The Recessionista’s Holiday Style Guide: Fashion for Less

Cynthia Steffe Holiday Emerald Top

Fortified by Pinot Noir, I’m pleased to say that this morning, my tree is up, the wreath is on the door and a poinsettia is on my living room table. The Holiday is officially on at Recessionista HQ (headquarters). With these milestones accomplished, its time to turn my attention back to fashion. The important stuff 🙂 I’ve seen alot of Recessionista Holiday Guides in magazines and on the web this week. People Magazine’s Style section has a nice assortment of Recessionista dresses under $50.00 in this week’s issue. However, I want to add in a few of my own picks ranging from under $100.00 to under $10.00. There are also some great tops right now for Recessionista’s to take a look at. Pictured above is my holiday Cynthia Steffe top in a brilliant Emerald. I purchased this online at the Gilt Groupe for under $100.00 during one of their sales. Below are a few more of my holiday style finds.

Target has a great holiday collection in stores now. I came across this beautiful beaded cardigan sweater for under $30.00. The beading is on the shoulder, which is a nice accent.
This is available in winter white (Target has labeled this a “dogbone?” why?) & basic black. A great & affordable choice. Overall, I have to say the entire Holiday Collection has some great picks. This sweater is available in Woman’s sizes X-Small to XX-Large (not Go Juniors sizing).

There are some more great pieces in TopShop’s holiday collection, with some pieces on sale. I love this pretty beaded V neck top, now on sale for $40.USD. This is also available from TopShop UK’s site for our international readers. The top comes in this pretty pale pink as well as a winter white. Some of the Kate Moss collection is also on sale. I’m a big fan of the 1920s inspired dresses in the Kate Moss collection.

TopShop Beaded V-Neck Top

For fashionistas around the world, H&M also has a nice holiday collection with some great pieces. I like this magenta dress. It looks alot more expensive that its $59.90 price tag. Its also something that could be worn long after the holidays for evenings out & cocktail parties.

H&M Holiday Collection Dress

Over at Kohl’s the Simply Vera Collection offers a classic “Little Black Dress” for under $50.00. This dress is timeless and you can dress it up with some pearls and channel your inner Coco.

Simply Vera Black Pintuck Dress
The Simply Vera Collection also has some great holiday tops worth checking out. Alot of the Simply Vera holiday collection is sold out online, but you may still be able to find the cute faux fur vintage looking short jacket and the tops w/bows in a Kohl’s store.

The ultimate Recessionista style award for fashion for less has to go to Target for this gorgeous Little Black Dress from the Jonathan Saunders collection.

Jonathan Saunders Target GO Ebony Jersey Dress

This dress is now reduced to $7.49!!!! How good is that? I tried the dress on in the store when the collection first came out, and its really striking. The sleeves are a sheer chiffon type black fabric, and the dress body is black jersey. The sheer sleeves have cute, fabric covered black buttons at the cuff for a great accent. It is a bit short, but it can also be worn as a tunic, with a pair of jeans or slim black pants. Overall, a great fashion find. Check the online Target reviews to see what others who’ve purchased thought. I’m not the only fashionista who think this is a good deal!

Finally, there are some other great items worthy of mention.

Lane Bryant is having a holiday sale for ladies looking for Plus Size fashions. The home page of the website gives you a coupon code to receive 25% off site wide. There are some really gorgeous tops & dresses in the LB collection. This criss-cross black dress is particularly attractive.

Our friends at Loehmann’s have some great holiday items. I don’t have any pictures here to show, as selection varies from store to store. I was recently at my local store, and I was surprised by the selection of high-end designer items featured. Beautiful stuff. Their blog is indeed correct, Sarah Palin should’ve gone to Loehmann’s for her fashions! 🙂 Before you head out to Loehmanns’ check the This Week section on their website. The “This Week” section tells you about further reductions and sales by days of the week. It also tells you what’s new in this week. Its a great resource for Recessionistas. Loehmann’s also had great stocking stuffer items in the area near the cash registers. Everything from high-end sweets to great holiday candles (including a delicious grapefruit scented candle for $7.00!)

The Gap has a great little beaded T-shirt that is super cute for $28.00 in sizes X-Small to XXL.
I love it in the “purple petal”, but it also comes in black & gray. This is great pick for a casual holiday fete. A couple other Gap designs show the distinctive touch of designer Patrick Robinson. This ruffled chiffon holiday dress is really gorgeous in person. The picture on the Gap website does not do it justice. I also adore this sheer ruffled top in the unique dusty lavender color. I have some Gap points I’ve been saving that warrant using on this beautiful flowy top. I’ll be going back to Gap to do another fashion round-up this week. Kudos to Patrick Robinson for adding his creative touches to the Gap collection.

My final picks are a few of the Norma Kamali Collection discount pieces. There are a couple of great holiday dresses like the Jersey Twist dress for just $20.00. There is also a particularly rich looking red blouse for just $15.00.

Lots of great choices for the Recessionista aka the Fashionista on a budget.