New Years New Gear: The Outfit Countdown!

I have learned a lot about San francisco and my most important lesson learned is that you don't dress like you do in Lalaland (Los Angeles). In LA we always dressed more...sexy, with a touch of slut. Its very true! I mean in LA everything was skin tight and mini, There was bling everywhere, the make-up was obvious, and the designer branding was ostentatious. Here in San Francisco, when you go out, what you wear is more subtle or actually, less flashy and also a lot more sophisticated. You will see more flats (footwear) or flowy tops/tunics with belting, more earth tones and less glitz.

Here is my disclaimer: In LA I would only really go to hot club spots like MyHouse, Kress, The Standard, Les Deux, Cabana Club...BUT in San Francisco, which I have started to explore in the night hours, I have been going to wine lounges and trendy bars of that nature. When I did go to a club (Ruby Skye) the crowd was dressed in similar attire, but I digress....

What am I supposed to be writing about? Oh yes, the highly anticipated New Years and the big debacle: What am I wearing?!

There is always a ton of fuss about New Years...What are you doing? What are you wearing? Who is going to be there? How much does it cost? Where will you sleep?

Ahhh! And with the added stress of others' expectations of you, it can be a serious let down/heart attack waiting to happen! Lucky for me, I get to count on my wonderful friend linda to provide me with my itinerary.

But my expectations of her are low and easily surpassable. Basically doing ANY activity will rise above my previous experiences/expectations because my last New Years Eve I spent alone. sleeping before the ball dropped in NY. in my parents house. alone. Did I mention I was ALONE?! (I might as well have a big L stamped on my forehead!)

So this year I decided I WILL GO OUT! I now have an active social life (everyone clap for me! Thank you, thank you) So I will be in the city...aka San Francisco. My plan is to go to a house party and then play it by ear...(?) But how do you dress for that?

Here are a few ideas about what to chose based on your plans in the bay area:

1. MINI LENGTH TUNIC with TIGHTS and BOOTIES

if you are going to a house party that is full of urban dwellers who pride themselves on their urban-ness, then wear a loose shirt/tunic shirt with interesting tights that are sheer and have an embroidered design and booties that are the same color as your tights or leggings but have some sort of 'urban' embellishment like zippers. The shoes, provided that they have enough of a heel will make your legs look like they go on for days while the mini tunic dress will hide your girlish figure. This paired with a leather or knit jacket and a messy mop will complete your "I'm not showing off, I dress like this all the time" look. (and you can eat all you want without fear of that holiday belly showing! eww...)

ACCESSORY! MJ style fingerless gloves are SO in right now. If you can find some, wear them and they better NOT match your shirt.

Here is the pairing I was thinking of!

Try to imagine it together...it would be HOT! The colorful embellishment on the gloves makes the outfit nice and festive!

This particular paring of pieces is super expensive (I have good taste) but for a normal person without thousands to spend on an outfit ( I really need to be rich when I grow up!) you should check out the online sales at some of your favorite department stores like Macy's, Nordstroms, Barney's, Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdales. ALSO: go to Bluefly.com for that designer product at a low price or keep your eyes open for the sample sales on (Websites) Gilt, Hautelook, ideeli, ruelala, shopbop etc.

Lastly, if you have great taste and want to look absolutely fabulous and know that you can't justify buying 'that dress' if you only wear it once, then go to:

renttherunway.com

no joke, Rent The Runway is the best idea ever. I think I might get a dress from there because it costs btween $50-200 to rent a dress there (and you get 2 sizes) and it is for 4 days AND you can get crazy expensive and unique stuff!

Ok so I think because I have so many ideas for the PERFECT NEW YEARS outfit, I am going to post one a night (give or take...lets be honest) until the fated night! Then, I will post a pic of what I actually wear!

My name is Michaela and I am an addict!

Hello! My name is Michaela and I am addicted to half-priced designer retail...

Everyone has a deep, dark empty void in their heart that can only be filled with one thing---love. And if you can't get enough of that from your jerk boyfriend, parents, friends or domestic pet, then there is only one thing that you can do...find an ADDICTION! I cover the loneliness/void with adorable layers, the softness of silk, the sweet smell of italian leather and the soft shimmer of metallic accents and beading....*sigh* my happy place...

It's funny though because there is a fine line between a having a healthy interest and an addiction. This is how you know you have crossed the line:

Do you lie about where you are going/are when someone close to you calls when you are out shopping?

Do you ever skip class or other obligations to hit the mall?

Have you ever answered "What? this? I have had this for like, forever!" (and secretly tuck in the tag) when asked when you got that adorable and expensive looking dress?

Have you ever lied about how much the clothes you just purchased cost (making it sound like you got a better deal than you did)?

Have you ever justified going into your savings or cut food out of your monthly budget in order to get those fantastic trendy boots you just saw?

Do you belong to those one-day sale websites like ideeli, Hautelook, or Ruelala?

Do you look down your nose at certain department stores? AKA JC Pennys, Sears, Mervins, and Kohls?

IF YOU HAVE ANSWERED YES to a majority of these questions then you are a RETAIL ADDICT! (and probably also a bit of a label snob)

In my blog I am going to show you all the cute outfits I make and talk about my shopping experiences and the trends I forecast or see already on the floor and share how I am dealing with being young, underpaid and addicted to retail.

KISSES!