Dazzle At Your Holiday Parties With Lane Bryant

**Contest is closed - thanks to those who entered! Winner will be announced soon!

I've never been the gal who loves to dress up. My style is very casual, but I know that holiday parties often dictate a slightly dressier fashion. Part of my problem is I don't like to draw attention to myself - I want an outfit that is practical without standing out too much, and I want it to fit me well.

Years ago I didn't know about Lane Bryant, and being a plus-sized woman, I struggled to find any clothing that would 1) fit me, and 2) not look like something my 60-year old babysitter wore in the early 80's. However, three years ago I walked into my first Lane Bryant store and realized it was possible to look good even if I wasn't a size 6.

Right now Lane Brant has so many gorgeous outfits available for holiday fashion, with many items under $50. Many of their sweaters are on sale for $19.99 and up, and all jewelry and Cacique bras are buy 1, get one half off. My favorite Lane Bryant staple item - their Right Fit bootcut jeans - are also only $49.50. (An amazing deal when you consider they are quite possibly the world's perfect, best-fitting plus-size jeans around.)

So what did I buy for my holiday party? Being crazy practical, I started with a pair of pants that will serve me well for the party and for many other dressy occasions:

Right Fit Lafayette pants

Next up was a top. I tried on so many of their sweaters, and loved some of the larger tunic sweaters, but I know that at a party I tend to get warm. (Does no one think to lower the thermostat when they invite 40 people into their house?) Then I found this amazing lightweight sweater:

3/4 Sleeve Crochet Sweater

...and paired it with a matching silver cami to wear under it:

Basic Stretch Cami

The sweater and cami are perfect together, and with a little bit of silver jewelry (that I already own) I have great, understated outfit for the Christmas Eve party I'm going to. Best of all, it fits well and is incredibly comfortable to wear. I won't need to spend the night tugging or pulling at various parts of my outfit whenever I move.

Go Shopping On Lane Bryant!

I'm going to make it a little easier for one person to pick out her holiday outfit. I've got a $50 Lane Bryant gift card to give to one lucky reader! Here's how to enter:

Go to LaneBryant.com and tell me what item(s) you'd love to buy. You can leave a link to the clothes in the comments, if you'd like. Be sure you leave a valid e-mail address so I can contact you if you win.

One entry per person, US residents only.

Entries will be accepted until Friday, December 18 at Noon, EST. One winner will be chosen at random (using random.org) after that time. Winner has three days to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Good luck!

Full Disclosure: I was given a $50 Lane Bryant gift card for my personal shopping spree, along with the $50 gift card to give to one reader. No review, positive or otherwise, was guaranteed or expected. All opinions above are my own. Your mileage may vary.