Holiday Sparkle (All under $100)!

This time of year has me thinking about all kinds of things: snow, family, christmas movies, cozy nights, presents, and most of all festive clothing. Sparkle, velvet, studs, and warm knits are the trends this winter that fall under holiday wear. You can dress up any outfit with a little shine or dress it down for a night in. The best part? You can find some amazing peices without breaking bank! I chose my lookbook items above from Forever21, Urbanoutfitters, 80sPurple.com, TopShop, Free People, and Lulus and they are all under $100. So get in the holiday mood by sporting the lastest styles for less, so that you can sparkle like a christmas tree:)!

My LOOKS

Here are my latest outfits:)

Foral Dresses and Black Romper-H&M; White Cardi-UO; Silver Chain Necklace-F21

RED-CARPET HITS AND MISSES: CMAs

HITS

This year's CMA awards redcarpet was all over the place. There were short dresses, long gowns, tons of color, sparkles, and everything inbetween. My favorite looks from the event were worn by Nicole Kidman in a slimming L'Wren Scott gown; Jennifer Neals in a navy body hugging dress; Taylor Swift wearing her signature sparkles; Michelle Branch in a fashion forward Matthew Williamson jeweled cocktail dress; and Ashley Monroe in a too die for flower printed wrap dress (great styling!).

MISSES

However there were also some bad dress choices as well. Kelly Pickler not only choose an unflattering gown in a way too shiny metallic, but her newly dyed red hair doesn't help at all. Miranda Lambert looks ways too forlorn in her black ruched gown; aren't country stars supposed to like color?! And Diana Degarmo looks like a teenager playing dress up; the bubblegum pink and tacky gold heels makes her outfit look cheap.

My Halloween Costume!

This Halloween I thought had limited choices on what I could be. Basically I didn't want to buy or spend the effort making a costume, so I thought to myself "what do I have that'll create a good costume?" Voila, "biker chick"! I already owned a leather jacket (check), chain necklaces (check), shiny liquid leggings (check) and black biker boots (check). So what started out as a scramble to find the perfect Halloween outfit, ended up being the most easiet thing ever. Who knows what other characters I could put together with the stuff I already have in my closet? Can't wait til next Halloween to find out!:)

RED CARPET FAVES: Emmy Awards 2009

The Emmy Awards Red Carpet this past weekend was much more fashionable than usual. Stars were taking risks, looking glamorous and wearing bold standout colors. My particular favorites (and it was hard to choose!) are pictured above. Blake Lively, wearing a slinky red gown by Versace, looked stunning. No one but her can pull off such a low cut neckline like that. The most on trend celeb was January Jones, also wearing a Versace gown, but in a mint green color. This structured look is so unique and figure flattering. Sandra Oh always gets it right for me. She wore a gold embroidered gown with a rope detail at the middle. So classic and elegant:) Mila Kunis definitely got noticed in this Monique Lhuillier burgundy tulle dress. I love the short hemline, as it isn't often seen on the red carpet, and I love the color on her skin tone. Then we have Mindy Kaling in a dark periwinkle blue dress. I think the color, the empire detail and the material looks so cute and effortless. She kept it simple with a twist. Last but not least was Rose Byrne in a Valentino gown. I absolutely adore the black speckling effect against the nude tulle. The neckline, the length and the whole effect is a perfect look for this beauty.

Photo Credit: Yahoo TV Awards

RED-CARPET HITS AND MISSES: VMAs

HITS

My favorite looks of the night were definitely Taylor Swift, Shakira, and Alexa Chung. Taylor brought out the sparkle in a flowing one-shoulder draped gown. She had one of the few full length dresses, but with her lengthy frame it looked like perfection. Btw, hating on Kayne West for stealing Taylor's moment when she won for Best Female Video! Shakira brought out her inner vixen in a studded body-con Balmain mini. And even though Pink wore the exact same dress that night (shock!), Shakira beat her out with those killer knee high boots. Lastly, Alexa Chung stayed true to her cutesy style by wearing an adorable long sleeved dress and her signature booties. No one does personal style like Alexa does!


MISSES

Omg, there were so many fashion misses at the VMA's that I found it difficult in choosing just three bad looks. First of all, we have Kayne West's gal pal whats her face (?) in a god awful snakeskin unitard. That's right, a "show all your flaws" unitard! Please, leave the leos for the dancers. Then we have Lo Bosworth from "The Hills" in what looks like my grandmother's lace doily. Come'on people this is the Video Music Awards; at least dress like you got some taste. Lastly Jennifer Lopez walked down the red carpet wearing Louis Vuitton. The dress looks like its choking her neck and the pale pink color washes her lovely complexion out. We all know JLO has style, but sadly not in this picture:(

BORING...(YAWN)

I've created this new category because as the MTV reality stars came on the red carpet, I kept getting more and more bored. Where has the fashion, the excitement, the "wow" factor gone?! Olivia usually takes style risks, but last night she took the safe road in a plain black dress that looks like its too big on her. Even her typical accessories couldn't save this outfit. Then we have Lauren Conrad and Whitney Port, both of whom are supposed to be fashion designers, yet all we see are two "cute" looks, but no standout ones. Lauren ages herself at least ten years in a boring printed dress and messy hair, while Whitney is one of many celebs to don Christoper Kane's piped mini but not one of the many to pull it off. Perhaps a bright pump would have worked better than her black booties.

MY LOOK: VACA EDITION

So my mom surprised my sisters and I with a week trip to Tennessee; random right? Except it was completely awesome!! We went to Dollywood (Parton's amusement park!), a water park, hiking up the Smoky Mountains and shopping of course (more on that later:)). So during my getaway I had to look cute of course. The middle pic is my favorite outfit of the week: Shirt- TopShop, Skirt- Target, Belt- Vintage.

COUTURE COVERAGE

Jean Paul Gaultier, Valentino, Givenchy, Christian Dior, & Armani Prive had stand-out collections at the recent Fall 2009 Couture shows in Paris. These pics are among my favorites from the designers! Over the top sparkle, strong shoulders, luxurious fabrics, and bold accessories stole the spotlight on the runway. Look for these trends to keep on growing:)

Credit: style.com