How to Dress for Every Holiday Occasion

This is your guide to everything from dinner with friends to that fabulous New Year’s Black Tie occasion.

With the holiday season upon us I’m sure you have a calendar packed with events - family, work and fun!!

At this point you probably have most lunches, evenings and weekends booked and are wondering how you will manage to have an appropriate outfit for everything in said calendar.  Well worry no more!  I will give you a guideline to manage everything from family and friend meet-ups, to smart-casual, to cocktail, to Black Tie - without being either under dressed or looking like a walking Christmas tree!!!

Family and Friends day events

This usually calls for a daytime look with a little pizazz!  Think daytime sequins! Sequins are huge in the fashion annals of New York, Paris, etc this A/W 18/19 season. But, will they work in a daytime look in Texas?  You bet they will!  Think a wonderful pair of jeans and a sparkly top with low boots or even a sequin skirt, low shoes and a warm, cozy sweater.  This look is all about balance.  If you wear daytime sequins then tone it down everywhere else - that way you won’t be like the aforementioned walking Christmas tree!!! See Jenna Lyons work this balance to perfection.

Holiday work functions that come with the dreaded smart-casual dress requirement

For me the ideal outfit for this event is a dress and heels - like, seriously, when does a dress and heels ever fail you!!! Just don’t go for the sequins and sparkles here unless it’s super subtle.  Think more a print wrap dress with pumps or a more sober dress with a great necklace and a colored pump.  You could always try a fabulous trousers suit (again HUGE this season) with a silk shirt, pumps and great jewelry to lift it up.  Color can be great here for the added oomph instead of the Christmas sparkle that you can wear at other events.  Think Emma Stone in THAT green dress in La La Land, cue a gratuitous shot of Ryan Gosling too!!!

Cocktail event

I go one of two ways here - knee length and sparkly (shorter if you have the legs and youth on your side!) or - slightly longer and a little silk number that catches all the right places without any sparkle.  Then you can have great stilettos - pumps or sandals, and some wonderful jewelry to add that extra special holiday sparkle.  Check out this Tom Ford round-neck illusion yoke silk knit dress for inspiration! AMAZING!!!

Black Tie

Now is your time to go all out - get the absolutely most amazing dress you can and dance the night away!