The first time I was introduced to Dooney bags was from Mischa Barton's ads in Teen Vogue of the 'IT' bag series. It were these ads that made me think that a lot of the Dooney & Bourke designs look similar to Vuitton bags, especially the monogram designs, and they're certainly not cheap. And doesn't Mischa look like she's a showgirl at some mobile phone convention?
Next came the Lindsay Lohan ones. (Actually, were the Mischa ones first or the Lindsay ones? Whatever.) The bags Lindsay held looked like a small girl's art work put onto an adult-shaped bag. Not good.
Then came Emma Roberts' ads. Even though I'm indifferent to Emma Roberts, I have to say that if I were fifteen, I would consider the red, bean-shaped bag on the right. But I'm not so sure about the bees on the bag on the left.
And finally, this season Dooney has Hayden Pannettiere helping design and advertise its Hayden bag. It seems like Dooney has finally managed to select great images for the ad -Hayden fits well with the bag and the whole image suits a much larger age range. As for the bag, I actually like the bag! The bag looks modern and trendy, thanks to the design itself and patent leather. It looks big enough to fit books and such, thus practical, and the shoulder straps' length look just right. The only ugly thing that sticks out is the 'HP' tag, but that should be removeable. 
And look, Hayden has such good work ethics -she's actually using the bag in real life! Such a smart and responsible girl! The best thing is, unlike a lot of other celebrity endorsements, the bag actually looks great with her outfit. I would consider buying this bag, even though it costs $500.Anyways, as I always say, style is all about what you like and feel comfortable in, so don't let me put you off this brand! What do you think of the Hayden bag and Dooney & Bourke in general?
Image credit: http://www.dooney.com/, www.justjared.buzznet.com
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.