This pretty paisley Altuzarrai-ish statement is poised for the holiday party circuit!

1. Warehouse paisley dress,
2. Gucci earrings,
3. Fendi bucket bag,
4. Sam Edelman suede boots,

Yesterday afternoon I was reminded how chic (read: essential) leopard print heels are at--of all places--my son's flag football game. A CEO friend of mine had on a pair that seductively/successfully meowed from the sidelines.

My father is going to be honored for his work at a fancy gala in New York in a few weeks, and I might just steal some of his spotlight by showing up in this sparkly wonder! (P.S. I don't think he'd mind! P.P.S. This will also set the holiday party circuit alight!)

Well into fall, floral dresses are still blooming everywhere, and I'm going to keep wearing mine with wintry midi/knee-high boots, such as , and . Recently, I snapped up this floral dress, this (Marni-ish) midi and this lace-trimmed gem. I'd also love to add into my rotation these lovelies from, (with a oversized black blazer over it), and . P.S. The dress/boot combo might just be the easiest get-up-and-go-chic uniform of all time!

Paris Fashion Week is featuring legs for days--on and off the runways with Celine, Valentino, Isabel Marant, Stella McCartney all showing short, way-above-the-knee dresses for Spring 2019. Attendees jumped right on board with their still summer-tanned limbs, and now I'm thinking of doing the same while I still can with any of these cuties from , , , , and.

Long knit dresses are beautifying the boulevards of Paris during Fashion Week right now, and in true Gallic style, they're seductive yet simple. Fortunately for us, we can also sport them back home--and get them along with beaucoup de la chic fashion--on sale at ! (Spend under $500, get 20% off, spend $500+, get 25% off, get the code .) The dresses pictured above are by , and the plush balloon-sleeve sweater, below, which I've been craving for weeks, is by (I snapped it up in). I'd also like to have these Rosie Assoulin-spirited beaded bracelets (last pic, another fashion week fave!), this party dress, these Hermes-inspired sandals, this ruffled blouse, and these perfectly-cut high-waist jeans. Shop the whole shebang .

Perfection because I can wear this dress with sneakers and run daily errands or with sleek ankle boots and party into the night.

Currently, in New York, I have only one pair of jeans in my suitcase. The rest: dresses! I plan to perpetuate this summer's (throw and go!) dress-a-thon with styles that work well into fall, including these by , (The dress I'm wearing in the pic is last-year Asos.)

Well, of course, a decadent boat trip calls for a decadent dress, but I love that Nasiba Adilova, above, opts for drama that's under $200! Her tiered frock is by . Other yacht-worthy looks that don't cost a fortune include this one I just snapped up from , this ruffled , this ruched , this floral print , and this cross-backed .

Photo: Nasiba Adilova

So how exactly was I able to fit my medley of holiday dresses into a carry-on, you asked? Easy. I only packed styles that straddled the sea to city gap: ones that can be worn with beachy essentials (i.e., swimsuit, Havianas) and concrete-ready extras (elegant sandals, both high and low), such as the dress, above in Positano and below, in Kensington. Okay, so London's heatwave helped me streamline my suitcase, but I did have two cozy cardigans on hand, just in case, that I tucked into a weekend-bag sized (AKA: my other personal carry-on), which also accommodated my lightweight cover-ups, bikinis, and sandals. Next up for me this summer is another surf and turf vacation, with time spent in both the Hamptons and in New York City. You can be sure I will employ a similar packing strategy, but with some (hopefully) new options in the mix, including this flowy, this floral , this denim wrap dress, this romantic , this dramatic , and this tiered .