Fashion Me Fabulous

See you in January.

Not sure that I will need a party dress for playing with toddlers and smiting yetis in Dungeons & Dragons this New Year's Eve, but that doesn't mean I don't want a party dress. This year, I'm thinking the sparklier the better. But I included some lace and leather dresses for those of you who aren't feeling the sequins. Top: red sequin and feather dress, Jessica Simpson at 6pm $80 (sale) (want!) contrast lace sheath, Donna Morgan on Amazon $178 hot pink dolman sleeve maxi dress, ASOS $91 silver scroll and cutout sheath, Jax on Amazon $62 metallic blue faux leather fit & flare,Ivy & Blu on Zappos $111 (sale) (want!) Bottom: gold lace fit & flare with cutouts, Mod Cloth $58 white shift with gold detail, Ruche $49 pink sequin skater dress, Ruche $49 Top: purple faux leather stripe sheath, Aidan Mattox at Neiman Marcus $177 (sale) white and sequin tulip dress, Revolve Clothing $109 red and lace maxi, ASOS $137 black lace shift, Ruche $...

It's party season, and that means party dresses. Party dresses mean you usually swap out that perfectly sensible but heavy everyday bag for a sleek little clutch. But the clutch has problems. Obviously, it's small. That's the point. But sometimes a cell phone, a credit card, and one lipstick isn't enough. I need kleenex. I need a nail file. Eyedrops. Cough drops. Mints. Most importantly, I need to be able to stuff a book in my bag so that when the party goes horribly, I can find a quiet place to read. (I don't party well.) Big Buddha "Adriana" Clutch $30 on Amazon The second big problem with the little clutch is that unless you get one with a wrist strap, you have to carry it. If you party better than I do, you may also lose track of it after dancing or other festive mayhem. But brush those concerns aside. Clutches are cute! And the modern clutch looks more like a cool wallet than the stiff, sparkle fest of the 80s. I kind of want a million of them...

1. I like it when Project Runway gets practical with challenges. Sure, it's fun to watch designers make a dress out of plastic cups or corn husks, but testing the real world skills like designing a dress that looks great in person and in photographs is actually useful. I don't know how many times I've said, "This dress looked so much better on TV." The designers had to get their looks photographed so the judges could evaluate the photo appeal along with the runway appeal. (More stylists should try this with their clients. Flash bulbs wouldn't be trouble they are). 2. In an All Star season with three winners, I expected to see at least two of them get near the top. However, we have five designers left and only one former winner. 3. I'm glad Korto got a win, even if her dress wasn't groundbreaking. Sometimes, a simple dress that's made well and done in unique colors is all you need to make a lot of impact. Where some of the designers tortured fa...

Shop: Mogo and Co Why We Love It: When it comes to cute, tiny animals kind of have the market cornered. But, thanks, to Mogo and Co, anyone can wear that high level of cute any time with these adorable animal necklaces. Price Range: $30 Favorite Items: Click through the slideshow to see favorites. View this collection on Polyvore Etsy Shop of the Week: Mogo and Co by fashionbeccafabulous on polyvore.com Pictured: Baby Deer ; Snowy Owl ; Gray Fox ; Sleeping Fox ; Short Eared Owl ; Lop Rabbit ; Dutch Rabbit (also pictured above)

Sleep, no. Head, ouch. Write, blerg. Colors, yes. Winter, blech. Sale, best. Top: red hooded buckle coat, Calvin Klein at Macy's $190 (sale) wine with leather trim car coat, Sam Edelman at Macy's $160 (sale) pumpkin puffer, Calvin Klein at Macy's $90 (sale) yellow hooded coat, Kensie on Amazon $95 Bottom: orange duffel coat, Zappos $99 hooded metallic pink puffer, Victoria's Secret (because where else?) $80 (sale) red asymmetrical wool coat, Michael Michael Kors at Macy's $180 (sale) oxblood coat with leather arms, ASOS $164 Top: pale blue button coat, Neon Buddha on Amazon $110 blue boxy coat with faux fur collar, Victoria's Secret $84 (sale) green coat with leather bows, ASOS $164  aqua reversible puffer, Nautica at Macy's $100 (sale) Bottom: purple puffer, Laundry by Shelli Segal at Macy's $150 (sale) olive textured car coat, ASOS $164 blue Muppet coat, ASOS $145 purple herringbone with faux leather trim, Via Spiga at Nord...

$150 Challenge: Colorful Winter by fashionmefabulous puffer coat, Target $39 blue sweater, Target $19 (sale) red pants, Target $28 wedge booties, Charm on Amazon $29 scarf, hat, and fingerless glove set, Amazon $39

When it comes to ornaments, Christmas trees get to have all the fun. It doesn't seem fair. After all, assortments of shiny baubles are too much fun to just pass up. They should trim the tree and deck the ear lobes. Which ornament earrings are your favorite? (Vote in the poll below). Bright Red Christmas Ornament Earrings by Ashla Designs Silver Christmas Ornament Earrings by RareFlair   Handcrafted pre-folk graphic earrings by NAJSEL   Christmas Gold Ornament earrings by GililifeCollection Victorian Angel Earrings by LeParisMetro poll by twiigs.com

1. This challenge is probably one of the strangest ever. And it's not strange in a totally bad way (like female wrestlers or male dancers). They had to create a date look for Marge Simpson. Yep, the animated character. The winning dress gets animated and featured on the show. It's a little silly, but it's also a fun challenge. 2. It was great to see Anthony Ryan back and in the judging chair. I didn't recognize him at first. He was going through chemo. His cancer came back. From what I can find through searches, he's doing good now. 3. It's a little shocking to see one of the three season winners leave this early. I loved Jeffrey on his season, but I can't think of way to keep defending him. Hopefully it's just a phase and he's about to discover something awesome in his design work. Seth Aaron was in the bottom with him. I'm glad he wasn't out, but he better get it together too. Another former winner, Irina, took the win. I liked her look...

Hi fellow Runway fans! This is a recap of the episode 5, which aired before Thanksgiving. (I was sick last week so I'm a little behind). Check back later today for a recap of last week's episode. 1. I loved this challenge idea*. This is one of the few times Lifetime's shameless plugs fit so well with the challenge. To promote their Bonnie & Clyde mini series, Lifetime challenged our designers to take inspiration from the 30s and bring it into modern-day ready to wear. I love 30s details, and I wish they popped up in clothing more often. 2. The designers were paired up in Bonnie and Clyde teams, but, thankfully, the designers didn't have to be judged as teams. Jeffrey won while Seth Aaron, his teammate, ended up in the bottom. Although, this ended up being such a good challenge that even the bottom looks weren't all bad. (I can think back to early Lifetime season when some of the losing looks would have won). 3. I'm sad to see Mychael go, but I do thi...

While my internet was down, cutting me off from the universe and making me feel so very 1987, L'Wren Scott's capsule collection hit Banana Republic. This fills me with Christmas glee! There are two types of designers, those with amazing editorial pieces and those who make clothes I want to wear every day. L'Wren Scott is in the latter camp every season. Her Banana Republic collection is full of brocades, sequin cardigans, bow blouses, sexy party dresses and a fun lipstick print. Speaking of lipsticks, the colors are like your most reliable reds, pinks and berries with a splash of seasonal greens. As expected with a designer collection at Banana Republic, prices run high, $80-$200. But if you're in love with any of it, grab it soon. These items are flying off the shelf.

To be completely fair, I do want to play with styling these on Polyvore. But these are pop star shoes. They are completely crazy. They are good for making a visual statement generally accompanied by back up dancers and pyrotechnics. Maybe they're party shoes assuming you go to different kinds of parties than I do. (Would they give my D&D character a +1 reach advantage?) They're like a design experiment for an architecture class. "Students, you must design shoes blending one natural element and one man-made element. You must be able to walk in them, but dancing is optional." The Man-Eater was the clear winner by blending birch bark with Goody headbands.

I am having internet issues at home, and becca is quite sick. We may be a bit light on posts this week. In the meantime, what fashionable thing are you wishing for this Christmas?

Shop: JCarterHandmade Why We Love It: This shop is full of lovely little clutches, gifts and trickets, but the item that brought me here was jewelry rolls . Jewelry can be trick to pack. Also, if you have limited space, it can be tricky to store. This will keep things untangles and it soft enough to stash with clothes in a suitcase or drawer. The rolls can be customized, and the shop even offers add-ons like a unique tag or extra earring row. Also, you can buy sets in case you want to gift all your friends equally or buy for your bridal party (especially if you have a destination wedding). Price Range: $49 for single roll, up to $264 for set of six. Links: Website / Facebook Pictured above: Yellow Bird $49

We often talk about dressing up jeans or a favorite t-shirt. Everyone has items they consider dressier: pearls, sequins, silk, stilettos, party dresses. So you take your jeans, tuck in your tshirt, add stilettos and a sequin blazer for a modern party look. The same principle can work in reverse. If you have an item you love, say a pair of silk pants or a tulle party skirt, and want to get more mileage out of them than the occasional party or office appearance, dress them down. For me, these are a few items that  rarely cross out of casual: thick cable knits fair isle patterns corduroys denim/chambray ditzy florals kitschy prints burnout tees   work/hiking boots cargo anything Mix and match with messy hair and laid back makeup. Yea! You just expanded the possibilities of your wardrobe. Dressing Down a Party Dress by fashionmefabulous Silk Pants by fashionmefabulous Military and Bows by fashionmefabulous Tweed at ...