Disclaimer: This is not my house. Now that that’s out of the way… I LOVE to travel, but on Christmas there is no place I’d rather be than in my cozy Spanish bungalow with my wonderful family. So while many of our friends have jetted off to distance lands, come Christmas morning Tom and I and the girls will be wearing jammies around our tree, eating chocolate croissants and sipping hot cocoa. Five days and counting! Between now and then, if you’ve got a house party to attend and you’re not feeling like kicking up your heels in a party dress (and lord knows I get it!), here’s another way to go. Diaphanous top and a skinny pant accessorized with a jewel or two — mine belonged to my grandmother, a stylish Southern belle if ever there was one — and you’re set. Easy peasy. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think there is a Panettone around here somewhere that needs eating.

With love,

Amanda

I’m wearing… Top: Olima; Pant: Armani Exchange; Shoes: Claudia Ciuti

I used to be a miniskirt girl. Full stop. I mean, if you’ve got stems you like, why not keep them in full view? At all times. Here’s one reason. Because all minis all the time are too one note. Here’s another, even better reason… Because long skirts and dresses are sumptuous and luxurious and can bring a whole new level of drama and delight to the wearer and the observer. So a few years ago I started going long. This dress by Olima (yes, I’ve been favoring him lately, but who can blame me?!), is everything. There’s nothing I don’t love about it. Matte jersey, weighty, cut to perfection, fluid-as-you-wanna-be and just the right amount of glow. I still love my minis but they’re no longer my default. The maxis have captured my imagination, and I bet if you go long, you’ll fall for them too.

With love,

Amanda

My husband and I exchange gifts at Christmas. Pretty common practice, right? Ah, so you might think! It turns out lots of our friends forgo the husband/wife holiday gift exchange in favor of a communally purchased, mutually agreed upon present-meant-for-two. Things like a trip, or a new piece of furniture, or a work of art. I will admit, I do like to open up a nicely wrapped, surprising package on December 25th, but it’s also true that the best gift my husband and I ever indulged in was one we bought together. It was a painting by Donald Sultan called “Green Apples and a Black Egg.” Reflecting on this truth got me to thinking about the importance and impact of good art. How it enhances our lives, opens up new dimensions of thought and experience, and generally enriches our world on the daily. Like this striking piece of street art by Retna, which I stopped to admire while swishing about in a neutral halter dress from my latest obsession, Olima. With less than two weeks to Christmas, I’m still shopping for Tom, and he’s still scurrying about in search of gifts for me (yes, I’m a lucky girl). But I think next year we might follow the lead of our less overextend friends and buy just one, singularly beautiful painting, print or photograph, and enjoy a little more time with our nog and a little less time doing the holiday shopping hustle.

With love,

Amanda