Christmas Party Attire

"What am I going to wear to this party? I have nothing to wear!!!" Sound familiar? Well, those are frequent words around here this time of year. Mostly because I am usually eating 24 hours a day from Thanksgiving until New Years, and I literally have nothing to wear that fits. But I'm doing better this year on eating, so I have had some choices on what to wear.

But how do you know what to wear to Christmas parties? Well, most importantly, you need to ask the hostess what the attire is. It can be cocktail, Church or business attire, or casual. Once you know that, you can narrow down your options. I gave you some example pictures below to guide you. This is for next year of course since the Christmas parties are over, but you can certainly use this advice for New Years or any other parties throughout the year!

1)Cocktail attire

Our company Christmas party is pretty dressy. Not because we have it somewhere super fancy, but because we are all girls, and we like to play dress up! Look at last year compared to this year.

Last year

This year. Makini (Back row on the left) said she refused to be outdone this year. She said she was way too casual last year, and she wasn't going to let that happen again! She was so cute. I told her if she wasn't so tiny and had a booty, she could've passed for Beyonce's twin!

As you can see, you can choose anything from lace, to fur, to strapless silk, to satin, to sequins, to ruffles for a cocktail attire party.

I chose head to toe winter white for this party. I got my inspiration from my friend Devon. She wore a similar outfit for a fundraiser we went to in the Fall, and I thought it was stunning. Thanks for letting me copy you! How I got the look. To The Max satin strapless top: it's been in my closet for about 5 years since I had my business. It's an old faithful. J Crew herringbone pants: Borrowed them and gold shoes from Ellen (college roommate who now lives 5 minutes from me. We are sharing clothes again just like the good old days!). Winter white Target cardigan that I've had for a few years. Mom's pearls. No money spent, and and it was a brand new outfit for me!

2) Church/business dress

Donna had a lovely party, and the possibilities are endless what to wear at one of these. You are seeing me right now about to leave, so I have on my Kelly green coat (Tulle...love it and I get compliments every time I wear it). I thought Donna and I looked perfectly Christmasy in our red and green in this pic.

Keep it simple. I say the easiest way to go is to wear a nice pair of slacks and a dressier shirt (I wouldn't wear this to church or work, but who's keeping tabs? Ok, I would with a cardigan over it.). Don't feel like you have to wear a dress, unless you have the perfect one. Like for instance Christy's vintage Dolce and Gabana. She looked like Gwen Stefani circa 1994. Coolest. Dress. Ever. I wish I'd have gotten a better pic where you could see the whole thing. Fab. Don't we all wish we had rich aunts who give us their designer hand me downs?

3) Casual

Above are pics from a neighborhood all girls party. I was invited to this last minute (I didn't know the hostess, but she told a friend to bring me, since I'm the new girl in town). I was a little frantic about this one. I had no idea what the attire was. I called my friend Courtney and she told me she was wearing jeans. Phewww. That's easy. Another top that I have in my closet from boutique days with black tissue tee, skinny jeans, black booties, and red necklace for a pop of color.

Of course, when you are the hostess, you can do anything. Especially if it's accessorizing with a Jerry Garcia Santa.

This one was at my house. I hosted Tadd's family Christmas. Yes, my hair is wet, I have no shoes on, and don't think I wore make-up that night. But I did ALL of the food by myself, and the outfit was this last thing on my mind.

Tadd's sis, mom and brother's girlfriend.

Me, Linda (my Mom in Law), Aunt Sherry, Cousin Allison (holding Mia) and Cousin Ashley (Mia's mom)

This was another one with Tadd's family in Gadsden. Ashley hosted. I got to meet sweet Mia for the first time! She's even cuter in real life!

When you are with family, you get to just be comfy and cozy. Just remember to wear stretchy pants (or a long top so nobody can see that you have your jeans unbuttoned), because you know you are going to be eating all day!

So in conclusion (for anyone that is still reading the longest post in the world), the most important rule to follow is to wear what looks good on you. If you get too far out of your comfort zone to try something new, it will backfire. Stick to you rules for your body-type, and stick to the proper attire, and you'll be fine. Oh, and get rid of the ugly Christmas sweaters!