When Steve Madden asked me to give my spin on a party theme as part of the Steve Brings It Holiday Campaign, I was pretty excited. When they told me that my theme was CARNIVAL, I was even more excited! What could be better?!

To me, a carnival is all about celebrating the sweetest, most fun parts of life. It’s about bright colour, carousels & excitement! It makes me think of circuses, ferris wheels & cotton candy… Otherwise known as all of my favourite things!

These Belbotm blue suede booties are so sassy, & as my outfit came together, I began to feel like a twisted ringmaster! (Also: I’m wearing TROUSERS! Shock, horror!)

I wore…

Vintage blue bowler hat, bought on Etsy
Black & white polka-dot sweater, Sonia Rykiel
Vintage newsprint zipper pants, bought on eBay
Black sequin duster coat, from Betsey Johnson
Blue metallic satchel, Zatchels
Belbotm blue suede booties, Steve Madden

The pants were one of things I picked up on a whim, late one night during an eBay frenzy. (You know how it goes… I know you do!) When they eventually showed up on my doorstep, I wasn’t sure how I was going to wear them, but they work well with a bit of an androgynous bent… Don’t you think?

…I love blue & yellow together!

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to be sharing my tips — & musical suggestions! — in case you want to throw your very own carnival-themed party! Stay tuned!

Oh, by & the way, if you use the promo code GalaDarling15, you’ll get 15% off of SteveMadden.com with free shipping! (Clearance is excluded, & the code can’t be stacked with other codes.) You have until 12/31/11 @ 11:59pm EST to use it, too! Just a little gift from me to you!

Photos by the ever-wonderful Lydia Hudgens!