A Modern Look for Christmas at the Traditional Caswell House
Dress: Black Halo (runs small so size up, also available in black) // Pumps: Stuart Weitzman // Earrings: J. Crew (sold out, alternative option here) // Watch: Kate Spade // Bracelet: Stella & Dot // Lip Color: Bobbi Brown (Red) // In the Box: Mark & Graham monogrammed pajama set
Every year my husband and I co-host a Christmas party with some friends of ours who work in our same industry, and each year more and more of our friends and family join us. The past several years, we've had it at the historic Caswell House, located just north of downtown in Austin, which is fully decorated for Christmas. There's an open bar (duh), we bring in food from Whole Foods, hire a piano player, and use it as an opportunity to dress up.
If I'm being honest, the main reason we decided to host an annual party is so I could have another excuse to dress up. Austin is a pretty casual town, so opportunities to really get dolled up are few and far between. And, hunting down the perfect dress for the party has definitely become a tradition of its own. In the past, I've chosen more traditional cocktail dresses with either sequins or lace, but this year I wanted to do something a little different.
I knew I had found the right dress when I ran across this two-piece number by Black Halo at Bloomingdale's. It was just the right shade of red, plus it's a more modern and trendy style than I usually lean towards. I also finally bought some Stuart Weitzman 'Nudist' pumps to wear with it (I didn't want any shoes that took away from the dress), and I seriously don't know what took me so long to pull the trigger on these. They're pricey, but if you want a pair of simple pumps you can wear with anything - I highly recommend these.
Merry Christmas,
P.S. To see what's in the box, click here.
Outfit pictures taken by the lovely and talented Jessica Scott, Caswell House images by Liz the Austinite.
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