07 Dec Dressing Up A Brocade Dress for the Holiday

Hello Ladies, I hope you all had a nice weekend!

This month is going fast, as it usually does with anticipation of the Christmas Holiday. I always start thinking about the traditions we used to celebrate this time of year. One of my favorite was going  Downtown ( Dahntahn  if you are from Pittsburgh) to see the magical Christmas window displays at Kaufmann’s Department Storethat were so enchanting to me as a kid! I miss them though now. I loved seeing the scenes of the holidays in each window in which we would stare for what seemed like hours. Hot cocoa and Christmas windows, along with the holiday lights were a part of our trip downtown. Another was seeing the Nutcracker. I am sure it is a tradition in many households, but I always loved the story. As a young girl, I think I enjoyed it even more because I was in ballet. Let’s just say my middle name was not “grace” but that is another story for another time.

At home, decorating and listening to classic songs and carols were my favorite, and I was in charge of putting snow on the windows. Not that one needed to put snow there, it was Pittsburgh, PA, but the spray snow was fun to stencil “Happy Holidays” and images of raindeer, trees and snowflakes.  I still enjoy decorating now, and putting the ornaments that we have from our childhood on the tree. I collect ornaments from places we go as it is a great memory to have on the tree.

As the month goes on, I will share more about some of our traditions and what I do now during the Holidays. Christmas time was always a big time for me as a music teacher, as I taught grades 3-5, and there was always a big production ! I loved putting on the shows, the final product more, as we sang the songs so much in preparation, I must have sung them in my sleep. Great acoustics in the hall, I think I sang, “You’re a Mean One.. Mr Grinch…” each time I came home from school.

Well, as I said, I could go on, and will talk more about my traditions and the holidays as we go, for now, I want to share what I decided to wear today and would wear to the Magic of Christmas, an event with chorus, jazz trios, soprano singers and sing-alongs, in a Charlotte music hall. I bought this brocade gold and black dress years ago at Loft, as it caught my eye. I have worn it sleeveless with some statement jewelry, some bling for the Holiday season. I can say I was a bit inspired by the Betsey Johnson show at Fashion Week,  when I put this together, as she would have the girls in a corset style dress or top, with a long sleeved top underneath. I loved the black jewels on the colar of this white shirt, the reason I bought the top to begin with. Wearing it under the dress, I think adds more interest and the jewels, more sparkle for the Holiday. If I wanted a more “sexy ” look for a party, I could wear as is,  sleeveless, and add a large black or gold statement piece or a fur stole.  Plain black tights are worn as not to detract from the pattern, my favorite vintage black bow square heels paired well with this look. The gold sparkly dangling earrings are vintage, and were given to me as a gift a few Christmases’ ago, they are one of my favorites for dressing up a look.

Do you have a special dress you love for the Holiday?

Speaking of dresses, check back later in the week for another Gift Guide!

SEE YOU TOMORROW FOR TURNING HEADS TUESDAY LINKUP!!