You’ve found the party dress and the perfect shoes. You’ve scheduled the mani-pedi and pulled out your cute evening clutch. You are paparazzi-worthy,  except for one thing. What is that around your neck?

No, no, no. A dress like that demands a necklace worthy of your décolletage. It must shimmer in the light and reflect the twinkle in your eyes.

(more…)

The Style Insider believes that champagne flutes should be a party unto themselves. Yes, they must be classically shaped — tall, with the small mouth that preserves the bubbles so they tickle your nose. But they must also be effervescent in their design. To that end, we’ve found a dozen pretty glasses worth ringing in 2009:

(more…)

Shoes for shopping are a complicated issue. We need to walk a lot, so they need to be flat, or nearly so. We want them to be comfortable - blisters are not on our Christmas list - but we don’t want them to be slouchy. And, fa la la la la, they must be cute, or what is the point?

Kate Spade’s Gwenda flat sets the perfect example, all soft and suede in fuschia and orange, just right for trolling the mall. Yes, you’re right, in these colors they’ll see you coming. And they’ll want your shoes. At Nordstrom ($248, pictured at the top, above).

(more…)

This is it, your brief window of opportunity to outfit yourself in bold holiday colors for those parties just around the corner.

This is no time to be shy. Make a brash fashion statement by donning brilliant reds or gorgeous greens that just scream Merry Christmas! to friends and co-workers (who are used to seeing you in black, gray or taupe. . . or just jeans).

We’ve done the shopping for you. Here are six elegant, electric reds and six glamorous, grand greens, all perfect for declaring your high holiday spirits:

(more…)

You know how right before the Super Bowl, all the jocks and party-givers start thinking about buying a new television? A really, really big, expensive one with high def and picture-in-picture and all the bells and whistles? For a single football game?

OK. Now, focus. Thanksgiving is game day. It’s the big one. You’re the jock of the table, the duchess of all party-givers. And you need your big-screen TV: You need new dishes!  And while we love white too, what we want here is color, style and, well, high definition.

(more…)

We aren’t to mid-November and the holiday catalogs are rolling in. We refuse to be in the rear of the pack. A can’t-miss gift for a lady of most any age is one of those mega-loaded makeup palettes from Sephora. Yes, other stores have similar items, but Sephora has lots of them, all in one place.

(more…)

One of fall’s fun fashion trends is print dresses. Some designers mixed them up with clashing plaids or loopy crocheted  overlays for that “I’m so trendy I’m hard to look at” look. But others opted for beautiful, colorful prints that need no other adornment.  Some are sedate with a minimalist pattern, while others are a wild rainbow of blocks or artistic shapes.

One thing’s for sure about these skin-hugging print dresses: they are not for the faint of heart or the un-fit.

1. The prince of prints, Emilio Pucci, shows the others how it’s done with a “cinguettio” silk jersey dress from Saks. The clingy colorful dress is guaranteed to show off every curve. $1,535, above left.

2. If Pucci is the prince, then Diane von Furstenberg is the queen of prints. She continues her reign - usually a more toned-down look for her more low-key customers - with this gray, pink and white color-block Tilly dress from Barneys Coop, above right. The dress is $229, on sale from $345.

(more…)