holiday fashion


Why do we wear green on St. Patrick’s Day?

Have you ever wondered why people wear green on St. Patrick’s Day? It has nothing to do with the fact that Ireland is sometimes referred to as the “Emerald Isle.” It also has nothing to do with green being St. Patrick’s favorite color  Green is worn on St. Patrick’s Day in order to honor an ancient Irish custom. The custom originated hundreds of years ago when the Irish burned leaves and boughs in the spring. After burning the leaves and boughs, they would spread the ashes on the fields in order to make the land richer. By wearing green, people are honoring this ancient custom.

It would be fabulous if this custom actually made the land richer in wealth as oppose to fertile. If the land was rich in wealth, we could grow our money in the backyard! A girl can dream. . .

Source: Cantwell, Mary; St. Patrick’s Day; Thomas Y. Crowell Company New York, 1967

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Photo: Getty Images

 


Glitter Pumps for the Holidays

Glitter pumps have slowly become an evening classic over the past few years since Christian Louboutin fist made them popular a few years ago. Glitter pumps have been shown with evening gowns on the red carpet as well as semi-formal attire. A pair of glitter pumps can be worn over again, unlike a dress which can only be worn to the same event once, making them a good investment purchase.

The glitter pump has a few variations such as open toe, closed toe, platform, flat sole and for the 2010 holiday season, Louboutin has included a kitten heel, ankle strap glitter pump. Christian Louboutin has also created a pointy toe glitter flat which comes in classic pale gold and silver. Louboutin is not the only creator of glitter pumps; Diane Von Furstenberg, Jimmy Choo and Guiseppe Zanotti have their own versions of the glitter pump for the holiday season.

Christian Louboutin has upped the ante this holiday season by showing his traditional glitter pumps in colors such as candy pink, bright yellow, midnight blue, silver and black.

The glitter pump seems to have become a classic, making it a wise purchase for the holiday season. The glitter pump can be found in platforms, flat soles, kitten heels and flats; giving everyone a choice of style. Happy shopping and stay fabulous 

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Shimmer for the Holiday season and into resort

The holiday season is fast approaching and stores are beginning to put out holiday shopping displays, gifts ideas and catalogs. As the holiday season approaches, party invitations begin to arrive in the mail, email or via social networking. One of the challenging parts of the holiday season is finding formal or party attire that is festive, easy to wear and not too cool as the temperatures drop. Thankfully, the upcoming resort season includes shimmer, sequins and everything that sparkles, allowing Fashionistas to find holiday attire that can also be worn during the resort and spring seasons; as well as the wraps that can keep us warm.

Adding shimmer to a holiday outfit is part of the fun in keeping the holiday season full of sparkle and a festive outlook. Formal dresses can always have shimmer or sparkle and are an easy way to shine at a formal event or cocktail party. Another bright and cheery way to add sparkle to a holiday outfit is by pairing a sequin top with dark jeans for a girl’s night out, velvet trousers for a semi-formal evening, grey wool trousers for daytime shimmer or even a leather skirt, black leather winter shorts, wool shorts; ahhh, the possibilities are endless. Sequin tops that are a solid color are the easiest to create outfits with and also have better lasting power year after year. 

Another easy way to add shimmer to a holiday outfit is through accessories. Metallic shoes and handbags are a great way to add shimmer to an outfit for day or night. A metallic or sequin wrap is also a great way to spice up a little black dress, or other solid colored frock for formal events, cocktail parties and semi-formal occasions.  Stella McCartney has a great shimmer top which can easily be worn during the day with white pants in spring or for evening occasions with black leather short or velvet trousers for the holidays. O

f course, leave it to Jimmy Choo to create amazing shimmer shoes that be worn all year long; click here to see! Donna Karen has a fabulous black, body conscious sweater for the holiday season which can still be worn alone on cool, early spring evenings. This sweater is great for daytime or evening, plus it is easy to layer for additional warmth. Fabulous!  Jewelry is another way to add sparkle to an outfit whether or not the garments have shine, does not matter! This bracelet by Fragments for Neiman Marcus a-ma-zing! Cookie Lee has a ton of sparkle for the holiday season at fabulous prices. Click here for Cookie Lee shopping info. Sparkle and shimmer is part of the fun for the holiday season; and thankfully it is also part of the resort trends!

There was also sparkle and shimmer on the runways for spring 2011, so this is a great time to invest in at least one garment with some shimmer. Look for basic colors such as silver and black. When choosing colors, look for softer colors that can carry into spring such as muted plum, pastels and light tans. Sequins and shimmer always swings into fashion for the holiday season, so anything with a bit of flash is perfect for holiday investment dressing. Thankfully, shimmer is also part of the resort and spring trends, making sequins and everything that sparkles the perfect investment for now and into 2011. Happy shopping and stay fabulous.

Shimmertop Sparkleshoes

Photos: Cathy/Bay Area Fashionista 2010©