Shopping for the impossible: the office holiday party.

It's that time of year! Christmas lights blinking, carolers singing, store sales tempting, and its all leading to...the office holiday party! And lately, I've been hearing a lot of concern from my friends about what to wear (and maybe more importantly, what not to wear) to these events.

Work social events are inevitably awkward, something I've learned quickly since starting my first job. Not only are you trying to make small talk with the higher-ups for extended periods of time, but you're doing so while imbibing alcohol. Now, I don't know about you, but alcohol + me can make for awkward situations at the best of times, so the idea of that formula  working its magic in a professional environment is all kinds of terrifying.

From discussing work parties with friends, I know that finding dresses for such events is difficult for mostly everyone - so finding something that's conservative and cocktail-appropriate and also petite-friendly is almost nigh impossible. And, since I recently got my own invitation to our firm's annual holiday party, hunting down the perfect work-appropriate cocktail dress has been weighing heavily on my mind. A few other bloggers have posted about similar topics (namely, Jean from Extra Petite here and here, and Khatu here) but I thought I'd go ahead and share my own finds with you! I've ordered a few of these, and will hopefully be able to do a more comprehensive review soon.

Eggplant purple and mustard yellow.

The weather lately has been completely inexplicable...not that I'm complaining! I love layering clothes, but I definitely don't like -5 degree weather when not even ten layers are enough to keep you warm. And at that point, it's just impossible to look stylish if you don't want to freeze to death, too. 

I know that the temperature isn't going to stay this warm forever - 68 degrees at the end of November is just too good to be true, after all - but I'm taking advantage of it while I can! This weekend, I didn't even need a jacket when I was traipsing around outside, which made me very happy, because I really wanted the colors I was wearing to show!

Cobalt blue and H&M coat review!

Happy Cyber Monday and belated Thanksgiving, everyone! Did you buy anything during this sale-heavy weekend? I definitely did - maybe a few too many things, but that's when a good return policy comes in handy, right? 

Please forgive me for the crazy range in my photo quality! My mother just "gifted" me with her old Nikon Coolpix DSLR, and I'm still not quite comfortable with all the options...in other words, I have no clue what I'm doing yet! But nevertheless, I'm very excited to have such a quality camera - I can't stop playing around with it. Does anyone have any tips or websites they can direct me to on how to take and edit pictures with a DSLR? I'd be forever grateful!

One of my favorite colors of the season is the cobalt blue that's been everywhere. Unfortunately, I think it's a little too bright for my workplace - or maybe I'm just personally not daring enough to try it! The only piece I think I would even chance at the office is this lovely Ann Taylor ponte skirt (see on Extra Petite, Really Petite and Petite Little Girl), but unfortunately I wasn't able to snag it in my size when it went on sale. 

Boucle skirt and sky-high pumps.

This post has been a long time in coming, so please excuse the mishmash of topics! Life has been very hectic lately, so I haven't had a chance to write about a lot of petite fashion-related things that are on my mind...

Such as a more comprehensive review of the H&M items that I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, for which I finally got around to taking proper photos and measurements. I'm actually obsessed with this boucle skirt, both because of the quality (it's fully lined, and the material is nice and thick - perfect for winter!) and the pretty color. Since it isn't a solid red, but instead has flecks of other colors such as green and blue, it's so very easy to match with. It goes great with neutrals, but also works with brighter hues!

Black pumps and goals for my wardrobe.

Although I don't follow astrology at all (fact: I actually typed 'astronomy' before I corrected myself - that's how much I don't follow it) there is one thing I believe: Libras are indecisive by nature. There have been so many times I've rolled into a department store, certain of what I want (classic black pumps, for example) and then proceeded to be just so totally overwhelmed by all the choices that I've ended up leaving without anything except a head full of seriously confused ideas (Do I want black leather pumps, really? Or do I want the comfier - and therefore more practical, right? - black leather wedges? Or what about boots? I need boots...and so on, and so on). It's a terribly disorganized and frenzied place, my mind.

But I was inspired by Elle of Fast Foot and Fast Fashion's recent post about "good" deals, as well as her "Sartorial Bucket List." What a fab idea! Although I keep an itemized spreadsheet of all the purchases I make throughout the month, which has helped to curb my spontaneous spending some, I still inevitably end up  dazed and confused whenever I go to most stores. No more!

I have a new goal, and that's to form a list of items that are absolutely necessary (e.g., the perfect trench coat, which I've been trying to hunt down for what seems like forever) and to only buy items from that list...well, with the odd exception here or there.

One of the items on said list is definitely a pair of black pumps - that is to say, affordable pumps, at a price tag of $150 or under. The ones I currently have are these Nine West Selene Pumps, purchased in the summer: