STYLE: A Night at the Ballet (and what to wear for it)

I LOVE ballet!  My mom used to be a ballerina when she was younger, so I grew up with an appreciation for ballet (and the fear of bad posture).  So she and I kicked off our Christmas season by going to see The Nutcracker at the Benedum Center. With it's luxurious interior and its rich history of entertainment, The Benedum Center is one of the most interesting and beautiful venues I have ever been to!  How could you NOT dress up for it?  But it can be hard to dress up for the holidays; you never know where the fine line between "festive" and "ridiculous" lies, you want to be comfortable, but you also want to look fabulous - there are decisions to be made here!  The ballet is a perfect starting point to set the example of how to dress for the holidays because all the same things apply: you want to be comfortable, look great, take great pictures, and be festive but not cheesy.  I was pleased to see how many people put some real effort into their  ballet ensemble and how elegant everyone looked.  So let your fellow Pittburghers help you pick out your holiday ensemble.

Here are my favorite outfits from that night, I hope it inspires some wonderful holiday outfits for you!!

Festive Colors: Play with holiday colors by choosing different shades, tones, and textures.  The structure of this dress along with simple accessories and ankle strap heels keeps this look polished and grown-up while showing off a great shade of red.

Holiday Chic: Change up your usual LBD (Little Black Dress) by choosing something with an interesting neckline and/or sleeve.  Keep it chic with natural glowy makeup and a sleek updo.

Simple Elegance: The holidays are a great time to experiment with colors and textiles.  A cherry red coat adds a festive pop of color and a shining beaded top in a simple color is formal and yet whimsical.

Something Different:  For those who aren't into getting "glam" and "dolled-up," you can still look great by mixing colors and prints for an interesting "hip" look. 

Holiday Shine: Jewel tones and jewel encrusted pieces are ideal for the holidays, whether your celebrating in a group, with a significant other, or solo, it's bound to attract attention and be a point of interest.

Urban Festive:  Want to wear a holiday color without losing your cool? Add a fitted blazer like this one to your outfit for an effortless and urban look.

The One-Thing:  If you find that you just don't have (or want to wear) anything festive, pick at least one thing: accessory, color, neckline, ect., that changes the whole look.  These ladies do a great job of turning an all black outfit, into glamorous holiday ensembles fit for the theater with streams of pearls and a high collared ruffle in chartreuse!  

STYLE: StyleSegment.com Celebrates Fashionable Pittsburgh

Anyone who lives in Pittsburgh can agree, that Pittsburgh is quite a small city both dimensionally and socially.  It narrows down even more when you start to specify interests.  Each interest be it sports, arts, entertainment, service industry and even fashion, have their own tight knit groups that often see each other at the same social outings - which makes for perfect networking!! Pittsburgh's own Racheallee Lacek from StyleSegment.com, made this come to life with "Fashionable Pittsburgh" - a new "happy hour -style" gathering of all the local Fashion-Heads!  The event paid homage to two local fashion designers Golden Skyy and Elaine Healy, who displayed pieces from their new collection.  The crowd was a wonderful cocktail of local designers, makeup artists, photographers, journalists, bloggers, PR people, agents, models, and boutique owners. It was a successful night of mingling, networking and stylish outfits.  It made me feel so proud to be noted as a part of this very tight knit group in Fashionable Pittsburgh!!

Cruze Lounge crowd

Featured Designers Golden Skyy and Elaine Healy

Couture piece by Golden Skyy

Golden Skyy talks about his inspiration for his newest collection. 

Dress by Elaine Healy

Elaine Healy discusses her collection.

The Lovely Host, Racheallee Lacek from Style Segment.com

Sophisticated Evening Look

Nancy Kay from Nancy Kay Designs

Anna Bender 

Jonano owner &designer Bonnie Siefers

Makeup Artist Katherine Reel

Lauren Doyle and Martin Potoczny

Photographer Robert Hester prepares for his next shot

Bella Capelli Academy leader and advisors Desiree Powell and Megan Graham

EVENTS: I Made It! Market 2011

Fabric bowls textilegifts by Lynn Foreman

Didn't make it to the I Made It! Market?  If not, then you missed an awesome weekend full of handcrafted wonder . Set in the up and coming shopping district of Bakery Square, the I Made It! Market celebrated its fifth year of displaying the newest and most innovative artists of the area.  This year was chalk-full of clever little baubles, eco-friendly goods, and affordable (and very wearable) jewelery - just in time for holiday shopping! This wasn't your normal "craft show" where there are endless aisles of landscape photography and astronomically priced glassware - no, this was an exciting and upbeat market with interesting items that serve good and useful purposes.What I loved best about the artists and the items I saw at the I Made It! Market, was how fearless and unconventional all of it was. There was no holding back with these artists, from clay ear gauges, to Satanic dress patches these artists each had their own message and signature style.  If you couldn't make it to this I Made It! then for sure don't miss the next one on February 4, 2012 at Southside Works.

Here are my favorite artists:

Hula-Hooping!!

Tea Kettle wind chimes made from re-purposed silverware by Whimsical Wonders. 

Collage Pins by (my dear friend) Joel Brown for The Surreal Banana Peel 

Puppets by Von Mir Fuer Dich

Hand-painted Wooden figures by Never New Furniture and Design

Lego Key Chains by Love Brick by Brick

Jagoff Pillow by (my lovely friend) Adrienne Rozzi from Poison Apple Printshop

Poison Apple Printshop

Gothic-romantic trinkets and jewelery from 19 Moons.

Whimsical necklaces by Oceanne.

Knitted Ornaments by New House Project

Patchwork ornaments and cat nip toys by oh melisa!

"Love" Book Sculpture by Recycled Reads

Book Spine-Book Marks by Recycled Reads

European Etched Eggs by Christine Luschas

Cameo pendants and jewelery by Burgheoisie

Pillow by Wild Notions

Choco-licious Exfoliating Scrub & Facial Masque by Una Biologicals

Clay Gauged Earrings by Bambi's Clay Design

Knitted scarf and necklace from The Pretty 1

Vinyl albums and Tee shirts from Get Hip Recordings

Painted Tin Boxes from Nightsquid Studios

FOOD: Love at First Bite : PIZZUTTI'S

PIZZUTTI'S

 The holiday shopping season is in full throttle.  Stores are filled with determined customers eager to find the best deals, the right color, the right size, the right material,  all before 'the big day' - it's easy to get stressed.  Quietly tucked away on a side street off of the busy Shadyside shopping district, is a cozy little spot perfect for taking your mind off the busyness of the season.  PIZZUTTI'S is a hidden gem known for fresh modern updates of classic Italian favorites - think grilled swordfish dishes with veggies in red wine, whole wheat pastas (homemade of course), seasonal desserts, a signature mushroom soup, ravioli and bruschetta of the day. The restaurant is BYOB style so that you may enjoy your favorite wine with your soon-to-be favorite Italian dish -another comforting attribute to this place.  There is a sense of romance about PIZZUTTI'S, perhaps it's the warm dim lighting, or the considerate and friendly waitstaff, the pretty Italian music playing in the background (Christmas songs in Italian), or the happy couples sitting intimately away from each other, conversing, drinking wine and relaxing. In the midst of the holiday season or at any other time, a place like this could truly become a regular escape and it was nice to get away at PIZZUTTI'S!

Susan Pizzutti - Owner

The passionate and very classy Susan Pizzutti, is full of energy and joy as she visits the tables, making friendly conversation with her customers; confident in her food and the experience you will have in her restaurant. She has a very personal relationship with all of the recipes used on the menu; Northern Italian recipes that have been past down through generations. Everything is done with precision and style! By the time the BF and I finished our delicious meals, the dining room was filled with people and small groups waiting to discover and devour a scrumptious PIZZUTTI'S plate. Buon Appetito!

Check out the entire PIZZUTTI'S menu for both Lunch and Dinner! 

Friend PIZZUTTI'S on Facebook!

Text PIZZUTTI'S to 22828 for Special Offers!

Lovely Party Room - Find out more about PIZZUTTI'S Party options here.

Bruschetta of the day: Mushroom Garlic Parmesan

BF's Choice: PIZZUTTI'S Spaghetti with a Jumbo Meatball

My Choice:  Chicken Marsala with Fresh cut french fries and braised greens (and can I just say that this was the BEST Chicken Marsala I have ever had!)

Amaretto Biscotti Cake

Apricot Bread Pudding