Party dresses are like cocktails: you have your go-to little black dresses, which are akin to your everyday Chardonnay or Pinot Noir. When you're feeling festive, perhaps you turn to a metallic mini frock for the sartorial version of a glass of champagne (paillettes in particular always make us feel bubbly!). And finally, you have your Saturday night specials, those personal picks that can be as sultry as a dirty martini (sparkles and draping) or as wild as a shot of Patron (animal print and tulle!). Well, we'd like you to consider this installment of Go Buy Now the frock equivalent of a top-shelf bar. We've taken the mixology courses for you (trend tracking + runway watching + styling tips= perfect party wear), and come up with a carefully curated, first-class list of seasonal delights for you to try!
We have a confession to make: immediately after seeing Almost Famous, we developed a serious fashion-crush on not only Kate Hudson's on-screen persona, Penny Lane, but also on the stylish star herself. Whether she was polished at the Oscars in a shimmery Stella McCartney gown or showing off her signature sixties rocker look with wide-legged jeans and silk scarves, we were absolutely smitten with Hudson's inspiring and eclectic taste. And though her style has certainly evolved over the past decade, our love for her has not waned. In fact, while watching a trailer for Nine the other day—in which Hudson go-go dances and belts out tunes such as "Cinema Italiano"—our hearts skipped a beat with excitement, as we imagined what her promotional-tour wardrobe will look like. Now that's amore!
Most people have some sort of shorthand for those times when they suddenly realize a clear and simple truth. Oprah refers to these awakenings as Aha! Moments, Homer Simpson would probably call them D'oh! Situations (if he were forced to name such things), but around the Who What Wear office, such truisms are simply called Tips. These outfit-centric epiphanies aren't particularly complicated or revelatory, but we think they do inspire change in some small way. The suggestions may be small and straightforward—invest in a party skirt, fake a peplum silhouette, try festive fancy sandals instead of heels—but if they nudge you to try something new, that's all we need to be happy! Mushy mumbo-jumbo aside, we do think we've whipped up a stellar batch of Tips today and hope they give you a flash of inspiration or two!
When it comes to dressing celebrities and creating front-page fashion moments, Rachel Zoe is unquestionably in a league of her own. Though the celebrated stylist primarily works with boldface names (think: Cameron, Liv, and Demi), she's also a guest editor for Piperlime and picks out her favorite products on the site each season-all ultra-darling, of course!