Q.Bee's New Years Picks

It's time my dear, fashionistas... Break out that piggy bank packed with the year 2010's happenings. Gains, losses, good deeds, and sinful ones... oh, what a year we've had, agreed? 


Of course, a New Years party is just the frosting-on-top that we need to round up the year. Time to summarize your year's fashionable takes into one single -- final -- get-up. What ensemble will you be wearing to your last social gathering bridging a beautiful ending to an excitingly new beginning?

This year, my personal taste has taken a classic-with-a-modern-edge turn... summarized in all-in-all lady-like sophistication.. I did some last minute scouring and found the perfect dress to sum up my year's favorite trends... photos to follow in 2011!

Here are a few inspirational pieces up Q.Bee's alley: 


Sparkly Numbers: I love me some sequins! You can't go wrong with a touch of sparkle to add an extra kick to a look. Sequins have made it big this year... initially set for the nightlife, sequins have bled into our daily wear as well... Sequins can be appropriate and sometimes necessary to bring some eye-catching effect to your get-up. However, with such an attention grabber, keep the rest of your look to a minimum as to not look like you came back from the disco days...

Aidan Mattox Strapless Printed Sequined Dress

Strong Shoulder Sequin Cocktail Dresses by French Connection


Tidbit: Flashy dresses should be the center of your entire look, requiring minimal effort and accessories. Keep things simple for an Old Hollywood, glamorous look. Obviously, a dress that's so loud requires a more subdued outerwear, jacket, or coat. To keep yourself warm throughout the chilly night, pair the dress with solid-color jackets or coats. This helps to insure that the dress takes center stage with no interruptions!


If you're wearing a solid, basic colored dress.... jazz up your look with some extra pizazz with eye-catching sequin jackets like these...

BCBGENERATION SEQUINED CROPPED BLAZER

Velvet Dixon Jacket

Feathers

Sue Wong Feather-Bottom Sequined Dress

Aqua Wendy One Shoulder Peplum Dress With Structured Frill

Rosette Crepe Dress

MATTHEW WILLIAMSON Printed jacquard dress

Notte by Marchesa Fuchsia silk ruffle shoulder sheath dress

Josh Brody Deep V Neck Dress with Pockets

NICOLE MILLER Silk Charmeuse Dress

Alice + Olivia Grody Mesh Back Dress

TFNC Structured Frill One Shoulder Dress

M MISSONI

EMILIO DE LA MORENA Short Printed Dress

MATTHEW WILLIAMSON Pleated silk-chiffon dress

Alexander Wang Drape Detail Dress


Accessories

Jessica Kagan Cushman Brass Skull and Crystals Ring

Anton Heunis Tassel Drop Earrings

KARA ROSS Sterling silver onyx and hematite cage cuff

KARA ROSS Sterling silver chalcedony cage drop earrings

Bop Bijoux Spike Earrings

Ana De Costa Boucles d'Oreilles Tsavorites Sirius

Natalie B WIRE DISC NECKLACE

House of Harlow 1960 Tribal Cabochon Ring in Turquoise

Outerwear

........Until 2011 xoxo

 xo Qbee

Look Who It Is: Olivia Palermo for Vogue España 2001

Editorials

Love and Other Drugs: Anne Hathaway

Sarah Jessica Parker on the cover of ELLE Magazine in none other than: Halston

Rihanna vamped up in feathers, one of the luxurious trends this season... 

Kerry Washington's Gaga inspired look, aside from the Tri-cut do', the kaleidoscope print on the high-structured dress is absolutely stunning..

V.Beckham looked stunning in the Bottega Veneta minimalist frock, classic and clean simplicity..

Speaking of Classic Minimalism, who else does it best than Kate Bosworth? Covering Lucky Magazine, she's all too comfortable in her signature shade: neutral tones with a classic yet preppy sense

Gossip Girl Run-Down

Just Announced: Blake Lively will be the newest face of Chanel, clearly, GG has always been noticed in the high-end fashion universe (don't we all wish we could inherit Blair and Serena's closets? Posh digs?). Leighton Meester has also been picked as the newest celebrity face for Vera Wang.. very Blair no? Above is the first sneak peek of Leighton on set of the newest Vera Wang ad...

Peek-a-Look at some of my latest favorite looks from these modern day style icons...

This season, wool coats don't just end at the waistline... aiming for a sleuth-like mysterious touch, our coats this season have reached our lower calves... Wearing a different shade of boots would bring a juxtaposition to prevent streamlining your figure. Instead, it would draw a cut-off line to the eye and have a heightening effect... ensuring that the coat doesn't overpower you. To slim down and de-fluff, keep hair tied neatly in either a high or low ponytail --for a youthful touch (as shown by Blake) or in a low or high bun for an extra touch of glam..

What do I love most about this look? Aside from the rugged yet feminine feel, I love how she added a cozy leopard print scarf to contrast with the rest of her shades of brown, adding a modern and fresh touch..

Splash-of-Color-and-Pizazz: Leighton's Versus Fall 2010 black frock already has a unique neckline, however, what really steals the show is her stone-mirrored Pierre Hardy circle platform sandals...

Serena's look seems inspired by her regal mother, Lily Van der Woodsen's character... with a high-standing oversized collared wool coat, a lady-like zebra printed tote with hair in a low chignon and Jackie-O inspired shades, she earns an A in my book.. classic and ladylike..

 Do a Mix of Colors right like Leighton, never taking the typical route, she dares to mix nude, white, black, gold and green into one look. With romantic draping effects alongside her Old Hollywood romantic curls, she looks like the modern take of Ava Gardner..

The Mix-n'-Match Madness is Back: Leave it to Eric Daman, costume designer for GG to prep up the fall season for Ms. Van der Woodsen. Mix in multi-color combinations of knitwear, preppy plaids, printed blazers, and oxfords for a youthful prep-school style fall get up...

We've seen a lot of olive tones this season, but I have to hand it to Serena's character, she does the olive color right with a hint of femininity, youth, and of course, sparkle. This season we've seen the characters master the skill of mixing and matching different textures of fabric. But this outfit immediately inspired me. A mix of the army-olive tone in a hybrid blazer + a patterned sequin skirt by Haute Hippie (of course Haute does the best job in sequin numbers) + a heather gray chunky knit pattern vest (adding a touch of the cozy winter feel) + a sequin embellished top that perfectly has a funky effect for the overall outfit. And of course, we never see Serena without her black tights to winter-appropriate any fantastically orchestrated get-up..

This Season I Covet: Ostrich-Feathered Pieces

Nothing screams old Hollywood glam like luxurious feathers.. Stylish stars have picked up on the notice and we're seeing it left and right on the red carpet...

 

Olivia Palermo plays with patterns and textures and has fun with it.. Familiar with the fluffiness of the feathered skirt, she makes sure she keeps the top part of her outfit more fitted and slim. The black and navy patterned blouse blends the loud skirt in better with the outfit. If she were to pair the skirt with a basic top, the look could look horribly choppy and abrupt. She appropriately over-layers her statement necklaces, giving the look a more unique take: gems and black pearls adding class and youthful play to the look.

Liv Tyler kept her look on the demure side, keeping the majority of her pieces in the shade of black, allowing the off-white feathered skirt as the additional pop factor..

Whitney Port: If I had to choose, I have to say.. I absolutely DIED when I saw this look Whit put together... With the mix of romantic and soft colors, she looks like a ballerina who just got off the stage at the ballet.. The girl is brilliant with this look... familiar with the fluff of a luxurious feathered skirt, she slimmed it down with a fitted blazer and appropriately worn tights fitted into flattering ankle booties to show off her long stems.. Most of all, her extravagant earrings add a touch of elegance alongside her camel toned cashmere scarf..

Color-Me-Yellow

I'm spotting shades of neon-esque yellow shades here and there..

Jessica Alba and Cash Warren at the Mulberry Opening

Whitney Port

And of Course, What's a Holiday Season Without Some Sparkle?

Anne Hathaway in Christopher Kane, promoting Love and Other Drugs...

 Taylor Swift 

Actress Lily Collins, Phil Collin's daughter..

Emma Roberts


Sleek Black Sophistication... Minus the Funeral
Contrary to popular belief, yes, it's true... black gives a slimming effect to any figure. However, there is a surefire way to get an adverse effect that could make you look rounder in the tummy area. Wearing black head-to-toe needs to be done so carefully. A fitted black blazer or even a chunky knit sweater needs to contrast with slimmer form-fitting pieces. To prevent a single wash of black, add statement accessories or heels that would add a splash of color to the outfit and help the look pop..

Taylor Swift at the AMAs

Jessica Alba in a Cushnie Et Ochs Fall 2010 RTW One Shoulder Dress

Brooklyn Decker

V. Beckham in one of this fall season's hottest pieces: the modernized cape

Hilary Duff

Camila Alves

Whitney Port

 

 Olivia Palermo

 Blake Lively

Winter White

Lea Michele

Anne Hathaway: one of the red carpet queens of the year has definitely failed to go unnoticed... I absolutely DIE for this winter white frock... romantic, ladylike, and oh-those-details! The lace, floral detailing, feather tiers, and side-sash-bow on the shoulder... oftentimes, such diversity in detailing on a dress could come out to be misunderstood and disastrous, but this is simply breathtaking..

Katy Perry

Rachel Bilson

Other Star Looks that Caught Q.Bee's Eye?

Carrie Underwood in Jenny Packham

Nicole Richie

Whitney Port

...in a royal blue Isabel Marant Spring 2011 dress

Kate Bosworth

Sophia Bush

Rachel Bilson in Dior

Katy Perry

Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany: the Beautiful Mind husband-and-wife love their Balenciaga... This isn't the first time both are dressed in Balenciaga from head-to-toe...

xo Qbee