I happen to be a girl who loves dressing up for the holidays. Be it a holiday cocktail party, Christmas dinner, and especially New Year’s Eve — if you want to glam it up this time of year, there’s no need to look for an excuse!
It’s tempting to indulge in the gorgeous, glitzy holiday dresses that hit stores right after Thanksgiving, but I personally think it is difficult to justify spending a lot of money on something you will only wear once a year, if only once in your life. A good compromise? I look at holiday dresses as an investment piece. It’s like a winter coat: don’t buy one every year, and when you do, be sure that it’s somewhat timeless, so that you can wear it for at least five years (hopefully longer!).
Also, consider versatility: lots of holiday dresses are in silk jewel tones, making them perfect cocktail dresses. Buy something that would be appropriate for an evening wedding in the future, or better yet, a dress that can easily take you from the office to a happy hour on the town (just add statement jewelry, fun heels, and go!).
My one caveat: New Year’s Eve dresses can be a different story, as you have total license to go all out and parade around in something that glitters and is guaranteed to turn heads. But truthfully, sequins and sparkles will always be in fashion come 12/31, so buy a shape you love and you’ll still be able to treasure it for years to come!
Here are my picks for versatile dresses perfect for holiday occasions and beyond. You can see where each is from at the very bottom of this post.
In other news, I found this little BCBG jobby on the Bloomingdale’s website, categorized as a New Year’s Eve dress:
Um, for reals? Just in case it needs saying (but does it, really?) this dress does not fall into the category of classic, timeless, or wearable for 5+ years. Get it together BCBG. No way this looks good on ANYONE, including the model. Eesh.
Shopping Guide:
The Office Party: 1.) Spinning Lace Dress, Anthropologie, $288; 2.) Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent “Day to Evening,” $298; 3.) Tadashi Shoji Silk One-Shoulder Tiered Dress, $388; 4.) Kate Spade Raya Sheath Dress, $395
Day to Night: 5.) Maria Bianco Nero Silk Dress, $286; 6.) Theory “Snapshot Colette” Dress, $315; 7.) Forthright Shift, Anthropologie, $138; 8.) Network Dress, Anthropologie, $138; 9.) J.Crew Cashmere Tee Dress, $198
New Year’s Eve: 10.) J.Crew Icicle Shift Dress, $1595; 11.) Nanette Lepore “Usual Suspects” Dress, $398; 12.) Phoebe Couture Ruffled Lace Dress, $330; 13.) DKNYC Sleeveless Sequin Dress, $119; 14.) Aqua One-Sleeved Sequin Dress, $198; 15.) J.Crew Tinsel Bustier Dress, $695
Holiday and Beyond: 16.) Banana Republic Silk V-neck Drape Dress, $150; 17.) J.Crew Silk Organza Soiree Dress, $295; 18.) Max and Cleo Watercolor Print Dress, $148; 19.) J.Crew Silk Organza Starburst Dress, $275; 20.) Aqua One-Shoulder Ruffle Front Dress, $198
