Blog: Crossroads Style

It’s officially December and the start of holiday party season! The holidays are stressful enough without having to add the extra pressure about what to wear to your office Christmas party, your best friend’s white elephant gift exchange, and the final fashion decision of the year, the dreaded New Year’s Eve outfit debacle. A dress is a traditional fall back for a holiday party. This year, step out of the norm and create a new comfort zone around, well, comfort. Take a look at some of my favorite non-dress party looks to inspire your holiday style this year.

Take a cue from Aureta and put on a pair of metallic party pants.

Too cold to take off your favorite oversized chunky knit? Simply throw on a pair of skinnies, chic booties, and a statement clutch and you’re party ready.

Leather never fails. A pair of legging pants or leggings will dress up any simple sweater or blouse for an edgy holiday look.

Rich and luxurious, velvet is the ideal festive fabric for the holiday season.

When in doubt, add sparkle. Sequins are essential for holiday dressing, whether accented with accessories or daring with a sequin blazer.

Go bold with a statement-making, vibrant colored jumpsuit.

Can holiday athleisure be done? Yes, yes it can. Create a monochromatic outfit to elevate your joggers and add an oversized teddy coat and heels.

Want a little swing in your step? A muted jewel-tone skirt with a chunky knit and booties can go a long way this season.

With the holiday season in full swing, I am entering into constant holiday dressing mode. I love to dress with a festive twist the whole month of December to keep in the spirit. Of course, when dressing for a particular holiday or season, I immediately think of seasonal colors that I can play up and pair. This time of year, red and green are the most popular colors when it comes to Christmas decorating, but they are not always the easiest colors to pair together without looking like a walking Christmas tree decoration.

Look for deeper shades of red and green to pair together. Crimson and emerald or burgundy and olive, rather than bright red and pine tree green, create a chic pairing.

Separate the two colors with a neutral to eliminate a jarring Christmas color explosion.

When one or more of the pieces you pair have prints, it will help to break up the colors.

The colors are far less intimidating if one is used as an accessory, like a red beanie paired with an outfit of olive green.

Make one color the hero piece and layer with different silhouettes.

Have fun by making the textures of your pieces the most interesting part of your outfit.

The holiday season is officially upon us, and for many that means traveling to visit family and friends. Traveling in general, no matter the time of year is stressful; planning, preparing and packing, and the actual act of the travel whether via plane, car, or train is the most painful part. The holidays tend to put an extra edge on traveling, but there are ways to lessen the impact. Ease your travel stress by eliminating packing stress and remorse with these 5 simple packing tips.

Make a List
Make a list and check it twice! The simple act of writing things down will help you remember to pack them, and double checking to be sure will help avoid anything important is left behind.

Plan Outfits Ahead Of Time
Have a habit of throwing pieces into your suitcase and not knowing how to put them together once you reach your destination. Save yourself time and dressing stress by planning your outfits for each day and activity ahead of time. Take it a step further and take pictures of your planned outfits so you don’t forget!

Use Packing Cubes
Packing cubes allow you to separate items by category (toiletries, intimates, active wear, etc.), events, or people (if you are sharing luggage). They also ensure everything you pack stays organized throughout the manhandling your luggage will inevitably receive during travel.

Pack Trusted Pieces
It’s always tempting to shop for new clothes for your holiday getaway; who doesn’t want to go home and impress their family and old friends? But you don’t want to be stuck with clothes you’ve never properly worn before and potentially being uncomfortable not knowing that your new sweater was so itchy or those new jeans stretch out too much after only an hour of wear. Pack trusted pieces that you know you look and feel good in.

Weigh Your Luggage
Portable luggage scales are inexpensive and eliminate the guessing game of how much your luggage weighs before getting to the airport. Knowing your luggage weight beforehand will give you a chance to reevaluate what you’re packing without having to struggle at the airport with rearranging between bags, buying an extra bag, or paying avoidable fees.

With Halloween right around the corner, it’s time to start prepping the ultimate costume if you haven’t already! The great part? A lot of these outfits can be re-created with what you already have in your closet! So, whether you’re staying at home watching Hocus Pocus with the gals or trying to win for “Best Costume,” there’s a Halloween costume for everyone.

Check out a few of our favorite blogger costumes for some inspiration:

How cute is Julia Engel as Belle from Beauty and the Beast? We’re loving the book props as well.

Animal ears and a dress isn’t exactly reinventing the wheel for Halloween, but we can’t get over how simple it is to recreate this costume!

Skip wearing a Halloween costume this year and opt for a Halloween tee instead!

How cute is this Little Red Riding Hood costume? The plus side? It’s a great way to reuse that picnic basket that you kept from summer!

Never underestimate the power of a shimmery mermaid to turn heads on Halloween.

Channel your inner Daisy Buchanan, and dress up as a flapper for the night! You already own a little black dress and a pearl necklace, now you just have to find a fur coat and a headpiece!

Hint: absolutely!

The antiquated no-white-after-Labor-Day rule appears to have originated in the late 19^th century, when white was considered only proper for summer vacation attire (before bare arms and legs were appropriate, color and fabric were often the only difference between seasonal clothing). After Labor Day became a federal holiday, it unofficially signaled the end of the summer and vacations, meaning there was no longer a need to wear vacation clothing—so all white clothing was put away until the next year. Darker color clothing was a signal for the end of summer and a return to work.

Thankfully, somewhere between then and now, this arbitrary fashion rule has become outdated. Fashion and lifestyle have evolved and there are many more ways to keep cool in the summer besides lightweight white pieces. Lucky for us, that means we get to wear our favorite white pieces year round.  Take a look at some of the most chic ways to wear white after Labor Day this year!

When updating your fall wardrobe, pick up a cozy cable knit sweater in white or cream.

A white denim jacket brings a fresh perspective to a those gloomy fall days.

Blazers are the perfect transition piece. Dress down a white blazer by pairing it with jeans and sneakers.

Add a trendy pair of white wide-leg pants or denim into your fall wardrobe rotation.

Don’t pack away your silky slip dresses just yet. Layer a blazer or an oversized sweater to get more wear out of them.

Dare to wear an all-white outfit with dark accessories for a chic autumn look.