Holiday Party Looks from Ann Taylor Try-On Session

If you’re bummed because you missed all the great sales this weekend or you never found that holiday party look you were hoping to buy, cheer up. The Ann Taylor Friends of Ann 40% off sale continues through Tuesday morning, 3 a.m. EST, so essentially through Monday. (Use code FRIENDS40.) And this weekend I found so many beautiful and classic holiday party pieces there. I can’t wait to share this try-on session with you.

Sizing information:

At Ann Taylor I normally wear an 8 in their pants, a small in tops and an 8 in dresses. I wear a 6 in their jeans, but I prefer the curvy cut in the jeans. I’m 5’8″ and 148 pounds with fairly balanced proportions.

For the most part, everything I tried on fit true to size. There were only one or two exceptions, and I’ll point those out. So otherwise, just assume that the clothes fit true to your usual size at Ann Taylor.

Let’s get started with the looks I discovered.

Velvet Skinny Jeans & Tops

I couldn’t wait to try on these velvet skinny jeans. Unfortunately, I really think I would prefer the curvy fit. In the modern fit, these beautiful velvet jeans come in five shades, including the beautiful red raisin I’m wearing here. But in the curvy fit they only have the harbor grey and black. And of course, those colors would go beautifully with so many of the things I’m showing you. But you do have to order the curvy fit online, too. They aren’t in the store.

Still, I love these velvet jeans. They’re a great choice for the gal who has several holiday parties or gatherings to attend. You can pair them with one of the tops I’m showing you here, but you could also wear just a pretty white no-iron button up shirt and some sparkly jewelry.

I love the shimmer crew neck sweater I’m showing on the left. It fit well and adds a little edgy sparkle. But I’m not crazy about the winter white ruffle sleeve sweater, mainly because it’s a little sheer and you can see the top of my pants through it. But maybe I should have tried it in a medium. This is the small I’m wearing.

Crocus Floral Velvet Tee

This velvety crocus floral tee is one of my favorite pieces I tried on at Ann Taylor. It feels wonderful on, and it has a flattering cut – skimming the body, but not hugging it. Also, the wide, short sleeves soften the look and give it a modern feel.

You could simply purchase this velvet tee or another one similar to it and add it to jeans, pants or skirts for festive looks all season. Plus, it’s not just for Christmas. This top would look beautiful for New Year’s Eve or even Valentine’s Day.

I tried the velvet crocus floral tee on with the red raisin velvet pants, and I think I like that pairing. For the right occasion, I think it’s perfectly acceptable to wear velvet on top and bottom like this. But if that just seems like to much of the velvety fabric to you, you could always wear the crocus top over regular dark wash or black jeans or dress pants.

In the photo on the left I tried the velvet crocus floral top with the Ann Taylor ponte five pocket leggings, which are constructed like jeans, but feel more like leggings. The sales lady kept telling me “they’re not leggings; they’re jeans.” But the website calls them leggings, and they are made of ponte fabric, so… At any rate, these are leggings. But I do like the grey melange color of the leggings with this velvet crocus top.

Cue the Winter White Ankle Pants

Here’s where I really fell in love. I’m a sucker for a pair of classic, winter white pants. And these ankle pants fit like a dream. I especially like that these winter white pants are not lined, as so many are. I just live in a climate where I don’t want to fool with lined pants. But, of course, I also want my winter white pants to be modest and not too sheer. These fit the bill!

I like the velvet crocus floral tee with the white pants okay, but it’s not my favorite combination for either. (By the way, the heels are just a pair that I asked the sales lady to get me for the try-on session. These are not the shoes I would wear with much of anything in this post. But they do help show you the fit and length of things.)

On the other hand, the color block sweater on the left paired with the winter white pants looks modern and youthful. It’s not necessarily for a dressy holiday party, but it would work well for a festive occasion where you didn’t necessarily want to shimmer or sparkle. This easy fitting knit sweater also comes in a navy combo, but I really like this “jubilee” pairing.

Add the Red Jewel Button Cardigan

I also tried the white ankle pants with this soft pink marled turtleneck sweater (on the right). Love, love, love. This sweater also comes in a pretty green, grey and black. But I love the soft pink multi.

The look on the left is another of my favorites. These are classic pieces that could see you through so many special events and parties. It’s perfect for a Christmas concert, office party, Sunday school party, festive dinner out or a live performance of the Nutcracker. The bright red cardigan has jeweled buttons, adding a little glam. And of course you could mix the jeweled button Ann cardigan and the black lace pencil skirt with other pieces for additional festive looks. I’d wear a close fitting cami under the button cardigan if I wore it this way, by the way.

Also, the lace pencil skirt also comes in an exquisite deep ravishing rose color, which is really a deep purplish plum. It would look gorgeous with a black cardigan, pullover or velvet faux wrap top.

I liked the red jewel button Ann cardigan so much I decided to try it with the winter white ankle pants and a winter white pencil skirt. I really like this skirt. It is of the same quality as the winter white ankle pants, but it is lined of course. The side slits are tacked closed at the hem, but of course you could remove that stitch with purchase, and I think it would hang a little better at the hemline then. It features pretty little pearlized buttons at these side slits.

By the way, as I look at these photos I’m wondering if I might not need a medium in the red jewel button cardigan. Especially if I wanted to wear it over something, I think I might size up.

I ended up buying these winter white ankle pants, and you’ll undoubtedly see them again here. But I would have loved to have this white skirt, too. Either piece is classic, well constructed and timeless. I purchased the batik blue Floral Camp Shirt to wear with the pants, but you can see how lovely it looks with the skirt as well.

Again, this is not necessarily a glittery look, but I don’t always want to “sparkle” at holiday parties, do you? Sometimes I just want to look effortlessly elegant. And I think these pieces achieve that.

Festive Dresses and Skirts

Ann Taylor has several beautiful, festive dresses for your consideration. Unfortunately, I didn’t pick up the best ones for my try-on session. The tweed dress on the left has a sparkly thread woven in for a little glitter. but it makes me look a little high waisted I think. Just not my favorite fit.

And the Velvet Floral Dress on the right fits large. I’m wearing the 8, so I’d need to size down to the 6, which they didn’t have in the store. So I kind of struck out with the dresses. But I’m providing a shopping widget full of beautiful dresses at Ann Taylor for your consideration. And remember, factor in the 40% off with the code FRIENDS40.

Finally, I tried this shimmery tweed skirt. It’s a nice conservative option, full of sparkle, but also loaded with rich texture and hues.

You can wear this tweed a-line skirt with a sweater on top or with a pretty blouse tucked in. I like it with either this scalloped sweater in plum petal or the ruffle button down blouse, also in plum petal.

Either of these combinations would work well if you have something festive for which you want a fairly conservative option, nothing too sexy or casual.

Really, Ann Taylor has so many things that I couldn’t even show you in this post. I’m quite impressed with the selection of festive holiday choices. And since everything is 40% off through the wee hours of Tuesday morning (3 a.m. EST) now is a great time to buy a pretty piece or two for the holidays so they’re in the closet and ready to wear when the events arrive.

I’m including another larger shopping widget with all the items I’ve shown you above, plus others I love. Let me know what you think. And also let me know if you have questions I might could answer.

Don’t forget to use code FRIENDS40 when making your purchase on AnnTaylor.com.  I’ve used affiliate links in this post for your shopping convenience and so that I can earn a commission if you buy anything, but at no cost to you. I really appreciate you shopping through my links. That helps me so much. And don’t forget to share this post with your friends on Facebook today, too. Friends tell friends about good sales, y’all!

Have a blessed and beautiful day!

Blessed for My Day

When was the last time you spent a few minutes just reflecting in awe on the majesty and glory of our Lord? Why not take a few moments to do just that today? You might look out your window and notice the birds all a-flutter, noisily gathering God’s provision for their day. Or you might listen to the pounding rain and the rolling thunder, aware that God commands them, “Be strong.” Or maybe you’ll just be amazed at the delightful bursts of flavor you get to enjoy as you eat a scrumptious dinner, and you’ll remember that our God not only provides, but He delights! He is indeed an awesome, wondrous God! And He is so good to us.

“God thunders with His voice wondrously, Doing great things which we cannot comprehend. “For to the snow He says, ‘Fall on the earth,’ And to the downpour and the rain, ‘Be strong.’ ~ Job 37:5-6

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