Weddings–winter, summer, spring and fall–always pose the conundrum of what to wear over your cocktail or bridesmaid dress. Cardigans, even the nicer sort, aren’t fancy enough, and pashminas just feel so dated. (Are we in agreement here?) We can even think of one or two times we just plum didn’t bring anything to wear over our dress, instead banking on just borrowing our date’s tux jacket if we got a little chilly.

And therein lies the solution: the tux jacket. A fitted tux jacket over a little dress is sharp and new, but still upholds the formality required at a wedding.

We’re sure that you, like us, have seen ‘em around lately, whether on the spring 2009 runway (DKNY, top left; Stella McCartney, second from left) or on celebs (Gwyneth, Rihanna). As such, may we humbly suggest that at your next wedding, leave the pashmina at home and opt for a little tux jacket. Bring your own, or steal your date’s–it’s up to you.

(P.S.: Armani Exchange has a supercute version that won’t break the bank!)

Even though it’s December and getting colder by the day, we at Thread are already looking towards sunnier, Spring-ier times–namely, the 2009 wedding season. We photographed our Spring/Summer 2009 Bridal collection for our website a couple of days ago here in our NYC studio/showroom, and thought we’d share a bit of what’s in store…

So, what’s on tap for spring? Lots of bright colors (think Kelly green, Cobalt blue and Mandarin orange) and new, fun silhouettes (from shorter, tulip-shaped cuts to sleek, one-shouldered styles). Stay tuned–we promise to let you know the second all the new styles are up and view-able on the site!

Attention, any and all New Yorkers (or tri-staters or commuters or visitors):

We at Thread Social are holding our Winter Sale this Wednesday, December 3 (as in, tomorrow) through Friday, December 5. We know, we know–who can afford to shop in this economy? Well, truth be told, we think you can’t afford not to. Think of your event-filled December, plus all of your upcoming engagement parties, rehearsal dinners and weddings in the new year.

And we won’t even ask if you have started your holiday shopping yet.

So, here it is, our gift to you: A Thread Social Winter Sale. Details below.

What: Thread Social Private Winter Sale

When: December 3rd, 4th, 5th from 9:30am to 8pm

Where: Thread, 26 West 17th St, Suite 301, NYC.

Why: Up to 85% off spring, summer & fall 2008 merchandise, plus exclusives styles never seen before. Cash, check and credit accepted.

We’ve been meaning to brag about this for a couple weeks now: The always-energetic Kelly Ripa recently rocked an emerald green Thread Social Holiday dress on a pre-Thanksgiving episode of Live with Regis and Kelly. We love how she balanced the bright hue of the dress with a pair of simple black Alexander McQueen pumps. You can’t see them here, but any old pair of black pumps will do.  OR, we suggest a fun patent peep toe like these flirty Miu Miu’s that we found on Net-a-Porter.  Paired with this black woven Bottega Veneta clutch, and voila: the perfect inspiration for all those upcoming holiday and engagement parties!

FYI, for all of you that simply must have this dress–and now: It is the Hammered Silk Ruffle Dress from our Social Holiday collection, available online at threadsocial.com.