This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Loft.

The following guest post was written by my college roommate and beautiful friend Olivia McDaniel. Olivia is a fan of fashion, her husband, her kittens and as you’ll see in the post is not a fan of uppercase letters. At the last minute Olivia stood in for me to do a Blogher Review of Loft (formerly known as Ann Taylor Loft)

hi. my name is Olivia, and i’m a shopaholic.

it’s been four days since my last shop (and it was fantastic).

I was presented with the opportunity to stand in for my dear friend Elysa at the Loft shopping party on Saturday, and i must say, she really missed out (thanks, E!). as i entered the store i was immediately greeted by a number of smiling associates, which i barely noticed because i was so distracted by the fact that there was a deejay on my left playing micheal jackson and a store full of pretty things in front of me. i introduced myself, grabbed a tasty beverage, and followed the associate to the fitting rooms, where i met my personal stylist Brett and my photographer Heather (p.s. is this every girl’s dream or what?).

so our challenge was to put together three outfits: one fabulous party look, one office-to-evening look, and one casual holiday look. Brett and I headed off in opposite directions and agreed to meet back at the fitting room in ten minutes. i’m pretty sure i picked up every other item in the store… it’d been a while since i’d even set foot in a LOFT store, but the clothes were absolutely beautiful and completely trend-right. They’ve done an excellent job of translating some major trends into pieces that any woman can wear – I was instantly drawn to their great collection of embellished tees, some with jewels and some with sequins or beads or ruffles. I also grabbed a sweet little cardigan covered in delicate rosettes (in pink, of course) and a few of their glam and girly accessories (feathered and flowered headbands, a studded belt, and a blingy bib necklace). I returned to the fitting room to find Brett and all of the fantastic things he had pulled for me, and so we began our adventure!

the desk-to-dinner outfit

my first look – was an incredible little black dress that had a super-feminine neckline and pockets (my favorite!). we accessorized with a super-sparkly necklace and a fun headband with a leopard printed flower pouf (btw, SO loving the headbands!!!). i probably wouldn’t have picked that particular necklace for myself but i certainly took that dress home with me! the petite fit was just perfect, and it’s a classic style that i can see myself wearing everywhere – to work, to a party, on a date with my husband…you get the idea.

holiday party look

the next look i tried on was my perfect party look – a shimmery champagne dress with girly ruffles and a bow at the waist. it was just beautiful, especially when we added the black bejeweled bib necklace and the funky feather headband (which i also took home with me – i’ll be wearing it on new year’s eve, thankyouverymuch!). i happen to be a huge fan of dresses for any and all occasions – a dress guarantees that you will look put together and polished no matter what… hmmm…what will you be wearing to your holiday parties this year?

casual holiday look

for my casual holiday look we layered the pretty rosette cardi over an ivory sequined tee and paired it with a great pair of boyfriend jeans (to balance out all that girliness). i was pleasantly surprised at how well the jeans fit – i tend to have trouble finding pants and jeans that i love, partly because i’m petite and partly because i’m a twenty-something female and as such i am hyper-critical of myself – but these were easy and comfy, with just the right amount of stretch.

you decide

so tell me, which is your favorite look??? i instantly fell in love with the little black dress of course and i think that rosette cardigan is just about the most beautiful thing ever… but i didn’t stop there – i also tried on some more of their cute embellished tees and a gorgeous toggle sweater and looked at all of the pretty gifties they had to offer (although mostly i was pretty selfish on this shopping trip!). overall my loft shopping party experience was so much fun! i got to work with a stylist and have my picture taken, i got look at and try on pretty clothes while listening to music played by a deejay, and i got to take home some beautiful pieces that i feel beautiful wearing. plus, my husband got a cookie (and that makes it all worthwhile).

So ladies, are you ready for some great news? I have a LOFT 20% Off Coupon for you! AND there’s a contest for $200 LOFT gift card! Does it get any better?

Contest deets (that’s details)

What is your favorite LOFT look for this holiday season?
To enter, leave me a comment below and tell me what LOFT look works for you – or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begin at 12/10/2009 and will end 12/25/2009. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

Rules:
* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US Residents aged 18 and older
* Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
* Please see the official rules here: Official rules