Happy Holidays! As you have forever heard, it is the most wonderful time of the year. Full of Christmas music, caroling, decorating the tree, and cookies (yum) you can’t beat it. Giving gifts, receiving gifts, and enjoying the merry nature of the season is all spectacular. PLUS from work to home to romantic evenings with your partner there are LOTS of holiday parties you get to attend. These are, hands-down, my favorite. Why? Because I LOVE to throw on a festive outfit and heels.
If you don’t like to dress up or have no idea what to wear, I am here to give you a few ideas. Below are three of my favorite outfits to wear at a holiday gathering. Shades of red, green, and white are my color palette for the season.
LET’S GET MERRY
Date-Night Romance in Red
This outfit is fun, simple, and full of cheer. I adore this red jacket (especially the gold button detail). I picked up the gold on the jacket with a gold tank, shoes, jewelry, and a wristlet. My favorite part about this look is how the red and gold complement one-another.
Jacket: (Similar Here) | Top: NY&Co | Jeans: Aero | Watch: KYBOE! | Wristlet: NY&Co | Heels: Steve Madden (Similar Here)
Wearing a pair of dark jeans helps those colors to stand out and can make this look more dressy. Jeans are my go-to for informal gatherings or dates when you’re not necessarily sure if the event will be one way or the other. Dark jeans with no rips are classy and comfortable. My favorite jeans stay on tight, flatter your curves, and fall just above the heel strap. This particular pair is from Aeropostale and is the best color I have found in a while. They are stretchy and almost feel like a legging when you put them on, but don’t stretch out like jeggings do. There is nothing worse than when your jeans stretch out halfway through the night and look baggy. Blue jeans are great, but they just don’t look the same for evening wear. Other brands who carry similar styles are Charlotte Russe, American Eagle, and Abercrombie & Fitch.
The jacket is Dream Out Loud by Selena Gomez. I have had it for a few years now and the quality is exceptional. The red has remained the same color after many washes and is form-fitting. The buttons are a gorgeous accent to the red and pair well with my KYBOE! watch, New York & Company Wristlet, and Steve Madden heels. I love red and gold together. Military-style jackets are a must-have for your wardrobe. Having a few different colors to choose from is great for changing up the look for more casual or dressy occasions. This jacket is soft and almost feels like a suede material. The waist has a light flare that gives this jacket feminine detail.
The top I’ve paired is from New York & Company. It is a gold heart with sequins that are lovely when they catch the light. It is loose-fitting which is what I like to wear with tight jackets and skinny jeans. It breaks up the look and makes it more flowy. I went to New York & Company in search of a gold top to wear for this outfit. I searched through most of the stores in my closest mall and found no gold tops that looked right (I actually found very few in general). This tank is perfect! I am so happy I went into NY&Co to find it. Plus, I purchased this gold wristlet which is the same color tone. It fits my iPhone perfectly and holds about 6 cards and cash. I don’t like taking large purses into the city which is why I have wristlets in all of the basic colors to take with me when I go in town.
My watch, of course, is the KYBOE! The color worked amazing with the details of this outfit. It is white with a gold face. They were featured as one of Oprah’s favorite things for 2016 which you can check out here –> Oprah’s Favorite Things. The watches are affordable, water-resistant, and stunning. They can be purchased at a handful of Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Lord & Taylor locations in addition to their website. The model I am wearing is ‘Gold Ghost’ and goes for $250 – $290 depending on the size you select. I always look for a 40mm for my tiny wrists, but they come in 48mm and 55mm as well.
After-Work Holiday Party
For work-related events I like to keep my style fun & somewhat conservative. This outfit is only 3 pieces (top, skirt, and tights) so it is easy to either wear to work earlier in the day or carry along for a quick change. The red and black is festive and I’ve even included a matching ‘Secret Santa’ gift to take along with me. Side note: How gorgeous does the mantle look? My mom has got some serious design skill!
Top: Vince Camuto (Similar Here) | Skirt: Zulily (Similar Here) | Tights: (Similar Here) | Heels: (Similar Here)
This top falls just below the hips making it the length I look for when wearing pencil skirts. It falls softly and has lace on the neckline that coordinates with the patterned fishnets. I love Vince Camuto products! I actually found this top at TJX a few weeks back. I couldn’t find a simple black, long-sleeve top anywhere and I was so excited when I pulled this off the shelf. It is a style perfect for wearing to work. You could even wear it with suit pants earlier in the day and change into the skirt for a more festive appearance at the party! The black on this top has not faded yet, but I am careful about washing it so it does not lose it’s color like all of those faded black leggings I’ve collected over time.
This skirt is too cute! I got it a month or so back on Zulily when they were having a sale on women’s apparel. The black & white stripe on the back is a unique detail that I had never seen before and it looks great with the black & red. Buffalo check is my favorite pattern for the holidays. I wore it on Thanksgiving last year and have multiple products in this print. Something about it gets me every time… This skirt definitely should be paired with a plain black or white top. With a pattern this skirt would clash big time. It fits nice and snug and really hugs the curves! It stays on snug which is a must with pencil skirts. I wish they had other patterns in this skirt and I would have gone back and purchased them all. I will be wearing this one for multiple events this season!
I couldn’t decide on the heels for a while. I was between black and red. The red stood out to me against the black tights and top. These have a cute bow on the front that makes the detail more feminine. With white tights I would go with a black heel, but the red is perfect with fishnets. These tights are different because they have a floral detail pattern. I don’t love traditional fishnets, so I always look for ones with different patterns. This outfit is best accented with simple jewelry and a bold red lip. I am wearing two gold rings with red crystal accents and my Apple Watch which I wear every single day. For this outfit I decided to keep my hair straight which I would normally do for an easy workday.
Formal Christmas Gathering
Every year on Christmas Eve I enjoy getting dolled up in a more formal outfit. This dress from last year was 1950’s inspired (big skirt, tight bust) and had all of the perfect details. The emerald green was definitely what I consider festive and the silk material is so soft.
Dress: Amazon (Similar Here & Here) | Ribbon & Hairpiece: Jo-Ann Fabric | Tights: Target
It is nearly impossible to find this style dress at the mall. You can go to every store endlessly searching to turn up with no dress. Some local vintage and consignment shops have them, but they are not always the pattern you look for. Modern Millie has them often, but I found this dress I am wearing on Amazon. The crazy thing is that I find almost all of my 50’s inspired dresses on Amazon (this year’s too)! The dress usually needs to be tailored a bit, but it’s easy enough to make a few adjustments at home for it to look right. I love the neckline and shoulder details on this dress and how the fabric slightly curves over to give it body. The bust is low enough to wear a small necklace which I’ve done here.
This dress actually came with a black ribbon which I switched out for a more festive plaid. I went right to the craft store and picked out the style I had in mind. You won’t always find the dress of your dreams at a local shop (or online) but you can find one that is close and get creative with it. I am wearing a black petticoat underneath the skirt which is what keeps the shape. I purchased a red petticoat for this year’s ensemble!
For a more formal occasion I like to do soft curls or a fancy updo. This updo was a bit more complicated, but totally worth it. We twisted the sides into a low pony, rolled it up, pinned it down (with a million bobby pins), and used lots of hairspray to keep it in place. I used these holly berries which you can buy, like the ribbon, at your local craft store or snag them temporarily off the Christmas decorations (sorry mom)! I will be going for a half up-half down look this year. With the neck and shoulder of this dress I simply didn’t want to cover them up!
What do you like to wear at your holiday parties throughout the season? Share with me in the comments or on social!