Holiday party season is in full swing and if you’re used to the routine, you’re probably running through dresses faster than you can zip them up. That gets tiring and it gets expensive — for a party dress, the cost per wear is high.
Fortunately, there are ways around this holiday tradition of buying a brand new outfit that’s worn only once. Today, we’re providing you with the holiday party essentials that’ll definitely be worn again once the holiday season is over. Here are the 10 essentials to create some sparkle and spice in your holiday outfit and the new year!
1. The Skater Dress. A much loved style of the season, the skater dress’ sweet, feminine and simple shape lends itself to be easily dressed up for parties, given the right accessories. However, come spring this piece layers up easily, and come summer time, this little frock would look just as good with flats.
TopShop, $84
Fashion Union, $18
Miss Selfridge, $68
2. The Metallic Shoes. Bling, bling! Why drop a fortune on a flashy dress when you can invest in a pair of shoes? Many of us here are lovers of shoes and it’s because we know shoes can make, break, or dramatically change an outfit. While metallic shoes could be used to dress up a not-so-dressy dress (see #1!), and depending on the style they can look great in the office or even with jeans.
Threadsense, $42
OOTDS, $45
Kors by Michael Kors, $275
3. The Brocade Bottom. A strong trend on the fall/winter runway, brocade has had a chance to shine beyond your grandmother’s furniture and we couldn’t be more happy to oblige. This fabric has a natural patterned and is shiny, which lends itself to being dressed up, but post-holidays it can toughened up with a moto or denim jacket.
House of Fraiser, $43
River Island, $56
Sessun, $149
4. The Quilted Sidebag. Perhaps it’s because Chanel pioneered this and Chanel is inherently chic, but quilted side bags are probably the only bag that dress up besides clutches. And you know what that chain strap means…more hands for food and drink, yo!
Urban Expressions, $29.95
Chanel, $5,500
Banana Republic, $59.50
5. The Leather Skirt. As the proud mama of a little black leather skirt, I can tell you that you’d be amazed how much wear you can get out of this piece during everyday life. During the holiday season though, these skirts structured shapes lead themselves to formality, especially when worn with dressy accessories.
H&M, $129
New Look, $26
BCBGeneration, $86
6. The Suit. For a chic look that harkens back to Annie Hall, an ultra-modern holiday party outfit involves a skirt or pant suit, again dressed up with the right accessories and feminine extras like the other ones on this list. This smart look works for the office, and the pieces can be separated for a number of other outfits.
Zara blazer, $99.90 & Zara trousers, $59.90
7. The Fancy Flats. Maybe its because I’m still on an Alexa Chung kick, but I’d like to contend that Alexa is solely responsible for what seems to be a new footwear trend. We never thought something this easy on our backs would work for a holiday party, but flats are being reformed — with a slight heel, in a blingy color, or with fun embellishments, these flats are dressy enough for any party, and we love that they could so easily be worn later with much, much ease.
Zara, $89.90
Kate Spade, $328
J. Crew, $168
8. The Embellished Bow-Tie or Collar. The collar necklace has been a trend this year and it was largely fashioned by bloggers. Though fabric ones can be a bit more edgy, embellished collar necklaces walk the line between chic and cheeky, necklace and collar, and you know how we love that. The embellished bow-tie has the same effect, but adds an element of menswear to the mix as well.
Lilian Crosswood, $25
Nordstrom, $28
ModCloth, $24
9. The Statement Earrings. In the event that you do want to wear a slinky dress or even an embellished top, sometimes you have to let the neckline say its piece. That said, you also don’t want to be sparse on the jewelry, so take to your ears instead with some bold doorknockers.
Liba and Lola, $9
ASOS, $35.18
ModCloth, $14.99
J. Crew, $118
10. The Peplum top. Another power player on the blogs this year, the vintage-inspired peplum top simply oozes femininity, but its structured shape also means that it can easily be dressed up more formally. Try it with one of the bottoms we’ve mentioned above and some fun pumps!
Dorothy Perkins, $37
Label Shoes, $37
Thrifted and Modern, $36
Image sources:
Lilian Crosswood collar necklace on Chictopia
Jilldorshoes
Libi Lola earrings on Chictopia
H&M
