I’m always looking to expand my plus fashion knowledge, both for myself and my lovely readers, and I never say no to a good trip, so when Catherine’s asked me to travel with them to Vegas to try out some winter looks, I enthusiastically agreed.  For an avid trip planner like myself, having everything beyond the destination be a surprise was a serious departure from the norm for me.  I didn’t even know what hotel we were staying in!  But when we pulled off of Las Vegas Boulevard into the Cosmopolitan, I may or may not have actually squeaked with happiness.

The Cosmopolitan is one of the newest casinos on the Strip, and it is a perfect combination of modernity and Vegas excess.   Everything is bejeweled and bedazzled, but it still feels cool.  There’s even an ice rink overlooking the Strip, which was our first stop after getting settled in and throwing on some cozy sweaters.

I love a fun animal top, so the chilly owl bundled up in a hat and scarf caught my eye immediately.  I added a red lip and a little sparkle to get into the festive vibe.

Skating is not my forte, but blogger babes Shaina from Out of the Corner and Crystal from Sometimes Glam are so fun to be around that I was laughing immediately and stopped worrying about falling on my face 🙂

Our next stop called for a good LBD, and this cutout shoulder, velvet-hem beauty was just the thing.  This dress fits perfectly, and has enough interesting details to shine on its own, but I decided to go ahead and bring a little NYC to Vegas with my accessories.  A gunmetal collar, silver bangle, and my favorite holographic clutch made the look my own.  The booties are from Catherine’s too, and are a great way to add a little irreverence to any dressed-up ensemble.

Even as we departed, we had no idea where we were heading, and when we arrived at the Michael Jackson ONE Cirque du Soleil show, we all did a little happy dance.

I had never been to a Vegas show or a Cirque show before, and was unprepared for the incredible level of production and talent.  The music was of course amazing, and Shaina and I may or may not have teared up at one point.  The plot makes almost no sense, but plot is not the point.  I highly recommend checking it out if you get a chance!

We were talking about the show all night, even while sipping giant milkshakes at Holstein’s back at the Cosmo.  I didn’t know what could top this, but when our ride pulled up the next day, I found my answer.

We were riding around Vegas in a vintage pink Cadillac, with fins!  Not only that, our driver was Elvis Presley – well, a version of him.

As we cruised down the Strip, our Elvis pointed out a plethora of interesting facts, and we got a glimpse of the Vegas where the shine has worn off.  We were even treated to a performance in a parking lot.

Despite the sun, it was definitely sweater weather – I never knew temps went below 50 in Vegas! As someone who has only visited in hot weather before, I have to say that I loved not burning up the whole time.

My striped wrap was a statement piece, with none of the discomfort that usually entails.  It was actually so soft that everyone wanted to touch it, and I’ve happily wrapped up in it many a time since the trip.  These suede knee high boots also get a lot of wear – they are comfortable enough for walking all over NYC too!

Next, we headed to downtown Las Vegas, where the first casinos sprung up in the 40’s.  The white and metallic exterior of the Golden Nugget gave me some serious home design inspiration – you never know where you are going to find ideas!

Fremont Street and the cluster of time-worn casinos is a completely different Las Vegas, and one I’m happy to have gotten to experience.

The casinos were dated, sure, but that was part of their charm.  The high domed ceilings over the streets reminded me of a kitschy, Vegas-fied version of the Galleria Vittoria Emmanuelle in Milan.  Just imagine a Prada store instead of that LIQUOR sign 😉

No tour of Sin City is complete without a visit to the iconic Welcome sign, another first for me.

Of course we had to be tourists and get our picture in front of it!  My personal philosophy is that there is no shame in embracing your tourist-ness in new places: See the famous sites; get your picture there; and just make sure you aren’t eating in tourist-trap restaurants!

Speaking of food, we were all ravenous after our great morning, so we said “Thank you, thank you very much” to Elvis (sorry, I had to), and headed to our surprise lunch spot.

I was delighted to find out it was Mon Ami Gabi.  Located in the Paris hotel, and the perfect spot to watch the Bellagio fountains, it has all the trappings of a tourist trap, but the food is delicious.  The seafood crepe is to die for.

After lunch, we took in a little Vegas culture, stopping by the Neon Museum and checking out the burgeoning street art scene – the Las Vegas Cultural Corridor was like a mini Wynwood.

Kisses from Vegas!

Spontaneous dancing is real when you are traveling with these babes.  And how cute are these boots from the side too?

We capped our daytime adventure with a selfie (obvs), and I took the opportunity to try my hand at the Cosmo slots.

This win was short lived, but the night we had in store was more than prize enough.

We started off our night with happy hour (always a good idea), but this was no ordinary bar.  We partied 550 feet above the Strip on the High Roller, a modern ferris wheel that has bars built in to some of the pods!  With cocktails, music, and 360 degree views, dancing was inevitable.

This gorgeous velvet dress was the perfect luxe piece for this wonderfully (and quite literally) over the top experience.  The party continued through dinner, and things only got crazier when we ended up at the Criss Angel show, and I ended up onstage as his assistant (!!!).  At least I looked good!

The next morning, I was so reluctant to admit it was the last day of the trip.  Starting the day with coffee on my balcony 67 floors up is a life I could get used to.

These cute PJs (dog pants!) and my new favorite slippers were perfect to keep me warm on this chilly morning.

A PJ party with these blogger babes was the sweetest way to wrap up a whirlwind visit to Vegas.  Crystal started the pillowfight, for the record 😉

Quality girls time is so important, and this trip was fantastic.  Thank you Shaina and Crystal for being such lovely travel buddies, and thank you to Kellie and Kate for organizing this epic adventure.

And of course, a massive thank you to Catherine’s for making this trip possible!  I learned a lot about their clothes and fit on this trip:

1) They have a great size range, with items up to 6x;

2) Size down! I am typically a 16/18 or a 1x, and their 0x was the right fit for me;

3) They have petite plus! At 5’4″ on a good day, this is great news;

4) Don’t sleep on their shoes!  I’ve been wearing my studded ankle booties and suede knee boots everywhere – cute and comfortable; and

5) Never feel constrained by the styling on the catalogue models.  I loved putting my own spin on the Catherine’s looks, and got so much inspiration from how Crystal and Shaina styled theirs too.  All weekend, we were oohing and aahing over how pretty the pieces were in person, so I definitely recommend taking the plunge if you are eyeing something.  Let me know if you have any questions below!

Check out the #catherinesgoestovegas hashtag if you want more BTS pics!

This post sponsored by Catherine’s.  All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always!

All photos by the incredible Lydia Hudgens