holidays 2010


How To Survive Black Friday

How to survive Black Friday is a skill every Fashionista needs to master. Black Friday is one of the most popular shopping days of the year and generates large amounts of revenue for shops. Shoppers tend to go to the stores and malls on Black Friday for a variety of reasons ranging from sales, limited time discounts, family tradition, curiosity, nothing better to do; the list goes on. Whatever the reason is that we, as Fashionistas, flock to the mall the day after Thanksgiving, we need to survive by maintaining our energy and staying focused.

If you are a seasoned, day after Thanksgiving shopper, then this guide is mere entertainment for you. BUT, if you are venturing to the shops for the first time on Black Friday, this guide will help you stay fresh and focused for shopping success!

1) Wear a cross-body handbag. The last thing you need to fiddle with is a handbag while carrying ten shopping bags. Do not attempt to wear a fanny pack. Even if you have a Louis Vuitton fannypack, it is still a fashion don’t. Sell that thing on eBay and buy a decent cross-body bag!

2) Leave the 4″ Prada pumps at home. There is a good chance you will stand in multiple lines which are 30 minutes long. This is a time for heels that are no higher than 2″ tall. Or, better yet, wear a fabulous pair of Balenciaga ballet flats. Your feet will thank you 

3) Bring your own shopping bags. Let’s turn Black Friday into Green Friday. The reusable totes that we use at the grocery store can also be used at the mall. Take out the plastic bottom and fold them into your handbag. Then you can pull them out when you purchase something. The fabulous thing about the reusable totes is that the straps are long enough to wear on your shoulders; this frees up your hands for more shopping. Love it!

4) Keep a Pez dispenser in your handbag. Standing in line for 30 minutes in order to buy a $10 bobble head can make any Fashionista hungry, or worse, drop your blood sugar. Keep a cute little Pez dispenser in your purse for a quick sugar fix while you are stuck in line. If you do not own a Pez dispenser, they can be found at Target Stores. Any candy will work, but Pez dispenser’s are slim and easily fit into small spaces inside of a handbag, as well as the lipstick pocket that some handbags feature inside such as Chanel.

5) Buy something for yourself. While getting your Holiday shopping done is fine and dandy, you deserve a little somethin’ somethin’ for yourself. Treat yourself to a fabulous pair of Chanel rain boots, a Balenciaga Handbag or a Loro Piana wrap. Why not, you deserve it!

6) Arrive early, leave early. Arrive at the mall thirty minutes before the shops open. This way you can park close to the door and you will be there when the stores open. Treat yourself to a cup of coffee or cocoa while you wait for the shops to open their doors. Since most shoppers will arrive around 1pm, you will be done shopping and at home with your feet up by the time the shops get really crowded. Fabulous!

This is a great time of year to shop, so have fun while doing it! Happy shopping and stay fabulous. 


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©