Styled by Kimberley: Christmas Party Style with SoS15

Christmas party style is my forte. I love sparkle. And kitsch. And glamour. It goes hand-in-hand with my love for the whole Christmas season. So, while Helen went with all out sparkles for her Christmas Party Style, I'll be reserving my sequins for New Year and bringing out the GOLD instead. I love gold. It's rich and warm, but also borderline tacky. Just like my personal style. The balance in wearing gold lies in the tones that you use. Rose gold may be everywhere right now but there's still a place for classic yellow. And I happen to have more than a few options lying around. Most of which were vetoed. I had more bronze-y gold glitter shoes that completely clashed with the bag, and earrings that were too brassy to be classy. Trying near-matching colours on in natural daylight is a must, to be sure they don't clash. But then, maybe I'm just a little bit picky.

Following my recent foray into catwalk modelling for the Vintage Afternoon Fashion Show, I was ready to get my pin-up on for this cute party look. I've not been doing pin curls much lately, purely because of the time and effort they take. I didn't have time to do a proper wet set here either, so a quickly rolled 'do using heated rollers had to suffice. In hindsight I didn't do quite enough brushing either, as it actually looked better when I re-styled it later in the day. Half-arsed is how I do most of my hair and makeup, to be honest! No matter here though, it's still cute.When it wasn't covered in soapy faux-bubbles anyway...

You may recognize the dress, although this was its first outing. I tried it on at Lou Lou's Vintage Fair way back in February but didn't buy it. I really regretted missing out, so I tracked down the stallholder, April, a month later to see if it was still in stock. I randomly bought it via chatting on Facebook messenger of all places. The internet is a wonderful thing sometimes! The dress fits me even better now than it did then but I think it could still benefit from being hemmed. Skirts that fall below the knee just don't work well on me at all. More importantly, they're difficult for navigating stairs!

The SoS15 Blah bag is the real star of the show, and I couldn't think of a better one for me! Gold and sparkly, with 'blah blah blah' embroidered across it. It's almost like someone's trying to tell me I talk too much..? I love a good-sized clutch than you can actually fit things in, and this one was roomy enough for all my essentials. The bags are made to order in Saundra O'Shea's London studio, and one of my favourite parts was the lining. It was a total departure from the outside and a really fun print! Although I'd been admiring the designs on instagram for some time, I hadn't noticed that they also all have a zip pull detail. I do love a detail. This one has a heart-shaped zip pull, and it's a nice touch.

Coat | H! by Henry Holland
Dress | April's Vintage Emporium
Shoes | old
Cocktail hairclip | Alternate Normality
Blah Clutch | c/o SoS15

So, my work Christmas party is coming up, and I'm still undecided what to wear to that. Not this fabulous ensemble, unfortunately. It's an afternoon thing, with a meal. I like to make room for my dinner, so something slinky like this is a no-no. I also don't want to shock my colleagues with full glam when they're used to seeing my work capsule wardrobe. My work wardrobe is functional; it's essentially all grey or black, and includes a number of boring turtle necks. I jokingly describe it as my 'stage hand' look, or 'off-duty mime'. Despite being quite out-there on the blog, I like to blend in when it suits me. There's a time and a place for all looks. Still, I'm not the kind of girl to go for "jeans and a nice top" for a night out. What even is that?!

If you've been loving the SoS15 glitter bags, hope on over to their Instagram to catch some special offer codes. They're holding a 48hr flash sale with different discounts (Bowie bag at 20% off anyone?! Just enter code Bowie4Ever at checkout. You're welcome).
You'll have to be quick though- it ends at midnight tonight!



Hope your Christmas parties are free from outfit woes. And get those postcards sent in with suggestions for mine!