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What to wear, what to wear? The party season is upon us and fashion hemlines are all over the place. Should we be wearing a glittery mini, or a sparkling floor length gown? Should we glitter at all this holiday season or should we pull our basic black party gown from the closet and wear the basic uniform of fashion? If you know what is "in" or "out" by New Years' Eve, give me a shout. Until then I will continue to anguish over my holiday wardrobe, since I do not want to end the year as a fashion disaster. This issue may be so big, the only solution may be to crawl into bed and stay home.

Ralph Lauren has presented the world with two spectacular gowns in his 2006 fall collection. The gowns are gold, they glitter, and if you are a princess or just live like one, these are the party dresses for you. For a mere twenty thousand dollars, a v-neck, floor length, fitted gold dream gown can be yours. You best friend can buy the strapless, floor length, gold gown with a fitted bodice and a sparkling gold overskirt over what appears to be a satin underskirt. The more romantic strapless gown is merely fifteen thousand dollars, though I think it is the more beautiful of the two gowns. The princess' crowd may even find they can wear these gowns again since Elie Saab, a Lebanese designer who draws real princesses to his Beirut store, presented only gold dresses in his spring 2007 show. Gold gowns, whether short or long, seem to be the princess trend for spring. Choosing one of Ralph Lauren's dresses for your next party will show the world you are ready for gold now, and do not want to wait for spring to be a golden girl.


But will these floor length gowns reveal I am a fashion flop? Possibly I should wear a sequined mini from Versace. Harper's Bazaar will affirm my choice since they declare sequined minis to be "in" even though floor length party gowns jump off the pages of their December 2006 issue. While the editors of Bazaar seem to want to go short during the holidays they have at least shown us a variety of gowns for the upcoming season. The recent wedding of Tom Cruise may have already set the tone for the upcoming party season. "Entertainment Tonight" showed in their fashion segment that the guests were wearing long gowns and tasteful elegance ruled the event. The celebrity guest list may have already set the tone for this holiday season or it could be that since Giorgio Armani is reputed to have done the wedding, that tasteful and elegant were the only clothing options to be considered, even by the guests.

But what if short is the way to go this party season? Well, designer Sue Stemp showed a sexy yellowish/gold mini with a glittery hem in her fall ready to wear collection and MaxMara has a red sequined mini that is sure to turn heads. I must admit I am a little confused on how to actually wear these dresses. Stemp's dress was shown on the runway as a classic mini, but MaxMara showed their mini with leggings. I think I would have to buy matching underwear if I bought a Versace, the dresses look that short on the runway models. I no longer have the legs for minis so I guess I will have to forgo being on the cutting edge of fashion and choose good taste as my guide. This means I will have to forgo short even if it is "in" this party season. A difficult decision, but one that has to be made at some point in life.

Well there is always the little black dress. If I feel inspired to actually buy a new one, numerous designers have their version ready to wear in a variety of hem lengths. It seems to me I can just wear the same one again and toss it in a dye bath if it begins to fade. I guess I could check the fit, I am sure I have lost weight since last I wore my fashion basic. This would be inspiration enough to buy a new dress.

Wearing a black dress has gotten depressing for me, since I see the black dress as fashions' uniform. The purpose of uniforms is to make everyone look the same; to lessen jealousy and competition. The sea of black dresses at social events tells me that the jealousy and competition amongst the attendees has gotten out of hand. Black was sexy, not too long ago, but now it merely reminds me why the movement for uniforms in our schools gains momentum every year. If I have to wear black, I really do not want to go.

The hemlines for party dresses really are all over the place. A quick review of one hundred and forty of the over four hundred party dresses that were on runways during 2006 fall fashion shows, reveals hemlines that are minis, floor length and everything in between. There are feathers, sequins, crystals and metallics. The only commonality seems to be the need to shine, unless of course you want to be understated. The clothes are glamorous, sexy, and glittery. It should be a beautiful party season, I think I want to stay home.

Now if I stay home, I can light a fire, curl up under a blanket, and wear my favorite flannels. I will not need to worry about fashion disasters or matching underwear. I can surf the web for pictures of fancy parties and get my fashion fix without leaving my home. Since the little black dress may be the best choice this year, I think I may just stay home. I still want to know if fashion disasters occur and if minis or floor length won the night. But the issue is so big I feel the correct choice for me is to curl up in front of the fire and read a book. I hear, The Devil Wears Prada is good.