Party Dress Shopping: Budget #3

This is the fun part. I think the overall look is around $4,000? It's so completely unrealistic, but so fun to dream about wearing. I mean, if someone invited me to a red carpet event and handed me their credit card, this is what I'd be wearing (and keeping).

Stella McCartney Crepe Lace-insert Gown, $2,425 at net-a-porter.com: I feel like I've waxed poetic about this dress about 25 times, but I can't help it. Just look at it. I'm dying. The silhoeutte is so drop dead sexy, early Hollywood glam chic, and then you add the sheer lace paneling and it becomes totally modern. The way the cutouts radiate in a sun-like pattern, revealing slices of the rib cage, is so genius. It's the perfect way to do the cutout trend without going over the top or showing too much skin. And the slight lift in the middle of the hem is absolutely perfect to show off a pair of sick heels. I love that this dress is definitely a gown, but it's not stereotypically 'gown-like' at all, so you could wear it on the red carpet, to a formal event, to a fancy cocktail party and not look out of place at any of them.


Yves Saint Laurent Arty Enamel Ring, $195 at net-a-porter.com, Stella McCartney Long Woven Metallic Clutch: Gunmetal, $495 at intermixonline.com, Yves Saint Laurent Tribute Platform Sandals, $995 at net-a-porter.com: I didn't want to over-accessorize this dress because I feel like it stands so well on it's own. I choose a ring instead of a necklace because I didn't want anything to take away from the gorgeous neckline on this dress. A cocktail ring works because it's away from all the detail on the dress, but it still pops because of the dash of cobalt blue. The cobalt and gold are bright, but not too bright, so they lighten up the outfit without being distracting. I kept the other two pieces totally neutral. The bag works because it's Stella McCartney, like the dress (hehe), and while it looks basic from far away, the chain mail pattern adds nice, subtle detail and a hint of edge. The heels are basic black, to blend nicely into the dress, but the bold straps and platform of these Tribute heels peeking out from under that hem add a whole new, strong dimension to the outfit.


How much can you really say about Stella McCartney and Yves Saint Laurent? I'm dying. It's insane. I want it.

Stella McCartney dress: net-a-porter.com, YSL Heels: net-a-porter.com, YSL Ring: net-a-porter.com, Stella McCartney clutch: intermixonline.com