Recipe for Thanksgiving Dressing

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I guess I cheat a little by lumping it in with Christmas - but the Thanksgiving/Christmas season is my favorite (yeah that is cheating...). I love to entertain others, and so I love hosting those that come over to Thanksgiving. I cook everything for the Thanksgiving dinner - which includes brining the turkey for nine hours, making two types of pie, appetizers, vegetables, and of course - stuffing. And as we all know - Thanksgiving is this week! Oh, what to wear on Thanksgiving?

In the place of my weekly trend, this week on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I am going to show three different Thanksgiving outfits. One for a formal Thanksgiving, one for a Thanksgiving with your significant-other's family, and one outfit for a casual thanksgiving. Today, we are looking at an excellent formal outfit.

Thanksgiving is the perfect place to embrace deep fall colors. For the formal look - I like dark eggplant. This simple gathered sheath dress is a perfect base for accessories to add some glamor. If you'd like to be on the more conservative end, wear a black cardigan over the dress belted with this stretch jewel belt and chevron patterned tights. If you want to show a little more skin, pick one or the other, or leave off both! It all depends on what you're comfortable with for your occasion. Even if you ditch the sweater, keep the jeweled belt to give the dress more shape. Wear a dramatic bib necklace to spice up this simple dress, and round-toe, suede black pumps to complete the look in a classy way. And you're ready for a formal Thanksgiving dinner. Eat up!

Cocktail Dresses by LOFT

Casual Fridays

I could not love a classic khaki trench coat more. It looks great with basically everything. Put it on over a dress at night for some warmth, or over jeans for a casual day look - which is what I'll focus on today. Casual looks are all about taking basics and making them look chic in simple ways. So here, just take a striped shirt, light wash skinny jeans, and camel ballet flats as your base. Give the look polish and sophistication with a trench coat and quilted black bag. Add some square frame sunglasses for bright fall days. Without the trench coat, the look is very pedestrian, but add the coat and you've got a classic and timeless casual look.

Teen Girls' Outerwear by American Eagle

Dear, Santa

I love America. But really, I do. I love learning about it - one of my favorite books is State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America - and I am an American Studies major here at college. One of the best gifts I have received is the original artwork from the inside cover of State by State. I love my home state and city - San Francisco, California. I brag about it as much as possible (way to go Giants) as I truly believe it is the best state in the Union. I plan to partake in the 2010 Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Try Before You Die and I hope to be able to do The Big To-Do San Francisco: 250 Things To Do Before You Die. So this love of America notably bleeds into how I dress. I love Americana classic, and so this Christmas some of my gifts certainly channel that love.

I love this striped dress with its long sleeves pushed up - such effortless cool. I would definitely wear the dress with these nude strappy wedges. A simple stone pendant or a brightly colored chain link necklace over a striped tee, jeans, and flats is my view of a perfect outfit. I also love those nude strappy wedges with a red mini and a black and white striped boxy tee with a black blazer thrown on. I will wear all these pieces as separates from fall to summer and back again. Classic, timeless, American.

Day Dresses by MinkPink

Maxi-mize Your Style

This is my favorite way to rock a maxi skirt. Classic and effortlessly preppy. I would wear this dark brown maxi skirt with a gorgeous silk blouse tucked in. To mix materials I would pair the flowy silk blouse with a thick leather belt. Over the blouse, wear a menswear tailored gray blazer, and on your feet a pair of brown leather oxfords to finish off the look. This adds up to a flawless look combining classic fashion with up to date trends. 

Longsleeve Tops by White House