What will you wear to office/other holiday parties?

nancybee_2010

12 years ago

My husband's office parties used to be in nice hotels and I would wear a nice dress, maybe a little sparkly, or black dress pants and a jacket- I had a black velvet one-also a little sparkly.

Now they are in someone's home and much more casual- I wear nice pants and a top that's maybe a little festive but I've never had a Christmas sweater. One woman last year wore a football jersey and jeans, I thought that was maybe too casual but I'm not really very judgmental about it.

What will you be wearing?

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Comments (18)

golddust
12 years ago
We have a small manufacturing business so we generally take the crew to breakfast and pass out bonuses after. Very casual.
Sueb20
12 years ago
Just had my DH's office party on Fri. night, at a fancy downtown hotel. I am not a fancy gal, and these events usually cause me some degree of fashion stress. But I found a dress that I absolutely love this fall, and I have now worn it to three different events. It's from the Boden catalog and I think it's called the 1960s dress? It comes in a few colors but I got the black, which looks a bit dressier. It's actually not-quite-black, so I wore it with charcoal gray stockings and same color pumps. Depending on the occasion, I wore different jewelry to dress it up more or less. The dress is lined and just skims over my, uh, Imperfections. I am small on top and big-bottomed, and this dress just fits me perfectly.

To a less formal party, I'd wear black pants and maybe a cashmere sweater with some splashy jewelry. I also just bought a red silk blouse with a funky hemline that I'm looking forward to wearing... somewhere.

I tend to have pretty basic clothing but I have a lot of interesting jewelry! I actually have 3 black cashmere sweaters that are in rotation but I wear them with different necklaces, scarves, etc... (All of them are from Lands End -- very happy with their cashmere sweaters! I have them in red and gray too!)
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hhireno
12 years ago
I had to go right to the Boden site to see Sue's dress. This one?
Sixties dress

It is cute but I can't wear short sleeves or sleeveless because I'm too cold, except for the brief moments I'm having a hot flash.

My DH's work doesn't do a party with spouses. Another spouse and I tease about crashing it. One year we both worked as temp help until the hired someone but we were still not invited to the party because we were "independent contractors, not employees". We don't even want to go to the party, we just like to bust on our DHs. But this year it's in a cool location so maybe we should crash it.

Last year, everyone in my family had somewhere to be on the same evening so we joked I would throw my own office party to give myself something to do. I ended up going to Applebee's to make my Mum happy and was so sick that night & the next day I missed an important event. Since I had one glass of wine I know it wasn't a hang-over. I suspect bad food but it could have been a bug and not food related. All I know is I get a lot of grief about my office party getting out of control and I will never step foot in an Applebee's again.

None of that answers the posted question though. Even if it's held in someone's home & is casual, I think it's appropriate to put some effort into your outfit - it's a party after all. I think it's smart to wear some nice pants and a pretty blouse or nice sweater. Stay away from holiday themed sweaters, those make you look old. Also, they take up too much closet real estate for just one or 2 wearings.
sis3
12 years ago
I have a little black dress that I feel perfectly comfortable wearing to almost any winter event. It fits my form, is rather slinky, and never creases. I dress it up, or down, with jewelry and accessories according to the formality of the occasion. To be dressy it gets a big sparkly belt but it can also be worn with a plainer belt and boots!
tinam61
12 years ago
My husband's party used to be in nice restaurants and I'd wear dressy pants and top. Last year they started having a luncheon on the work premises, but they do invite spouses, so if I go, I'm in my work clothes. We have a couple of other "events" to attend, but nothing fancy. I'm not fancy either and don't like dressing up. I have a beautiful red velvet shirt - kind of like a tunic, that I wear with black pants and a lacy black cami. Like Sue, I like to dress up with necklaces or scarves. I also have a pretty red jacket that looks good with black pants or I have some herringbone design pants that work with it. I actually have a neat necklace I purchased from an etsy vendor with a vintage Christmas picture that I like to wear with that.

tina
hhireno
12 years ago
Nancybee,
I wanted to send you an email but I see you don't list one so I'll just write my thoughts here. You always post such great, varied topics and have such nice things to say to everyone. I appreciate you keeping this place interesting.
Jean
nancybee_2010
Original Author
12 years ago
Jean, thank you so much! It's so nice to be appreciated. I've always enjoyed what you have to say too and lately have noticed that we often seem to think alike.

I just got back from a trip to Target and was feeling grumpy (crowds, aisles too narrow to get their huge carts through) and your post really brightened my day. Thanks again!
chickadee2_gw
12 years ago
These shirts/blouses are great. You can dress them up or down. I bought the raspberry last year because the red was sold out, but was able to order earlier this year and got the red one.

Here is a link that might be useful: TravelSmith shirts
Sueb20
12 years ago
hh, yes, that's the dress. I forgot to mention that I have found it incredibly hard to find a dress with sleeves! Seems like every time I go dress shopping, even in the dead of winter, all the decent dresses are sleeveless. Trust me, NO one needs to see my upper arms in winter. The short sleeves worked out fine -- I was warm enough. Maybe they had the heat turned up for everyone wearing the sleeveless, low-cut dresses.
dawnp
12 years ago
Thank you for posting this question and for all the great suggestions and responses.

We usually have an office party at our home(not this year) and I always struggle to find something to wear.

You all have some great ideas. I love that Boden site and will have to use it next summer when I need a dress for a wedding. I like that they have tall sizes as I like my dresses not to be too short. That Travelsmith shirt is so nice too and the red one would be a perfect holiday party choice!
deegw
12 years ago
I just wore this dress in a different print to a dressy wedding. My print had blues and greens. The colors in the link would be great for a holiday party.

I paired it with opaque tights and black boots. The jersey fabric was so comfortable without being clingy. I'm always cold at parties so the long sleeves were great. It's so hard to find comfy dressy clothes that aren't frumpy.

Here is a link that might be useful: Laundry dress
mahatmacat1
12 years ago
I'm wearing flowy BCBG chiffon (lined) silk pants from the 80s, a Classiques Entier (Nordstrom) black/pewterish stretch lace top from Goodwill, and a drape-y no-button sweater in sparkly black from Ann Taylor Loft, of all places (just wandered in there on the way to somewhere else one day last week). They do all work together, really : )

And some low heels.

I'm just not wanting to wear dresses to these things anymore, although the dress you posted, deee, is almost enough to make me want to subject the rest of the world to my legs : ) (along those same lines, I've got an original Pucci dress bought at a charity thrift in NYC that I wore on our wedding tour, but those days are WAY over)

Here is a link that might be useful: It's actually rather sweet.
patty_cakes
12 years ago
I bought an off-white pair of silk pants and off-white sweater(cardigan style/no buttons)at White House/Black Market this past summer for 75% off. I'll wear a golden tan top under the sweater, and open-toe, tan sling backs. I'm excited about getting dressed up, even though i'll just be at DD's in CA. ;o)
tinam61
12 years ago
I like the sound of both of those outfits flyleft and patty cakes. Oh I always dress for Christmas - but when I said I don't like dress up I meant dresses, formal, fancy, etc., etc., etc. LOL

tina
hhireno
12 years ago
I wish I did have a party to attend. Those linked items are so nice.
sheesh
12 years ago
I am very glad people are wearing dresses again. I have always loved them but felt "old" wearing them for years. I love that my 20 and 30 and 40 year old dtrs are wearing dresses to work, and fancy dresses for evenings and parties! And with heels and stockings! Yay!!
patty_cakes
12 years ago
sherrmann, I wish I could *find* a decent dress to wear. The style are so frumpy, and i'm almost 70 and saying that! ;o)
daisychain01
12 years ago
I bought a cheap, but super sparkly and chunky necklace (silver with lots of glass diamonds). I wore dark jeans, a black sweater and heels with the necklace and I felt dressed up, but relatively casual at the same time.

What will you wear to office/other holiday parties?

Comments (18)

golddust

Sueb20

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What will you wear to office/other holiday parties?

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