So I realised I forgot to explain my 'I Dream of a Lifestyle Involving Many Cocktail Dresses' series. Contrary to the timing, the series is not specificly here just because it's party season. It's here because I've been so inspired by Gossip Girl. If you haven't watched the oh-so-addictive Gossip Girl yet, basically, a fabulous event happens every episode and all the gorgeous characters are dressed amazingly -both girls and guys. (I loved Blair's birthday party: the clothes, the venue, the atmosphere!) Even in episodes that don't have parties, they're all still dressed fashionably.
So anyways, before I feature more dresses and accessories that I like, (such as in my post on Marc dresses last week), I have questions about some dresses. To start off with: backless dresses. I've been seeing a lot of backless dresses online and in high street stores recently, with the revival of a few 80's trends and racer back dresses.
I'm a bit confused how we're supposed to wear them. Obviously wearing no bras is the logical solution. Or perhaps some people would just let their bra show. But honestly, I do not feel comfortable at all even at the thought of not wearing a bra. I guess I'll just have to avoid all backless dresses. Sigh, it's such a pity. I really like some of the dresses that have this problem (like this grey studded dress above.)
How comfortable are you with backless dresses? And how do you wear it?
Luckily for me, judging from the Phillip Lim 3.1 (left) and Alice + Olivia (rght) catwalk above, the waistcoat trend is still here with us this season.
So I started out looking for one and almost bought this very classic tweedish one (right) from Urban Outfitters the other day. As far as waistcoasts go, this would match with a lot of outfits and the fit was pretty decent. I think the back is also a black satinish material, which I thought was interesting. Only downside was that the tweed material was really rough and since this waistcoast was not on sale, I didn't think it was worth the $42. They need to consider repricing UO...... On the other side of the Atlantic, we have this other classic waistcoat (left) from Top Shop.
Another very classic option for waistcoats are pinstriples (they are a derivative of suits/tux after all). I like these two from Alice + Olivia (left) and Top Shop (right). Though the Alice + Olivia one while more fitted looking (since the model is wearing it) might have a bit too much detail (pockets and collar) for me. I think I prefer something cleaner, since for me, a waistcoat IS a detail and it IS already striped....
Something more interesting, we have these two from Top Shop. Not too sure how flattering the blue one would be (left) but I LOVE the military inspired one (right).
Something more party-ish, we have these colorful shiny options from UO (left) and Vena Cava (right)- a great way to add some character to your party outfit. Though I think for satin, the cutting is very important and you can already see thee poor cutting from the picture here for UO (I do like the color though)- so be careful!
Remember the dress Kate Moss wore to Fashion Rocks this year? Think of a short, non-volume mini-dress; think beads and drop-waist. The two featured above are the examples I like (from Kate Moss Top Shop and Oasis). 
One of the main features of 20's style bags are frame bags. The first one that caught my eye is this golden, embroidered one from the Kate Moss Top Shop collection. It's more casual than the other ones and so pretty. Plus, doesn't it look like I had to go through vintage stores to dig it up (minus the effort)?
Another feature of 20's style bags are beaded bags. One that caught my eye is this black beaded one, also from Kate Moss Top Shop. It's simple but with just enough pattern detail.
Warehouse has one which is a bit more fancy -lots of gems. Not really my style though.
Oasis also has a range of beaded bags. My friend just bought the one on the left in black. One good thing about these bags is that if matched right, they can be carried in 'usual' functions like to cocktails and even clubbing, or to more dresses-up functions, like weddings and dances.
Even though it's kind of plain, I would like to see this bronze pouch in real life. If it's big enough to be somewhat practical (although I suspect it's not), at 18 pounds, I might just buy it.
If these aren't fancy enough for you, how about this box-bag from Top Shop? 
French Connection has this very interesting bottle-bag. The design is pretty unique, isn't it? (Plus, the photo of the model holding it shows that you can match these 20's bags with your very contemporary dresses.)
And if you're really into the whole dressing up thing, this feather hairband from Accessorize is a fantastic accessory to add onto your outfit. It's easy to wear and adds just the right amount of dressiness. Just make sure you don't put too many things together and wear the accessories to stuiable events.
The first time I was introduced to Dooney bags was from Mischa Barton's ads in Teen Vogue of the 'IT' bag series. It were these ads that made me think that a lot of the Dooney & Bourke designs look similar to Vuitton bags, especially the monogram designs, and they're certainly not cheap. And doesn't Mischa look like she's a showgirl at some mobile phone convention?
Next came the Lindsay Lohan ones. (Actually, were the Mischa ones first or the Lindsay ones? Whatever.) The bags Lindsay held looked like a small girl's art work put onto an adult-shaped bag. Not good.
Then came Emma Roberts' ads. Even though I'm indifferent to Emma Roberts, I have to say that if I were fifteen, I would consider the red, bean-shaped bag on the right. But I'm not so sure about the bees on the bag on the left.
And finally, this season Dooney has Hayden Pannettiere helping design and advertise its Hayden bag. It seems like Dooney has finally managed to select great images for the ad -Hayden fits well with the bag and the whole image suits a much larger age range. As for the bag, I actually like the bag! The bag looks modern and trendy, thanks to the design itself and patent leather. It looks big enough to fit books and such, thus practical, and the shoulder straps' length look just right. The only ugly thing that sticks out is the 'HP' tag, but that should be removeable. 
And look, Hayden has such good work ethics -she's actually using the bag in real life! Such a smart and responsible girl! The best thing is, unlike a lot of other celebrity endorsements, the bag actually looks great with her outfit. I would consider buying this bag, even though it costs $500.
A plain dress from Top Shop. While dresses like that aren't exactly party material, they are good for day-to-night days. Plus -
For night, add a sequined scarf to make the basic dress more fun.
If you have a dressy event and you want to wear a sequined scarf, make sure your dress is pretty plain, like this purple Shelly Steffee slip dress or this electric blue Julie Haus Cha Cha dress.
Even though I haven't tried it yet, I suspect a sequined scarf would also look cool with strapless dresses. The green A-line dress if by Susana Monaco and the black one if by Laila Azhar.
Or a V-neck dress.
This woven beaded scarf is also from Oasis. It's not as sparkly as the all-sequined one, but I can't find the exact photo on Oasis' website.
If sequined scarves are too 'bling' or 'shiny' for you, then maybe go for a metallic scarf and wrap it all around your neck like in this image from Urban Outfitters.