Festive Ideas for the Holidays

Here at fab'rik we always love to throw a good party; whether it be birthday, baby shower, bridal shower, engagement, anniversary, or just a random get together-- we are always down for getting the gang together & celebrating just about anything! But we especially love gathering for the holidays.
Who doesn't love a good holiday party? Year after year, people celebrate this time of family & friends with all sorts of themes to bring everyone together.
Having a hard time making up your mind on what you'd like to host this year?
Here is our list of must-have holiday parties:
-Favorite Sweater: old school but never gets old. A great way for both guys & gals to get excited about the holiday season. Rock a favorite sweater from childhood or score one at a thrift store. Makes your outfit selection sooo much easier.
-Tacky Christmas: duh. It's favorite sweater-esque taken to a whole new level. What's more fun that seeing all of your friends decked out in reindeer antlers, jingle bells & wreaths! Over time we've seen some pretty outlandish get ups at these type of gatherings!
-Winter Wonderland: Easy enough: ask all of your friends to gather in winter white, creme, & ivory outfits. These color-based- themed parties are great for pictures & wanting a simple theme to mold your party around.
-Potluck party: makes things easy for the hostess. If you're really wanting to get your group of friends together but don't have hours to spend slaving in the kitchen this is your best option. Send out an evite or mass email (this way everyone can know what everyone's bringing) suggesting different sides, desserts, etc. It's an easy way out of having to throw the whole thing together yourself! & a great way to get new recipe ideas! Which brings us to our next theme...
-Recipe exchange: this is geared more towards the gals. But a really cute idea especially for ladies in their 20s who are still figuring out how to go about hosting their own party. Make it simple: appetizers & drinks, & ask all your guests to bring their preferred holiday recipe on note cards-- enough for each guest. Everyone will love finding out how to make grandma's gingerbread cookies, your family pumpkin pie, etc. all while sipping on a cocktail...
-Mixology party: What's a holiday party without some fun drink options? Another girl friendly idea is a cocktail themed party. Similar to the recipe exchange except better ;) Everyone brings the ingredients to their favorite party (hopefully holiday inspired) drinks to share with friends while mingling with friends. Here's one of our favorite cocktails with a festive twist: We call it the Christmas Collins: First fill a cocktail shaker with cracked ice. Add gin (preferably Bombay), lemon juice & sugar. Shake about 5 times. Then fill an 8 oz. glass with about a palm-full of pomegranate seeds. After, pour our mixture from the cocktail shaker into the glass & top it off with a sprig of thyme-- which mocks a mistletoe!
-Ornament Exchange: My girlfriends & I used to do this in high school, & as the years have gone on I cherish the memories from these get togethers the most from holiday seasons' past. Everyone brings an ornament & follows the rules much like a white elephant gift exchange. It's a great way to get some adorable ornaments to add to your Christmas trees over the years.
-XXXmas Party: Now I suppose it's only fitting for the adult version of the ornament exchange party that my friends & I have migrated to over the past couple of years. Same concept-- different gifts. We each bring some lingerie under $40 and have a hilarious time laughing as everyone fights over lingerie... my how times have changed ;)

Cheers! & Happy hostess-ing!!

A photo from a Little Black Dress themed party we had a few years ago :)

Family Function-al

So with the holidays comes loads of family functions. While you're busy juggling cocktail parties & soirees the majority of the year where anything in your closet goes, November & December ask for a more conservative approach to celebrating. I mean, let's be serious, you can't show up at grandma's with 5 inch stilettos & a mini skirt!

Take the fab'rik approach to holiday festivity shopping: buy things that are appropriate but versatile. A sweater that can also be worn to work, a dress that can be worn with leggings at your aunt's but can show off your gams when you're out with your girls, or a slick pair of jeggings with a cozy tunic & then rockin heels on the weekend. What's better than pieces that can be worn now & later? Other than a serious Thanksgiving feast :)

For All You Carolina Girls....

What better way to kick off your Monday than with a great deal?

For all of our North Carolina customers you can enjoy a special post-Halloween treat: Our Raleigh & Chapel Hill stores are on Groupon today!

For $25 you get $60 worth of merchandise! Talk about a deal! That's 58% off!

Before midnight tonight be sure to snatch up your Groupon to get great savings on sweaters, cardigans, jackets, coats, dresses, jewelry, shoes & even jeans!

Rae of Light

I'll go ahead & call myself out on this blog-- I am totally 100% biased. While I do love all things that I blog about: fab'rik, jeggings, shoes, weddings, etc. I can't even begin to describe in words how much I love today's subject: Savannah Rae.

Last Friday night was such a special evening for us fab'rik ladies. One of our very own, Amanda Wheeler, debuted her fashion line at our midtown store. We had a full-on launch party & fashion show, showcasing the Savannah Rae brand for all the world to see! Friends, family, customers, gathered on October 22nd to be the first to see, try on, & buy the easy to wear line.

Imagine, pieces that you can wear tons of different ways: with leggings, jeans, tights, boots, heels, jackets, cardigans: all of the Savannah Rae items can be combined with multiple combinations to create versatile outfits for your everyday wardrobe! They all fit the fab'rik requirements: trendy, fashionable, & of course-- all under $100!

Amanda-- We are so incredibly proud of you! We love your clothes! & we are having the best time helping other women fall in love with them as well :)

Fall in Love

One of my best friends is walking down the aisle this weekend :) For this particular wedding I got lucky: all I have to do is slide on my bridesmaid's dress but for those of you that are attending fall weddings as guests... here's a little crash course!
Shopping for weddings in general is always very tricky. We've already discussed this subject once before. However, each season is a new monster in the wedding attire world & fall seems to be the most challenging of all. The weather is so unpredictable (hello, it was 50 degrees last week & 85 this week!) & depending on the time of the wedding, you can get a real headache weighing out all of your viable options.
Basic Black-- I know, I know you're not attending a funeral. However, if you're attending a fall wedding in the evening this is your best and safest bet. It will allow you to accessorize according to the occasion & of course can be worn on various other occasions!
Fall Hues-- A given. But anything in the browns, plums, taupes, rust colors is always so beautiful when the leaves are changing.
Layers-- See what summer dresses you can wear with either a cardigan or tights to make a summery dress translate well into the fall months. Even think wraps, shawls, capes, & scarves to help you take your look year round.
Layers, more specifically: Blazers-- Use this classic piece every girl should have in their closet to not only make a look more conservative (especially for a church ceremony) but to stay warm if the temperature drops after the sun goes down! Cocktail-- If you're attending an after 5 wedding, any sort of cocktail dress (not to revealing or short of course) is a perfect option! Throw on a cute pump or bootie & you're ready to go!
Timing is everything-- The actual time the ceremony is taking place is the key factor to determining attire for any wedding. A cute skirt & cardigan combo is perfect for an afternoon wedding while a dressier option is most suitable for evening.

Fab'rik City Walk manager Meredith & her husband Rob at a fall wedding this past weekend! Meredith's wearing one of our many fab'rik dresses! Only $72.

Denim 101

I am a self-professed denim girl: I'd rather be in jeans & a cute top any day over a dress. However, knowing my friends as well as my customers I realize that I'm actually the exception to the rule. Most girls love dresses & I could never figure out why I didn't feel the same. Jeans are challenging-- maybe I like the challenge?-- the right length, cut, fit & of course, the best boost for your caboose! I spend hours helping women of all shapes, ages, & sizes find the perfect jean & I can say that overall: women loathe the process. I personally hate bathing suit shopping (who does though?) but some women out there hate, with a capital H, looking for jeans.

So, I have decided to gather a few tips & tricks from magazines & personal experience that will hopefully facilitate the process for those of you out there that cringe at the thought of denim shopping.

Glossary

-boot cut- style that skims the thigh & has a slight flare at the leg opening; balances proportions & creates the illusion of longer legs

-skinny- style with a close fit through the leg; great for tucking into boots

-flare leg- fitted through the seat, thigh & knee & then flared at the leg opening

-straight leg- traditional cut with a straight, narrow leg that does not flare at the leg opening

-jegging- the 2010 jean; fits like a skinny jean & feels like leggings

Stretching

We have a rule at fab'rik- buy the size the smallest size you can button. I know, sounds crazy & not very comfortable (if you could only see the look on some of my customers faces when I tell them this) but the truth is that denim is a variation of cotton & well cotton/denim stretches. You will look like a hot mess in your baggy jeans if you give in & buy the bigger size. Trust me, I've been foolish enough to not take my own advice & I regret it each & every single time I have that certain pair of ill-fitting jeans on.

Different Body Shape, Different Jean

-To overall slim: jeans where the side seam curves to the front will narrow any silhouette

-To camouflage the tummy: high-waisted jeans are always great for belly conscious gals

-The dreaded love handles: mid-rise jeans like Joes, Citizens, etc. that right about 8 to 8.5 inches from top to bottom

-Wide hips: Jeans that are more of a high rise--without being a mom jean--that hit an inch below the belly button will eliminate the waist gap, which is often the problem for the pear-shaped ladies. Also, steer clear of tight ankles, which can make your legs look like drumsticks!

-Petite & Curvy: The best fit for the cute & compact is hands down the Joe's Provocateurs. This style really compliments an hourglass petite silhouette, as they are designed with more room in the thighs & butt. They also have a shorter inseam & boot cut leg that won't chop off at the ankle or shorten thicker thighs.

-Tall & Curvy: Denim with monochromatic stitching doesn't draw attention to thick thighs or bottoms. Also, we suggest long flared jeans (like Rock & Republic) that are snug through the thigh to accentuate the long gams.

-Boy Figure: Women with angular hips need jeans that rest on the pelvic bone, to reduce the extra fabric. Make sure to avoid casual, slouchy jeans: these will only make you appear more box shaped.

-Full Figure: If the back pockets on the jeans are too far apart, they tend to only draw more attention to the backside and can make hips look wider. Paige Laurel Canyon jeans have a slightly wider flare (20 inches) which balances out the hips.

-Boosting a Flat Romp: Rounded pocket edges create the illusion of a nice shaped apple bottom versus a pancake! We love the Hudson standard boot cut.

-Defying Gravity: In order to draw the viewer's eye up, wear jeans with flap pockets that are high on the rear. Also, jeans that are more fitted through the knee make the tush look perkier!

Extra Tips

-Too much distressing in the wrong place can draw attention to a trouble spot, but a little hint of it in a favorable area that you wish to accentuate will allow your jeans to have that perfect worn in look

-To create the illusion of thinner thighs, a darker wash tends to be the most flattering

Of course, as you already know, you can always stop by any fab'rik & have your very own denim guru help you find the best jean for your denim desires!

FNO Winners!

Happy Tuesday bloggeristas!
After 4 successful Fashion's Night Out events this past Friday night & a relaxing weekend we are finally ready to announce the 4 winners of the contests we had going on at each store!

Buckhead: The winner of a $50 gift certificate to Republic Social House is EVIN EARNHART
Midtown: The winner of our outfit contest & $100 gift certificate to fab'rik is MEGAN MABREY
Forum: The winner of a haute mom makeover: outfit from fab'rik, makeup from Van Michael Salon, & dinner for 2 at Grace 1720 is LIZ BICKNESE
CW: The winner of the denim contest & $100 gift certificate to fab'rik is KELLI SULLIVAN

Congratulations to all of our winners! & thank you all so much again for joining us on FNO! We look forward to next year!
Also, be sure to check our facebook page through out the week for pics & details from all 4 events!
*Winners: Be sure to go to each store this week to redeem your prize! Email angelique@fabrikatlanta.com if you have any questions!