I have really loved partaking in all these fun giveaways over the past couple weeks and I hope you have enjoyed them too! To carry on with the holiday spirit of gift giving, today’s treat is this flirty, polka-dotted number from Olsenboye (Marykate and Ashley Olsen’s line for JC Penney). Doesn’t this seem like the perfect party dress for New Year’s eve?! I was lucky enough to have my very own dress sent over to style up anyway I wanted. So, here is my first take on this playful LBD. (If you know me or are familiar with this blog, you’ll know to expect a remix coming shortly!)

RayBan Wayfarers / H&M Blouse / Olsenboye Ponte Net Tulle Dress / H&M Belt / H&M Jacket / American Apparel Tights /Steve Madden “Caryssa” shoes / Charlotte Russe Bracelets and Purse

Seeing that it’s not quite New Year’s Eve, I still wanted to get some wear out of this dress by styling it in a way that could be appropriate for wearing to an office Christmas party or to dinner and drinks with friends. That’s why instead of opting for bare arms and legs, I layered with a polkda-dotted blouse (which matches the dots on the skirt!), bright tights and a kicky leopard overcoat.

This little beauty of a coat has a backstory, and it goes like this:

I had been looking for a cute leopard or animal print jacket for some time now, but didn’t want to spend a fortune. I was having a hard time finding what I wanted at an affordable price, until I spotted (ha, ha) this jacket at H&M. The only fallback was that the price tag read $70. Seeing that I was/am on a budget, it didn’t seem practical to purchase a lightweight coat in December, especially when I could spend that amount on at least 3 items in H&M or 7 pieces at F21. This is how my brain works. For reals. So anyway, I let it go and left the store, proud that I had walked away. But the coat stuck in my mind. I would look at it from time to time when passing an H&M, and then the other night after heading home from working with a client, I decided to check out a huge sale at the store on the UES. Let’s just say it was my lucky day. Not only was my beloved jacket on sale for $20, ($20!) but another dress that I had a similar love affair with (but had put back…apparently I do have will power) went from $60 to $20. So, at this point, my head was spinning, but almost fell off when I saw that this black polka-dotted shirt was marked down to $15. Again, something that I liked in the past, but was more than I wanted to spend, so I put it back. I guess patience really is a virtue because I left the store one happy girl.

Make sure to visit Olsenboye.com and leave a comment below to win this cute party dress!