How to dress for the holidays

With the holidays here and in full swing, attending gatherings are inevitable. At the heart of the holidays is spending time with family and friends, but no one wants to look back on those pictures and say: “Was that a formal dress with sequins or a disco ball you put on to attend that Christmas party?” Here are some tips on how to avoid the wall of style-shame. Knowing who you want to be this holiday season is key in determining the look you’ll put together.

Comfort-chic: Beautiful is the woman who can walk into any event with a sense of comfortable confidence. She is fully aware of what is acceptable to wear, while at the same time she knows ways to stay comfortable in her clothing choices. The best way to pull off comfort-chic is to pair timeless and easy to wear pieces.

If you’re attending a holiday work party that is more business casual, look to pair pieces such as J.Crew’s technicolor tweed pants with an untraditional white collared shirt with buttons down one side versus the middle, tied in with nude patent leather shoes (lower heel if you find that more comfortable), and a color block clutch from Kate Spade. This season update your accessories with Kate Spade’s metallic shoppers, leather hobo bags and luxurious suede pumps.

On the other side, it’s very easy to go too far with comfort-chic, and end up in comfort-eek! Choices like sweat pants and a loose t-shirt are definite eek provokes. Yes, you may have cooked all day, but that’s no excuse to look so unacceptable that your guests are nervous to eat what you serve. Build in time to pull yourself together the day of the event, and be sure to think ahead about how you will keep up acceptable levels of comfort throughout your event.

Oldie but goodie: So many times women make choices based on convenience. You wear the same red color two piece jacket-skirt suit to every holiday party, ten years later… and wonder “What was I thinking?”. When deciding who you want to be this season, avoid settling for only what you can find in your closet, and instead ask yourself if what’s in your closet is the best you can do.

If you’re sporting the same black pants with blouse white top just because you know its “worked” the last five years, I’m afraid it’s not an ‘oldie but a goodie.’ It’s just an oldie! Remember that nothing drastic is required to spruce up that look. Take that red suit, break it up, and pair the red blazer with a pair of Theory grey party dress pants and a black sequins tank.

Overall, the key to pulling off any fabulous look this holiday season is to simply put some thought into it. Take time out to think about the looks that instill confidence in you, and then go out and make it happen.

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