Pretty soon, those holiday parties will just start popping up out of nowhere—therefore, it is time to start thinking about dressing for the holidays. As winter dresses and metallics are a staple in my wardrobe, I am usually always stocked for the occasion However, I have found a majority of people feel a disconnect between occasion dressing and day-to-day life, and who wants to buy anything that you cant use more than once? This edition of Shopping with a Stylist is here to affirm that holiday and day-to-day pieces do not need to be mutually exclusive.

The two lovely ladies who joined me on this shopping excursion will certainly need their share of party dresses that keep in time with their social schedules and work demands. Meet Karina Lopez, director of events and public relations for KC You There, an event-planning and public relations firm.

Karina was joined by her friend and co-worker Erin Reedy—winner of the Buffalo.com Get Ready for C4MA contest, part of the lead-in to the very exciting Cause for Mass Appeal fashion show scheduled for 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 10 at the Church @ Evergreen (262 Georgia St., Buffalo).

Tickets start at $40 and are available online.

The presenting sponsor for Cause for Mass Appeal is Palladian Health and the media sponsor is Buffalo.com. The event is presented by Evergreen Health Services and the Elmwood Village Association.

While looking for a standout piece that no one else will be wearing, you need to find a locally-owned shop because quantities of each piece are low and, typically, brands are exclusive to one or two shops in the area. Atelier (820 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo) is stocked with one-of-a-kind dresses, and only one of each style. The pieces you will find at this European boutique are also of the utmost quality and are made in Italy or by the shop owner herself—Sebastiana Piras.

This first look on Erin is a classic, featuring a metallic thread, tweed A-Line dress with rich brown details featured at the neckline and bow belt at waistline. The dress is one-of-a-kind, made in Italy, and retails at $245. I paired this statement dress with mixed metal drop hoop earrings ($27), a fun chunky rhinestone and pearl bracelet ($48) and a tan leather clutch with gold studs ($84).  The best thing to do when looking for a festive metallic is to choose a piece that features the detail in a subtle way, like in this tweed blend in a classic silhouette that can go to work with you, too.

This lovely leopard-printed, sleeveless sheath dress is made in Italy and retails at $199. A lot of times, you have to choose one statement piece, but sometimes you can choose more than one—as done here. Just keep in mind that when working with print, you shouldn’t get in the prints’ way. This is already a playful piece, so have fun and pair it with an eccentric vintage hat ($139) and edgy cuff bracelet ($39). When choosing a dress length, this is a great example for cooler weather and it could easily pair with any basic blazer or coat.

Erin’s second look is a more romantic/edgy option with a one-of-a-kind, made in Italy silk lingerie-inspired dress that retails at $208, complimented with a wool drop-waist bustier top. To make this dress more conservative and comfortable, we opted to feature it with a unique statement wrap vest handmade by Sebastiana Piras that retails at $155.  We accessorized with a leather cuff encrusted with Swarovski crystals ($55) and a fun multi-chain drop necklace. You don’t have to wear metallics to be festive—your materials can speak for themselves. Silk and wool are very seasonally appropriate materials and can make for a fresh perspective on holiday dressing.

I fell in love with these handmade vests by Sebastiana Piras ($155) and wanted to feature one on each girl! Here, Karina wears a metallic twill version with a rosette appliqué paired with a perfect layering silver-grey cotton/lurex-blended sleeveless dress. We added a fun punch of color to the look with this skeleton-style orange clutch ($45). Choose an unexpected color like orange to give a monochromatic look a pop of color.

For Erin’s third look I found this beautiful plum silk dress with black and gold detail pinstripe is a versatile dress perfect for any occasion and handmade by Sebastiana Piras and retails at $240. Accented with a leather wrap belt ($48) at the bust line, and a festive red leather clutch ($84). Red, gold, black and silver are our typical rich color decisions for holiday but I love a rich purple, green, or blue. These colors are more difficult to find but will make for a standout look.

For Karina’s third look, I chose this super-sexy silhouette featuring a winter watercolor print in a long-sleeved jersey sheath dress—made in Italy—that retails at $220. Paired with a cool gold chainmail collar necklace, black leather work bag ($174) and Lux (made in Italy) black leather jacket with fur collar ($275).

We had to add in the simple light camel option of Karina’s same silhouette in a look for Erin. In this look the same dress in a new color takes on a totally different personality paired with a long multi-strand beaded metallic necklace ($36) and cream work bag ($65). 

In either look this is a sophisticated winter dress that has been glammed up with metallic accessories. To take this look from day to night all you need to do is switch your work bag to a clutch.