Ever since I did that post on cute Vivienne Tam dresses a few months ago, I've been wanting a pair of Mary Jane's! They just look SO perfect with all the pretty short dresses floating around lately. Maybe this makes me a bit late on catching up with the Mary Jane wagon since Miu Miu already had that phase last season on their runway, but better late then never right? 
So the pair that I've been seriously considering and almost bought is this pair from Marc by Marc Jacobs, probably in Black/Black, but Black/White does seem more interesting.....But Anyway, the point is, that I like the perfectly rounded toe and the platform and how the overall chunkiness works. The only problem I've encountered with this is that the chunkiness of the heels just a little bit off..... so despite the tempting discounts there are online for these pair (down by $100 I think), I have decided to wait until I can try it in person first. 
And if those don't work out, I may go and try these from Aldo (left) and Linea Paolo (right). They have a different feel since they're not as chunky and I'm not sure about the peep toe in winter, but I DO like the platform and the heels. Plus I do so love the huge button on the Aldo pair, its the perfect detail to make it funky!
More Mary Jane's with buttons from Max Studio (left) and Dolce Vita (right) although these don't have the platform (platform Mary Janes are SO hard to find!). Though again I think the heels of the Dolce Vita is a bit off, too square with the rest of the design. 
Funkier Mary Janes from Tapeet (left) and Marc by Marc Jacobs (right). I'm not sure I like the wide ankle strap but I really like the overall shape of the Tapeet pair.
Girlier and sleeker Mary Janes from Barneys Co-op (left) and Aldo (right). They look nice, but personally I think they're too sleek to go with the dresses this season. Wow there really aren't that many places with Mary Janes around this season! Anymore suggestions on places to look? I feel like I've been onto all the sites these last few days looking for the perfect pair of Mary Janes and the only one that comes close is the Marc by Marc Jacobs platform ones.
Image Source: Style.com, Barneys, Aldo, Shop Bop and Nordstrom
A plain dress from Top Shop. While dresses like that aren't exactly party material, they are good for day-to-night days. Plus -
For night, add a sequined scarf to make the basic dress more fun.
If you have a dressy event and you want to wear a sequined scarf, make sure your dress is pretty plain, like this purple Shelly Steffee slip dress or this electric blue Julie Haus Cha Cha dress.
Even though I haven't tried it yet, I suspect a sequined scarf would also look cool with strapless dresses. The green A-line dress if by Susana Monaco and the black one if by Laila Azhar.
Or a V-neck dress.
This woven beaded scarf is also from Oasis. It's not as sparkly as the all-sequined one, but I can't find the exact photo on Oasis' website.
If sequined scarves are too 'bling' or 'shiny' for you, then maybe go for a metallic scarf and wrap it all around your neck like in this image from Urban Outfitters.
So anyways, before I feature more dresses and accessories that I like, (such as in my post on 
I'm a bit confused how we're supposed to wear them. Obviously wearing no bras is the logical solution. Or perhaps some people would just let their bra show. But honestly, I do not feel comfortable at all even at the thought of not wearing a bra. I guess I'll just have to avoid all backless dresses. Sigh, it's such a pity. I really like some of the dresses that have this problem (like this grey studded dress above.)
This tiered hemline dress was the first dress that caught my eye this season. I love the hemline layers. The design combines 60's style (mini dress) with a hint of 20's style (the details concentrated at the bottom). It's cute and very modern -perfect for events like dresses-up house parties.
These two dresses are so cute and classy. Imagine yourself going out to a fancy dinner in winter, wearing stockings with platform heels. Fabulous scene huh?
While these two dresses won't flatter short people at all, I like how the designs are good to go from day to night. 
For day, you can layer a long-sleeve t-shirt/ sweater and leggings underneath the dress. And for night, wear the dress by itself (in a hopefully warm venue.)
For office parties, this long-sleeve silk dress can take you from the office to the party without looking inappropriate but still chic.
Contrast these two dresses -the black dress is another office party dress choice, while the vibrant pink dress is great for any holiday/ beachy parties if you're spending your holidays at some beach resort.
For something very party-perfect, this black sequined dress and silver dress is sparkly and oh-so-trendy. 
If you want a dramatic flair to your dresses, these two dresses are 'omg, so cute!' (As overheard by two girls exclaiming at Neiman Marcus in LA last August.) I'm not sure how practical they are though. They look like dresses that can only be worn to events once or twice.
The Nix Check Halter dress looks versatile enought for many occasions, (think from bars and clubs to restaurants and house parties), and can be worn many times. I'm definitely keeping my eye out for this dress.
These dresses are the other two I'm looking out for. I love how chic, classy and cute the sleeveless dress (left) looks. And the red dress has a nice flattering A-line silhouette with the purple silk tie high up the waist. Plus it's nice to be in a colourful dress that doesn't look like it's from the 80's.
When I first saw this Kate Moss Top Shop dress I thought, 'Oooh, I really, really like it.' I liked how only the top had sequins (instead of the whole dress,) and that the dress had a bit of an A-line shape to it instead of a huge T-shirt shape (which a lot of sequined dresses seemed have.) It was a glamorous with an edge, but without being too sparkly. I like the chiffon skirt bit because it meant it will swirl around with you when you walk and dance. And so I thought the dress had a good balance of style and trend. But the more I stare at the design, the more I thought of one thing: showgirls. For some reason, the dress really reminded me of dresses that showgirls in cheesy movies would wear in bars, dancing around poles and entertaining sleezy guys. 
This is another dress that I was thinking of awhile back (from Top Shop). It's a 50's style dress and it has a slit-like hole at the back. I've never tried or owned such vintage-looking dress before, and was thinking that I lacked stylish, unique dresses. The dress fit well, and the length was just right. But one thing I was debating about was whether the dress was unique in an old-fashioned way, or in a fashion-foward way.
You will notice that the shoulders of the Top Shop dress is really wide and the waist part fits well. Doesn't it just remind you of the Balenciaga SS08 shape? I mean, obviously it's not as structured as Balenciaga's, but it looks like a more casual design of Balenciaga's, doesn't it? But I was also concerned with the print. It's not the most modern print around and could easily be seen as a print that's too 'old' and 'grandmother-y'. On the other hand, if you can carry it off and accessorise well, then you can pull a really fashion-foward outfit together. Thus, the line between fashion-backward and fashion-foward is really really thin.
