sweater Dress w Puff Sleeves
Price: US$24.00



Purple Leopard Tie Neck Top
Price: US$34.90



Balloon Shirred Sleeve Blouse
Price: US$52.20

_____________________________________________________________________________

Thanks so much for all your lovely and supportive comments on the post below. Glad you all liked the illustrations - more to come! I'm still working hard on my final projects (hence the longer-than-usual absence) but as I said, I'm not gone forever. Keep checking up on the blog because I'll try to post at least once every one or two weeks.

Also, this is long overdue, but the wonderful blogger Letitia of Becoming Jane interviewed me for her blog! Sorry I took so long girl! You all can check it out here (no direct link to article, scroll down to post #10).

Oh yeah, I also wanted to let you guys know that I'm planning to start a little store that would be an extension of the Fatal Attraction 2 Fashion blog. It will offer mostly secondhand clothing and accessories - all stylish and affordable, of course! I should hopefully have everything sorted before the end of the year so I'll let you know when the items are available for purchase.

Grey's Desirability

As far as wardrobe staples go, I've covered both black and white. Now it's time to shine the fashion spotlight on the gorgeous shades of grey in between.

This moody neutral colour is far from dull this season as it's showing up in many shades on tons of trendy clothing styles.

Even though my love for grey may not be as extreme as this, I'm still craving a few grey items right now - specifically boots and bags - to add to my wardrobe.

Grey is powerful enough to stand on its own but I think it looks even better when it's paired with brighter colours like pink, purple or yellow.

Below are some chic grey clothing and accessories for your consideration.

Back Linen Dress
Price: US$34.00

Gray Drawstring Chain Tote
Price: US$36.99
(use code FFATTRACTION at checkout for 10% discount)

HAMAK Side Zip Jacket
Price: US$42.99

Breckelle Grace-26 Ankle Boot Gray
Price: US$19.99

Grey Lurex Tier Cami
Price: UK £20.00 (US$34.66)

Cropped Capelet
Price: US$38.00

Grey/White Tulle Pleat Skirt
Price: US$22.00

Pointelle Scarf
Price: US$10.80

ASOS Grey Stud Detail Skinny Jeans
Price: UK £28.00 (US$48.60)

Like it or not? - JAIRO Zip-Up Corset Halter Dress

Exposed zippers are one of the biggest fashion trends of the season and for good reason. They're hot!

Zippers are no longer just a functional piece of hardware, they also serve as a stylish embellishment for clothing. Exposed zippers were first seen on the 2007 runways of Lanvin, Derek Lam and Chloé and they are still as, or even more, popular a year later.

I came across this black halter dress with exposed zipper front and while I think the dress looks cool from far, closer inspection reveals a texture that reminds me a lot of a papier mache craft project and that turns me off. Aside from this negative, however, I think the dress is quite cute and sexy!

JAIRO Zip-Up Corset Halter Dress
Price: US$27.99

What do you think? Hot dress or cheap craft project?

What I got - Retro Floral Dress, White Blazer and more

It's been quite a while since I've had a successful thrift hunt but I got lucky last weekend and scored a few great items.

First up is this 50s/60s style abstract floral print dress that I bought from a garage sale last weekend for BDS$6.


Note: US$1 = BDS$2




To be honest, it didn't look very impressive when I first picked it up but I liked the colours and the print so I decided I would buy it anyway. However, it soon began to grow on me on the ride home and when I finally tried it on, it was instant love! The style is so cute and retro - it reminds me of those gorgeous dresses worn on Mad Men.

I could never wear these gloves and tights during the day in Barbados but I'm not going anywhere today and I love dressing up so I thought "why not?"

I also got this awesome white blazer from the same sale for BDS$8. Unfortunately, it's a little tight when I button it but I love it so I'll probably just wear it open.




I went to another sale the same day and got the two bags below. The first one is a black oversized clutch that I bought for BDS$5. It has a really beautiful relief design on the flap that isn't obvious unless you look at it closely.
.



The other bag I got is this cool denim fringed Miss Sixty bag that also cost BDS$5. I've wanted a fringed purse for a long time but another reason why is love this one is because of the brilliant woven detail on the flap.




This last item is not a garage sale purchase but a bargain buy nonetheless. I ordered these amazing pewter caged heels from the Urban Original Ebay Store for US$10.49. I don't usually wear shoes this high so it's going to take some practice walking in them, especially because of the thin heel, but I think I'll get the hang of it eventually. I don't think this shoe style is still in stock but if you're interested in checking out more of their stuff, they also have a website you can visit.

Fashion Inspiration - Pure Plaidness

Plaid is yet another trend to be resurrected this fall season and it's back in a big way. Generally associated with the rebellious grunge era in the '90s or traditional Scottish clothing, plaid is making a break from these fashion stereotypes to become a chic and trendy pattern anyone can wear.

This striking cross-hatched pattern is versatile as it can made even more dynamic by using bold hues and dramatic tonal contrasts or toned down with subtle, sophisticated colours. Depending on the look of the item, plaid may propose a diverse array of style options including youthful, classic, quirky, elegant, edgy or casual.

Models strutted down the Fall 2008 runways of Badgley Mischka, House of Holland, D&G and Sass & Bide clad in stylish, attention-grabbing plaid garments.

photos courtesy style.com and nymag.com

Jessica Szohr of Gossip Girl looked cool and casual in a plaid button-down at a Dazed and Confused magazine party last week while her co-star Taylor Momsen was dressed in a cute plaid dress on the set of their show. Diane Kruger wore a plaid tie-neck blouse to Tommy Hilfiger's Spring 2009 show and Rihanna wore a plaid ruffle front top with a white vest while out shopping with UK singer Duffy.

photos courtesy uk.popsugar.com, justjared.com and forum.santabanta.com

Some of the greatest fashion inspirations come from real people who are photographed by various street style blogs around the world. The great thing about this pattern is that it's gender-neutral so both girls and guys can work their favourite plaid pieces with style and confidence.

photos courtesy facehunter.blogspot.com, styleclicker.net, saopaulostyle.blogspot.com,
damstyle.blogspot.com, thefashionist.se, thesartorialist.blogspot.com
and the-intersection.blogspot.com

As many of you may already know, Chictopia is also a fantastic source of real life fashion inspiration. These Chictopia girls utilize different plaid items to effectively express their fabulous, individual senses of style.

photos courtesy chictopia.com/user/blog/kirstylee, chictopia.com/user/blog/jmdarda, chictopia.com/user/blog/Snowshoe, chictopia.com/user/blog/rose01545, chictopia.com/user/blog/jfehrenbacher and chictopia.com/user/blog/taghrid.

Jump on the plaid-wagon this fall with these gorgeous and affordable items below.


Click on name of item to go to product page.

Tommy Hilfiger Runaway Clutch
Price: US$28.56

Romy Plaid Vest
Price: US$32.00

Plaid Shortie Sock
Price: US$4.99

Plaid Fleece Cape
Price: US$39.99

Navy and Beige Tweed Plaid Hair Flower
Price: US$10.00

Go International® Jumper Red Plaid
Price: US$39.99

Andrea Plaid Pashmina Scarf in Blue and Green
Price: US$13.00



Buffalo Plaid Blouse
Price: US$34.00

Plaid Buckle Flat
Price: US$22.50

Plaid shirred-yoke skirt
Price: US$32.99

Update - Fabulous fashion blogger, Couture Carrie also did a great post on the plaid trend, more specifically bias plaid! She rounds up some inspirational photos of bias plaid on the Fall 2008 and Spring 2009 runways, ad campaigns and various other sources. Check it out!