21.12.2011- Blogger's Christmas Cocktail Party

You may remember back in April I took part in the Blogger's Royal Wedding Celebration. As a celebration of the festive season, Sarah has once again set us the challenge of coming up with two outfits for a very special Blogger's Christmas Cocktail Party. The brief is exactly the same as before- one outfit has to be the designer look of your dreams and the other a selection of the best that the high street has to offer:

Fern Silk-Chiffon and Embellished Tulle Gown, £2,200, Temperley London, Tri-Star 18 Karat White Gold Drop Earrings, £12,100, Solange Azagury Partridge, Harriet Clutch in Beige Spongy Patent Leather, £350, Mulberry, Star Diamante Embellished Headband, £276.50, Matthew Williamson, Rouge Pur Couture Lip Colour, £20.35, Yves Saint Laurent, Come to Bed Red Nail Varnish, £12, Butter London, Double Lily Ring, £125, Alex Monroe, 1960 Crystal and Leather Bangle, £78.02, House of Harlow, Glitter T-Strap Platform Sandals, £445, Miu Miu.

This outfit is my take on a really sophisticated festive look. This stunning Temperley gown was my starting point, and I tried to keep the rest of the look as co-ordinated as possible. I love the embellished details on the dress as they add an understated touch of sparkle which is continued in these amazing Miu Miu shoes. The Harriet clutch bag from Mulberry is a perfect match for the dress, and just I love how simple it is. As far as jewellery goes, I couldn't resist these stunning earrings by Solange Azagury Partridge (even if the price tag does make my eyes water!) and this beautiful ring from Alex Monroe is so elegant. The House of Harlow bangle ties also the look together perfectly, and the Matthew Williamson headband is the perfect festive touch to complete the look. As far as makeup goes, you can't go wrong with classic red lips and nails and these gorgeous shades from Butter London and Yves Sant Laurent are very reminiscent of a certain Mr S.Claus, don't you think?

Half Pleat Midi Dress, £68, Warehouse, Sequin Gold Collar, £15, ASOS, Gold Skinny Bow Belt, £6, Miss Selfridge, Sequinned Flower Hair Clip and Pin, £1.27, Forever 21, Gold Pearl Flower Cap Stud Earrings, £6, Debenhams, Pearlescent Chain Bracelet and Scalloped Shield Bracelet, £4.96 each, Forever 21, Lipstick in Inhibition, £8, Topshop, Nail Varnish in Heart of Gold, £6, Topshop, Killion Gold Slippers, £50, Aldo.

There really is no point in me pretending that I found it easy to put together my high street outfit after spending so long looking at beautiful designer dresses. After searching high and low for a frock which could compare to my high-end choice, I trawled through style.com's archive for some inspiration. Oddly enough, it was Marc Jacobs' SS11 collection which provided me with the starting point for this look- the deep reds and flower corsages gave me an idea of the kind of outfit I wanted to created. I adore the deep burgundy colour of this dress from Warehouse, but added the gold Miss Selfridge belt and sequinned collar from ASOS to make it feel a bit more festive. This hair clip from Forever 21 is the perfect shade of winter white, and it would look great worn in wavy hair. Once again, I tried to co-ordinate my jewellery choices as much as possible, incorporating a touch of classic pearl to keep things classy. The lips and nails for this look are a little bolder this time around, but again I think they set the look off perfectly. Finally, the standout item from this outfit for me is this amazing pair of glittery gold slippers from Aldo- perfect for a walking high-heel hazard like me!

Once again, a massive thank you to Sarah for asking me to take part! Be sure to have a look how she and the other girls, Becky, Tass, Hannah, Michelle, Lucy , Hannah, Sophie, Lucy, Jo and Amy got on with the challenge!

What do you think of my looks? And which one do you prefer?

(Image credit: polyvore.com and Sarah for creating the banner.)