Daily Outfit Idea: What Do You Wear to a Modern Day Ball? 10 Inspiring Gowns From Save Venice 2012

Looking for outfit idea inspiration for a black-tie evening event coming up on your calendar—perhaps, say, a prom or a formal? Take a look at 10 of my favorite looks from from this year's Save Venice Ball, which lit up the night earlier this week in New York City. What do you wear to a modern-day ball, anyway? Find out after the jump.

The one and only time I ever went to a ball was back when I was still in school—a decade ago! Each college at my university would host elaborate all-night formal affairs every year (or every third year, depending), where the boys would dress up in tuxedos and the girls wore floor-length gowns (and sometimes gloves and masks—again, depending) and everyone ate and drank and danced until the sun came up. Not gonna lie, it was pretty awesome.
Here in New York, balls are fewer and further between—but the annual Save Venice Ball brings out some of the city's biggest socials, all in an effort to raise money to support the preservation of the artistic heritage of Venice, Italy.
Here are some of my favorite looks of the night—and ways to get the look... for less!

I love this swirling, sparkling, dramatic V-neck gown—it's a great style to consider if you want to wear a strapped bra underneath your gown and if you prefer to cover your shoulders.

Here are two gorgeous shades of pink—in two vastly different styles. On the left, there's a body-skimming loose blouson with a peplum and a floor-length straight skirt; on the right there's a flapper-inspired blush pink velvet number with a draped cowl neckline. Both are classic silhouettes that you can wear over and over again—it's the pink that makes 'em pop!

The detail on this backless, beaded, short-sleeve dress is stunning—and we're seeing this mid-back dip a lot in this summer's dresses. Do you love backless gowns? There's something really sexy about the combination of a high neckline and a gracefully dipped back, no?

Also, LOVING the super-flattering back detailing on this gold dress. The tip to take from this look is that a sparkling, body-hugging gold dress is, hands down a totally sexy Glamour Do!

In 2012, as far as eveningwear goes, white is the new, uh, black? White gowns are everywhere—and they don't look wedding-y... not in the least!

Sometimes, even though it's a blowout ultra-formal occasion, you might want to wear something understated and quietly elegant. I love this simple dress—it has an unembellished black bodice paired with a glittering floor-length straight skirt and a deco-inspired belt. Love it!

Here's how to make that Little Black Dress (or, um, major black gown) something you'll want to reach for over and over again—choose a solid black dress that has a beautiful, surprising detail. Like the tulle, above, or pleats, or a beautiful belt.

his dress is one of my favorite of the entire evening—and not just because it looks like a lot of fun to wear (it looks so light and flouncy!). The baby teal-blue pastel print is so sweet and so feminine—and so surprising for eveningwear! I love it.

What was your favorite look from the Save Venice ball? Which one would you wear yourself? What did you wear to prom? Tell us all your ball stories in the comments! I'm dying to hear them!

Google's Glasses of the Future: Would You Wear Them?

Growing up, everyone’s idea of what the future would bring was different, but I always imagined that we would one day have little computer screens installed inside our eyelids, so you could close your eyes and surf the web at the same time. Turns out, I might have been a bit of a child genius, because Google’s just unveiled a pair of glasses that basically does just that.

Dubbed the Google Goggles, the high-tech accessory flashes everything from maps to emails to locations of nearby friends on a tiny screen so that it looks like it’s being projected in front of you (at least, hypothetically—these are just a prototype by Project Glass, one of the “ideas” departments within Google).

According to the Daily Mail, there’s a built-in GPS system, so you could literally see arrows pointing you in the right direction, as well as camera and video functions for when you want to capture what you’re seeing ahead. Not to mention the fact that the glasses can be voice controlled, so you can also utilize Google Chat while you walk, work, or do anything, really. Think of all those times you’ve wanted to check an email while you were on a date, but didn’t want to be rude—now, you can do it guilt-free!
They even made a video to give you an idea of what one day in the life while wearing the Google glasses would be like

There is one little problem (besides the fact that we’ve probably got a few years to go until these land on shelves): they’re kind of ugly. Think of a cross between those wrap-around sunglasses perched on everyone’s forehead in the ‘90s and the headgear you were forced to wear as a kid to tame your overbite, and you’ve got an idea of what these puppies look like. You’d think Google, of all companies, would have had no trouble googling to find the name of an experienced accessories designer to help them out.

$50 & Under: 15 Pretty Gym Bags That'll Put A Spring In Your Step

If you're ready to stow that dark-color gym bag you've been lugging around all winter or just need more cheery accessories in your life, you're going to want to check out these 15 chic gym bags I found online. These bright hues and fun prints will instantly spring-ify your look (and maybe even inspire you to stick to that 2012 workout plan).

My three favorites are below along with 12 additional styles that caught my eye. While it can be hard to find a proper handbag under $50, gym bags are a cinch to find for less.

Love the cool print and generous size of this bag. Neon floral shopper bag, $32, topshop.com

Just looking at these orange slices makes me want to hit up a spin class. ASOS orange print shopper, $15, asos.com

This great tote from Roxy comes in a ton of cool patterns. I prefer this mellow, beachy-ready print. Sewn up purse, $34, roxy.com

Behold: The Kate Middleton Wall of Shoes at New York's Brand New LK Bennett Store

So Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton's favorite shoe store, LK Bennett just opened its first store in New York City—the brand previously opened US locations in Chicago, Atlanta, and Short Hills New Jersey.

I popped by yesterday to check out the new space—which is on the second floor of New York City's Time Warner Center, in case you want to visit!—and the powers that be told me that they have this wall, above, they've sort-of-secretly dubbed the "Kate Middleton Wall," because that's where all the shoes she's been photographed wearing are displayed.
Here's the breakdown...
Top row, left to right: The Shiloh shoe in black, dusty rose, and light taupe; the Sledge platform pump in bronze; the Juniper bag in pink coral; the Posy bag in gold; and the Sledge pump again in taupe, red, and black.
Second row, left to right: The patent Petal pump in black, salmon, and coral; the Sandy stiletto sandal in dark taupe; peep toe pumps in black and taupe; and lower-heeled Shilo pumps in black, latte, and taupe.
Third row, left to right: The Blythe shoe in black and latte; the patent Reno moc in latte; the Juniper bag, again, in light taupe; the Peony bag in red; and the low-heeled Bury pump in light taupe, coral, and black.
Bottom row, left to right: The Island sandal in tan; the Suki ballet flats in red, metallic pink, black, and leopard print; and the Sabine skimmer in lizard.
Which LK Bennett Kate Middleton Wall shoe do you like best! Tell us in the comments!

The 5 Best Outfits Of The Week: From Black Tie Fancy To Weekend Laid-Back!

As if that wasn't enough fancy for one week, Danica posted a number of looks from the Save Venice Ball. This dazzling blue gown was one of the dreamiest.

 

Come check out 5 hot outfits in our weekly fashion roundup. This week's looks were all over the map - in a good way! 

Kristen Stewart wore a sexy blue dress by Stella McCartney to the Kids' Choice Awards - and took home the gold in our Best Dressed poll.

Carrie Underwood was the winner of the poll for Best Dressed at the Country Music Awards. Her Abed Mahfouz gown was stunning!

Okay, back to reality. In our tribute to May cover star Lauren Conrad's cool Cali-girl style, we posted this pic of her wearing jeans and striped tee - and you ladies loved it!

And finally, a not too casual, not too fancy outfit to inspire your work wardrobe next week, courtesy of Tiffany Hines. You ladies called this look pitch-perfect