Holiday party- what is holiday festive attire?

Jan 22, 2008
3,867
11
Fiance's work party is holiday festival. They gave absolutely no guidance other than to wear something that makes you feel christmasy. WHAT does that mean? DF said he's probably wearing some gray dress pants (not super dressy though) and a dress shirt with maybe a tie. Does that sound right?

I have two options:
Sleeveless knee length black dress that looks like it's a skirt and top but the bottom half is sparkly tweed and the top a sheer material with a silk cami underneath.
Dark gray turtleneck sweater dress with black tights and flats.

Which one is more appropriate and goes better with DF?
 
I think either would work, but I'd use his normal work attire as a guide. If he dresses in a tie for work, then I'd be more inclined to go with the first outfit. If he wears more casual clothing to work, then I'd go with the second.
 
"Christmasy" to me means something that shiny/silvery/sequined, or something in a bright red....If it were me, I would wear a red satin cocktail dress, or a sequined Alice and Olivia dress.

Out of the options you gave, #1 sounds dressier. I would go with that.
 
Thanks all!

I am not planning on adding any color. I don't do red and I don't really care about looking christmasy, I just don't want to be too under dressed or over dressed. I also can't wear heels, so the black flats are my only option because I don't have time to go shopping this week (I'm in grad school and it's exam week). It seems like everyone is split, so I guess either will work?

I would rather not wear option 1 because it is going to be like 30 or 40 degrees outside and I hate being cold, but since it is his work party I'm willing to if people think it's really necessary and I'll look stupid in a sweater dress or make him look bad.

For reference, I would look ridiculous in anything sequined or really flashy around here- we live in a not very fashion forward place so I know that something like that I would feel really uncomfortable and probably get talked about which is not what I'm going for (I just want to blend in). Everyone at his job wears jeans/khakis and stuff like that, they have no dress code, and he says people will be wearing everything from Christmas sweaters to suits probably, it's a pretty big office.
 
Last edited:
"Holiday festive" is clothing that conveys the spirit of the Holiday season. I think of things that are somehow sparkly (sequins, glitter, metallic, etc.) or within the color theme of the Holidays (like bright red or green). Holiday festive attire can look tacky if not done right, so it's best not to over do it. One item with a bit of shine or sparkle to it can go a long ways. I would definitely stay far away from articles of clothing that actually illustrate the Holiday season in some way - like sweaters with Holiday images on them.
For example, I'm attending a festive, but business casual event this evening, and will be wearing a long black sweater that has a metallic black thread running through it and ruffles on the front (with a tank underneath), black tights, and black CL high-heel booties.
For dressier holiday festive events, I would wear something like a sequin dress with plain high heels or a little black dress with sparkly heels.
 
Thanks all!

I am not planning on adding any color. I don't do red and I don't really care about looking christmasy, I just don't want to be too under dressed or over dressed. I also can't wear heels, so the black flats are my only option because I don't have time to go shopping this week (I'm in grad school and it's exam week). It seems like everyone is split, so I guess either will work?

I would rather not wear option 1 because it is going to be like 30 or 40 degrees outside and I hate being cold, but since it is his work party I'm willing to if people think it's really necessary and I'll look stupid in a sweater dress or make him look bad.

For reference, I would look ridiculous in anything sequined or really flashy around here- we live in a not very fashion forward place so I know that something like that I would feel really uncomfortable and probably get talked about which is not what I'm going for (I just want to blend in). Everyone at his job wears jeans/khakis and stuff like that, they have no dress code, and he says people will be wearing everything from Christmas sweaters to suits probably, it's a pretty big office.

I vote for option 1, but wear what you're comfortable in. Have fun:smile:
 
The sweater is cute but I had one like that from Anthro and just sold it because it looked weird on me. And I really can only wear either option 1 or 2. I don't have time to go shopping during exams and I don't want to waste money on something like this because I don't go to many holiday parties and the ones I go to are casual normally.

If DF is wearing casual dress pants with a button up and brown shoes, I feel like I will look strange next to him wearing a sparkly cocktail dress (option 1). When I bought the black dress with metallic in it I thought he was going to be wearing a suit, but now I think I'll look weird with it.
 
^By posting the link, I wasn't suggesting that you should go shopping and buy something new. I was just giving you an example of what a casual version of "holiday festive" might be.
From what you've posted, it sounds like maybe you're not feeling so confident about what to wear/how you look? Or maybe you're just not into this particular event? You've mentioned several times that you would either look "ridiculous," "stupid," or "weird."
Again, you should wear what you think that you will be most comfortable in:smile:
 
^By posting the link, I wasn't suggesting that you should go shopping and buy something new. I was just giving you an example of what a casual version of "holiday festive" might be.
From what you've posted, it sounds like maybe you're not feeling so confident about what to wear/how you look? Or maybe you're just not into this particular event? You've mentioned several times that you would either look "ridiculous," "stupid," or "weird."
Again, you should wear what you think that you will be most comfortable in:smile:

I am plenty confident in how I look, I just don't want to be cold so I'd rather wear a sweater dress, but I don't want to make DF look bad in front of his colleagues by dressing inappropriately so I wanted input on if I should wear the dressier one instead.

A lot of the suggestions I have gotten, though great for cities and other areas, would be considered absurd here, which is what I was trying to get across by saying I would feel ridiculous wearing them. If I showed up in a red satin dress or covered in sequins, I would be the talk of the party, and not in a good way. This is a very conservative place, and not into fashion at all, so I want to look put together and appropriate but not draw attention to myself.