Can you believe that next week is Christmas??  Hopefully you are finding enjoyment in the season and not getting yourself stressed out by the pressure to do it all or by the quandary of ‘what to wear’ to parties. My way to avoid stress: decide what traditions are most important, focus on those, and let the others go. As for what to wear, that’s what I live for!!!

Holiday party outfits need not be red, need not always sparkle, need not be new.  You might already have the start of  a good outfit in your closet, such as a basic black dress.   In this post I will share three outfits I wore this year to three holiday parties, starting with the outfit above.  This is a black Nicole Miller dress that I have had for at least fifteen years – plain, fitted, long sleeved, off the shoulder – a great basic.  To add pizazz, I added the collar and cuffs by Anne Fontaine, and instead of a plain black shoe, I wore two-tone high heels. This was a work party, so at first I wondered if it was too provocative. How I decided it was ok:  it did not reveal cleavage, the body of the dress is shirred so while it is fitted it is not skin tight, and finally, the length hit mid-knee. A fun outfit, and nothing was purchased new.

This Ulla Johnson dress I found two years ago and already worn it different ways: with the two toned high heels, and once with white booties. The soft, silky fabric and movement of the skirt makes it feel very feminine and sexy without revealing too much skin…since this was a house party, I opted for more casual footwear with OTK camel suede boots.  

Staying in line with the earth tones, I opted for a soft lip color..nstead of sparkly earrings, these fun gold balls seemed just right!

And last but not least, here’s what I wore to another work party…the beginning of this outfit actually started this summer when I was out shopping with my sister at TJMaxx…I saw this Desquared sequined blazer on the clearance rack, and tried it on – perfect fit, so it was a no brainer!  Yes, I am getting this, and it will be great for one of my holiday work parties.

The sleeves have a bright purple lining – fun to cuff them up, or just wear them down.  As for what to wear underneath the jacket, the possibilities are endless!  With this jacket you can wear a simple white cotton shirt and a black leather skirt, or a black turtleneck with classic trousers – so many options.  I had in my head a simple white dress and was thrilled to find this (reasonably priced) at The Cusp in Chestnut Hill.  

The brand is LIKELY (new to me!), and this style can actually be worn as a one shoulder dress too. I had my tailor alter the length to just below the knee, which is a flattering and elegant length to wear with high heels.  Speaking of heels, the gold pumps are new, by Manolo Blahnik – classic sexy and timeless style.   Yeah, perfect for a party girl. 😉

What’s especially nice about this last outfit is that with the jacket on it conveys a festive yet very professional image…take the jacket off and it’s time to dance!

Which outfit do YOU like the best?