1. Avedon Fashion 1944-2000 I’ve waited forever to pull the trigger on this fashion coffee table book. To this day, Avedon’s photography is one of the best exhibits I’ve ever seen at The Met.

2. Bow heels Festive, sexy and oh so versatile.

3. Leather clutch If you’re unfamiliar with Clare V, now is the time to get to know the brand. Their clutches are well made and super stylish.

4. Diptyque candle trio You can’t go wrong with three of their most popular scents.

5. Sephora Beauty Icons A $298 value, this set includes all of the top selling Sephora favorites, several of which I use and swear by.

6. Jonathan Adler canister Whimsical and practical, this adds panache to any room.

7. Rose gold watch As sophisticated as it is stunning.

8. Crystal earrings Sparkly, pretty and an additional 30% off!

9. Wool fedora Janessa Leone’s hats are to die for. I love the gold detail on this midnight blue number.

10. Men in Red print  I’m a big fan of Slim Aarons and Gray Malin. This piece from a Minted artist gives the same feeling at a fraction of the cost.

Next up in my quest for gorgeous holiday dresses that won’t break the bank is this little black number. Its shimmery fabric veers silver or gold depending on how it hits the light, giving you versatility when pairing accessories and shoes. The illusion skirt/top combo makes for a beautiful silhouette that will look great on all body types. I love the way the fabric sashays as you move – sexy and mysterious, this is a dress that truly shines.

Where to Wear it:
– New Year’s Eve
– Holiday drinks with friends

How to Style it:
For warmer climates – long necklace (tassel and lariat styles look great), strappy sandals and a bold lip
For cooler climates – top with a leather jacket, black shimmer tights, booties and statement earrings Vocabulary Boutique dress and necklace // Stuart Weitzman shoes

Special thank you to Vocabulary Boutique for partnering on this post and the Westgate Hotel for hosting.

1. Swan candle snuffer. I always thought this was a superfluous tool until I had to repeatedly remove wick trimmings from my kitchen scissors.

2. R + Co. dry shampoo. From the Founders of Bumble & Bumble, this new product line will change your life. Plus, it smells divine.

3. Furry bag charm. A great affordable alternative to the Fendi original.

4. Set of 3 notebooks. Created by a nun turned pop artist, these notebooks feature vivid images of recognizable brands.

5. Earrings. I am so in love with these pearl backer earrings I might just have to get a pair for myself.

6. Bath salts. Infused with lavender and eucalyptus these Dead Sea bath salts are a must.

7. Key ring. This brass key ring can be worn on a pocket or rest inside your purse.

8. Bite Beauty Lip Crayons. A best seller, this quad comes with four festive shades and a pretty mirror.

9. Colorblock soap + dish. A stylish, practical gift that everyone needs in their home.

10. Ticket stub diary. I’ve saved every ticket stub for every movie and event I’ve attended since the early 90s. Finally, a decorative place to put them.

Check out my Holiday Gift Guide Under $25 from 2014.

Tomorrow marks the first day of December and you know what that means – holiday season is officially here! Between work gatherings, family parties and celebratory events, it’s important to have a few go-to outfits that make you feel your best and won’t break the bank. To kick off my holiday season attire, I’ve partnered with Vocabulary Boutique to bring you three festive dresses all under $100.

There’s a lot of controversy surrounding Mansur Gavriel handbags. People either love them or hate them. Personally, I love their simplistic design, high quality material, durability and moderate price point for a designer bag. I carry mine frequently. Love them or hate them, procuring one is even more controversial. Demand is high and supply is kept purposely low. For some, the exclusivity and complicated process of obtaining one is a major turn off. For me, it’s a fun challenge. After three failed attempts to get my hands on one during a restock, I finally succeeded. Here is what I learned. Forewarning, these tips are a little crazy, but if you’ve been trying in vain to get one, I hope you’ll find them helpful.

1) Timing
Many websites will tell you that scoring a Mansur Gavriel bag favors the prompt. As I learned the first three times, prompt can be a relative term. Let me unpack it for you.

The restock goes live at 11am ET. Rather than waiting until the clock on your computer hits 11am, begin refreshing the page 5 minutes prior. And when I say refresh the page, I mean consistently hit the refresh button for five consecutive minutes starting at 10:55am.

Yes, it’s totally obsessive. And yes, you’ll need to totally clear your calendar for those five minutes. No checking email, taking a phone call, etc. You are glued to your screen. Each time I was able to purchase a bag, I got in before the clock on my computer hit 11am.

2) No browsing
This should be obvious, but before the magic hour arrives you need to know exactly what bag you want to purchase. There will be zero time to click through the colors or sizes of a certain style once you actually get in.

The Mansur Gavriel site is currently up, so do your browsing now. I even recommend doing a trial run. Want the mini bucket in black/ballerina? You should know that style is the 6th one down on the list and the color black is the 3rd style over. Again, totally crazy and obsessive, but it works.

Also, this is not the time to be greedy or to be gracious and offer to buy one for a friend who can’t get to her computer at 11am. The whole process moves so fast that you’ll only have time to add one bag to your cart before it’s too late. One bag per customer or it’s “no soup for you!”

3) Copy/Paste Shortcuts
Type out your credit card number in a Word document and copy it. When the time comes to enter that information, simply hit [Ctrl v for PC, Command v for Mac] to paste it into the appropriate field. You can type [Ctrl v] much faster than you can type your 16-digit credit card number. Every second counts.

4) Grace Period
After a lot of backlash from potential customers, Mansur Gavriel announced that each person would get a 5-minute grace period to checkout once a bag had been added to their cart. My advice? Don’t trust it.

During each of my failed attempts to score a bag, I had what I wanted in my cart and got kicked out while entering my billing information. Perhaps my computer was being glitchy or I temporarily entered the Bermuda Triangle, but the grace period didn’t work for me. If you get a bag into your cart, move baby, move!

So after all of this crazy and obsessive behavior, what if you still didn’t manage to get a bag?

Email Mansur Gavriel customer service and ask them which of their stockists will be carrying the style and color bag you want. I found their customer service to be incredibly kind and helpful. Once you get that list, start calling each of those stores and add your name to their waiting list. You’ll have to wait between 2-4 months (depending on the store and the bag you want) before the time comes, but at least you’ll be on the list. Each store handles this process differently, but most are first come, first served. So remember, a few months from now when you get a phone call from a number you don’t recognize, answer it. It could be Steven Alan calling to say they have your bag.

Here are some stockists that carry Mansur Gavriel. You can also visit the Stockists link on their website.

Steven Alan
Bird
Net-a-Porter
Bergdorf Goodman
Moda Operandi
Barneys
Matches Fashion

I hope you found this information helpful. May the Force be with you tomorrow.