Festive & Fun Holiday Outfit for under $100

The holidays are about dressing up and making memories with the ones you love.  This season, I created a festive & fun holiday outfit for under $100 that is just too fabulous not to share! 

You may be wondering what this baking blogger is doing sharing a fashion post.  Let me explain.  A few months ago I started dreaming up an idea to host a Holiday Tea Party!  All my best girlfriends would come over wearing their favorite festive outfit, drink tea and coffee from my gorgeous new Bavarian porcelain tea set, eat good food and have a fabulous time!

Of course, I needed something fabulous to wear to the party but knew it would be a bit difficult to put the perfect outfit together here in Germany.  I'm a larger woman and it's difficult to find unique things to wear here... so I decided to DIY the outfit myself!

This was my vision.

A black tulle skirt with a beautiful red satin belt and bow, a basic fitted white tee with Merry & Bright in gold glitter and a bold statement necklace to set it all off.

And this is the manifestation of my vision!

Unfortunately, I had to cancel the Holiday Tea Party due to extreme personal issues out of my control.  However, I did not want this beautiful outfit to go to waste.  So, I enlisted the help of local photographer Veronika Rayno of Bear Moose & Fox Photography to bring my vision to life in a holiday photo shoot!

Veronika and I ventured to the nearby city of Weiden, Germany and their Christmas Market to take these pictures.  The Weihnachtsmarkt made the perfect backdrop to showcase my ensemble!

The tulle skirt was made by a local seamstress Carol of Maddy's Girl.  Carol had made a rainbow tutu for me in the past for the Nurnberg Color Run so I knew she would be able to help me create my vision for this skirt.  There are many places on ETSY and even at retail stores like Lane Bryant that you could buy a plus-size tulle skirt, but I have found them to be very expensive.  I wanted to ensure I had a quality skirt that fit my body perfectly which is why a local retailer was the perfect option for me.  Carol sized & fitted the skirt to fit my waist perfectly and measured to the perfect tea-length. The tulle skirt twirls when I spin and is simply gorgeous.  The total cost for this skirt was $45.

The merry & bright shirt came together so easily.  I designed the 'merry & bright' in Photoshop and found a vendor on ETSY to cut it on gold glitter iron-on vinyl for me.  Any plain white round neck shirt could have been used for this, so I chose an inexpensive one from my local department store.  The iron-on transfer took less than 5 minutes to apply making my shirt the perfect match for the tulle skirt.   The entire cost for the shirt was about $15.

Because I didn't want to spend more than $100 on the entire outfit, I accessorized the look with a combination of jewelry I already had and a few purchased pieces.  The statement necklace came from H&M and the bow earrings & the black ring from C&A.  The rose gold Fossil watch and Kate Spade bow bracelet I already owned as well as the gold-buckled black ballet flats.  The purchased accessories cost $20.

The great thing about putting together a holiday outfit like this is that the accessory possibilities are endless.  Once you have the tulle skirt and shirt almost any accessories or shoes could be paired with it!

When I saw these bow earrings at C&A, I knew they'd be perfect for this outfit because I was going to wear my favorite Kate Spade New York bow bracelet.  The subtle matching of the earrings and bracelet bring the mixed pieces of jewelry together so effortlessly.

I really am just so completely thrilled with how the entire look came together!  It's unique.  It's one-of-a-kind.  It's special.  It's magical.

I couldn't let the opportunity to be photographed in this beautiful tulle skirt pass me by, so Veronika also took a few shots of me to feature on my blog.  I didn't want them to be holiday themed, so I took the red belt off the skirt and changed into a black shirt making my outfit completely new!

This photo by the grape vines was taken completely on a whim, but I absolutely love it.

Being photographed really isn't my favorite thing in the world.  I am not the most comfortable person in my body right now since I've gained back a lot of the weight I lost after my weight loss surgery in 2010.  However, I do like to feel pretty and I knew that creating this festive & fun holiday outfit would make me feel pretty!

No matter what size you are... looking and feeling beautiful doesn't have to be difficult or expensive.  With a little planning, imagination and effort your dream holiday outfit can be possible too!

A big thank you to Carol & Veronika for helping to make me feel and look beautiful!  

Make sure to check out their websites and pages to help you make your next event perfect!

Photos - Bear Moose & Fox Photography by Veronika Rayno

Tulle Skirt - Maddy's Girl

Iron-on Decal - Ann Marie Avenue
Statement Necklace - H&M
Earrings & Ring - C&A
Gold Bow Bracelet - Kate Spade New York
Rose Gold Watch - Fossil
Ballet Flats - Payless Shoe Source