GBF x Planet Blue-What To Wear On NYE

I'm back from my Mammoth Christmas holiday which was spent slothing around eating, sleeping, and eating. After a re-calibration session which involved a body crunching barre class and a sweat drenching three mile run, I've now switched over to full NYE mode. I've cleaned the house, tossed out the old to make room for the new, and reflected on all that's good, bad, and fab in my life. The final "to do" on my NYE prep list is to seek and find a black lace mask as I'm co-hosting the Privy NYE 2013 masquerade ball. I'm super excited to attend the sold out party but the night will be bittersweet. For as long as I can remember, I've spend new year's eve with the same group of friends but this time around they're spread out all over the city as some want to keep it low key while others are opting to go buck wild. 

New Year's Eve is a great night for fashion and style as the dress options are limitless and wholly dependent on the venue and level of debauchery. Inspired in part by the different places my friends will be stationed at, I've teamed up with Planet Blue, one of my favorite LA boutiques, to showcase four fabulous dresses to ring in the new year. I'm dedicating this post to the friends I won't get to hug at the stroke of midnight. I'll miss you!

The first dress is actually an over-sized vest from Ranna Gill I love the festive embroidered shoulder detail and the asymmetrical hem. Belt it to turn it into a bohemian wrap dress that's perfect for a dinner party. And because it's a wrap dress, it conveniently hides the holiday weight gain. Feel free to loosen a few notches after your over-stuffed meal.

shoes: c/o Shoedazzle
belt: vintage
necklace: Flirt Catalog
bracelet: c/o Lia Sophia

If you're going to an elegant and formal NYE shindig, sparkle must be in play. I love this flapper-esque number from Parker as the deep maroon color sets up the perfect backdrop for beading galore. The chandelier draping is full of romance and drama connoting old Hollywood glamour. Ring in the future with a nod to the past!

shoes: c/o Shoedazzle
gold cuff: c/o Jewelmint
earrings: H&M

This Rebecca Taylor sweetheart strapless corset inspired nude dress is the catch-all NYE dress. Dress it up with fancy jewelry and an up-do for an upscale and intimate estate party in the Hollywood Hills or layer it down with a boxy jacket or cardigan for a chic last meal of the year at your favorite LA restaurant.

necklace: c/o Jewelmint
shoes: Kate Spade

All my single ladies, you're going to want to hit the clubs in this sexy cut-out emerald stunner from Naven. The strategic shape and cut create a fabulous hour-glass silhouette that will guarantee a midnight kiss from some tall, dark and handsome. I opted not to wear accessories as the dress stands out on its own.

shoes: c/o Shoedazzle

photos by Michael Yates Photography
special thanks to The Redbury Hotel and Joico!

Have a stunning NYE. Forget the past, live in the present, and look forward to tomorrow!

{live fabulously}

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An Indulgent Christmas Morning



On Christmas morning, my senses were jolted by a flurry of sounds and smells. Echoing questions of "Where's my other glove?" and "Did we really have to get up so early?" resonated from different parts of our cabin in Mammoth as faucets turned on, off and floor boards creaked and squeaked. In the kitchen, every pour of the Café Escapes brewing from our Keurig K-Cup home brewer seemed to lift me further away from slumber enticing me with its rich awakening aroma. Groggy-eyed, I made my way to the kitchen to find my entire family eating breakfast while bundled up like snow bunnies. They were fueling for a day on the ski slopes while I stayed in to battle a stubborn cold. I was secretly glad to have an excuse to stay in as the idea of frolicking in freezing weather sends pangs of pain through my core.

The mere motion of eight people leaving for the day was an event in and of itself and took an additional fifteen minutes as each of them had forgotten something or another. As I finally waved goodbye to everyone, slid my cousin's hat which had somehow ended up in my Dad's camera bag, back on his head, and shut the door behind me, I stood there and basked in the moment of pure silence that follows pure chaos. I then walked over to the kitchen, poured myself a cup of steaming hot and satisfyingly sweet Café Caramel and sat by the window to watch the fluttering of snow cover all in sight with its pure white glaze. It was such an indulgence to sip on warmth that covered my head to my toes while the world around me chilled under snow and ice. I was alone but I was surrounded by love, family, and a very white Christmas.






#IndulgeAnytime


To experience your own indulgent moment, check out and enter Café Escape's facebook sweeps for a chance to win fabulous gift baskets and weekend spa getaways! 
Café Escapes is the brand of hot, flavored indulgent beverages that provide you an everyday treat and a chance to relax and savor a moment of your day, whether at home or at work.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. 

{live fabulously}

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Personal Style Outfit-A Very White Christmas

"I dream of a white Christmas, just like the one Bing sings.  Where my family gathers together, to feel warmth and hear laughter over the open hearth. And everyone shines with happiness and true bliss. To wish each other a very merry Christmas."

In our family, the notion of a white Christmas typically involves a trip to The Grove for its holiday snowfall extravaganza. But this year, we decided to bask in the merriment of a snowy Christmas in Mammoth. On a sunny LA morning, the nine of us packed into two cars and made the trek up to our cabin in the snow. What was supposed to be a 4.5 hour drive turned into a 9 hour tour de marathon. We had to stop for lunch, stop for bathroom breaks, stop to buy gloves, stop to buy munchies, stop to buy snow chains, attempt to put on snow chains, find someone to help us put on snow chains, and drive at 30 miles per hour with the snow chains on. By the time we reached the cabin, it was pitch dark and the temperature had dropped to below zero. The cabin stared at us in quiet contemplation as we unloaded and piled the never-ending suitcases and bags in front of it. We thrust opened the door, and just like that, broke the silent stillness.

My cousins set up the game area while heatedly discussing whether to play Monopoly or poker first. My brother plugged in his iPod to the speakers and proceeded to play Dubstep at full blast before my Dad walked over and switched it to Michael Buble's Christmas album. Kudos to Dad for mastering the iPod! In the kitchen, Mom and Aunt hovered over the stove, chopping and setting up the ingredients for our hot pot dinner. If you've ever traveled with a Chinese family, you know that we love to bring our hot pot everywhere we go. I specifically recall eating spicy ramen at midnight out of the same hot pot in our suite at Caesar's Palace. And yes, ramen is also a Chinese family's vacation staple.

 As the steam of the fragrant broth filled the air with warmth, we all gathered around the table spooning morsels of sliced mutton, pig's blood, and taro into our bowls. Quietness lasted for a slurping second as a unique blend of dinner table discussions soon permeated the air. Uncle challenged us to brain teasers while Dad derailed his challenges with silly jokes and stories. In the background, I could hear Mom and Aunt discussing with muffled pizzazz whether the duck claws and pig ears were marinated to perfection. I closed my eyes for a few seconds. So I could fully hear my family. Because they are the sounds of Christmas I can't live without.

For our Christmas Eve hot pot dinner, I wore my new Lavender Brown velvet shift dress. The shift shape is easy to wear with anything and everything and here I've dressed it down with a knit hat, black Marc Jacobs scarf, and boxy boots. The dress can easily be dressed up for a holiday party as the rich blue velvet and the gold burnout pattern would look stunning with ornate accessories, heels, and a dramatic top bun. Throw on a fur collar coat and you've got Anna Karenina in the making.









dress: Lavender Brown c/o Shop September
scarf: Marc Jacobs
sunnies: Tom Ford
boots: vintage
knit hat: Target

Check out my Q&A with Shop September here to learn more about my fashion inclinations! I'm also partnering with them to give away a $150 Shop September Gift Card to one lucky reader.

{GIVEAWAY RULES}

 Follow @goodbadandfab and @september_shop  and RT this for a chance to win a $150 gift card to www.shopseptember.com

{OR}

Follow @goodbadandfab and @shopseptember on Instagram

Giveaway ends January 18, 2012 11:59pm PST

  {live fabulously}

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Personal Style Outfit-Apocalypse Now

As the hands of time draws closer and closer to the end of the day, clustered thoughts of the Mayans' apocalyptic prediction that the world shall end when the clock strikes midnight tonight linger in my mind. If extinction surfaced as factual certainty, what would you do on your last day on Earth? From sunrise to sunset, I would squeeze meaning out of every last second. 

I would...

1. As the sun rises, run the Rose Bowl one last time. I'll need my endorphins today. Plus, running stamina may come in handy if I need to escape from zombies or falling boulders tomorrow.
2. Watch Titanic again from start to finish while eating a Costco size bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos. Do not withhold any tears during the final scene. It's okay to cry as Leo disappears into the watery abyss. Even if this is the tenth time I've seen the movie.
3. Buy this. Charge it on the AMEX. 
4.  Follow Julia Child's chocolate souffle recipe step by step. If successful, drown it in Grand Marnier sauce and vanilla ice cream. Eat it like there's no tomorrow.
5. Dive into the crystal blue waters off Turks & Caicos in search of the most succulent lobster. If found, eat it like it's my last meal on Earth. 
6. Make two phone calls. The first is to my grandparents to apologize for not visiting them often enough. The second is tell someone, "I forgive you." 
7. Invite my friends over for a karaoke party. Have a meaningful conversation with every person in attendance and tell each of them why they matter to me. 
8. Track down and challenge Britney Spears to a dance-off.
9. Watch the sunset over the peaks of the Tuscany hills with my family while listening to Mom and Dad retell stories of our yesteryear. Observe, capture, and imprint every smile, movement, and even the angle at which the sun beams its last rays onto Mom, Dad, and Eric's faces as we watch the day dim into night. 
10. Hold J's hand as we step into eternal darkness together. Because as long as I'm with him, light will always shine.

And this is what I would wear to greet the apocalypse. 










dress: c/o Basically Me
shoes: c/o Shoemint
necklace: c/o Jewelmint
rings: my wedding ring | David Yurman
earrings: Chanel

{live and die fabulously}

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