Partyhopper

A few of you have asked where I got the top I wore in a recent post--it's from a young designer named Sally Tseng, whose clothes have already been spotted on the likes of style icons such as Charlize Theron--so I thought I'd take advantage of the current lull on the social scene to talk party style. The summer might be a bad time to partyhop, but it's the perfect time to shop the sales. Not having a movie star budget is the least of my worries, the challenge for me is to find pieces I can wear more than once on the red carpet that work equally well during my office hours and late nights on the town--not to mention walking the dog in between.

I got this Gucci dress--and the Coach shoes--at an Off Saks outlet on a recent excursion into the retail wilds of New Jersey with my friend Rachel. I won't be gauche and tell how what I paid, but I will tell you that I scored the dress for more than 80% off the original price. My other go-to stores are Neiman Marcus Last Call and Century 21. You've got to be prepared to scour the racks--and sometimes throw the occasional elbow if an aggressive fashionista gets too close--but they're great places to score major labels for a fraction of the price.

While I do love a deal, I am prepared to pay full price for a frock from Hills star Lauren Conrad's upcoming holiday collection. LC wore a piece from the festive line to the launch of her new jewelry line for Mark a couple of weeks ago and all of the editors in attendance were drooling over it. You can shop Lauren's style here. While I wait for my night life to pick up again, I'm putting the call out to Partyhoppers everywhere. Where do you shop for your must-have party dresses? And how do you take your look from day to night?--Bronwyn Barnes