The Holidays - Continued

* This number is not really a black dress per se, but I have it here anyway to show what a sparkly knit top can do over a standard printed dress. The necklace is made of Venetian blown glass.

I'm back. Dinner was hot pot, and it was good. The server had an attitude, but then it was a Chinese restaurant. Tough for me to say, but it's sometimes true. Most Asian restaurants only get tipped 10% for a reason. Note I didn't say "all" - there are some good Asian servers out there.

Anyway, we had lamb and beef and cod and all that jazz. I wonder how many people out there really know how to enjoy a good hot pot. For those who aren't Asian, or who aren't Chinese, perhaps it's a new experience.

Hot pot is great for the winter because it is so warming. Food can be bought quickly and with minimal preparation. The soup base pot heats over a flame and adds flavour to the meat. More flavor is added by dipping the cooked items in a sauce.

The great part of hotpot is that everyone gets to customize their meal. You can mix your own sauce, cook your own kinds of meat and fish, and mix it all in your own way. My favorites include fish tofu (tonight's fofu, as I call it, was fish shaped), the long Enoki mushrooms, cod slices, thinly sliced beef, oysters, fish paste, and smooth tofu.

Soup bases could be sweet (as in corn or seafood sweet) and clear or numbingly spicy or just savory.

The best part is the drinks and desserts that go with hotpot. In between steaming bites, hawthorn soup, sweet corn soup, or other chinese herbal sweet drinks are very soothing and refreshing. And afterwards, some cold coconut tapioca tea or grass jelly makes for great dessert.

So much for tonight's dinner.

Now for the fashion!

As I was mentioning, dressing up the little black dress is actually not that hard. I've put together a few of my own little black dresses and worn them with some accessories. PLEASE NOTE: I took these photos in my very poorly lit room with no intention of showing them to anyone. I took these before I decided to start a blog, and it was for my own reference on what to wear. So please, for now, bear with the horrible quality of the pics. And my headlessness.

This is actually a really long t-shirt from Guess. It has a front that opens half way to the belly and is laced closed with some strings. It has a standing collar and long sleeves. I paired it with an unlikely short sleeve white top to add some contrast.
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This dress happens to drape in all the right places. It's pure blackness is made less boring by the way that it has a large frilly halter neckline. The frill is really lace cloth with beads. The picture is of horrible quality but around the hip area there's also some beads, forming a band. I paired it with a large white rose necklace. This look is wintery without looking tacky.
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Inside this white fur shawl is a plain black dress. There's nothing fancy about the dress. But this look speaks winter Princess. Fur and leather adds that bling factor in an alarming way. For those concerned for animal rights, this shawl is made of faux fur. But do note that some leather products, called Bonded leather, is considered real leather but actually made of recycled cow hide from the food industry.
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And finally. This is the outfit I wore to a recent Christmas dinner. The top is from bebe and is basically a metallic white halter with some criss-cross design. The skirt features an uneven hem and lined with long lace. I wore the same white rose necklace from before. The necklace was $3 from Aldo, the skirt was free from my aunt, and the top was on sale for $16 i n the US. My outfit - less than $20.

Now that's the way to dress in times of economic crisis.

Thanks for reading, guys!