Every December, the group chat asks the same question on repeat: "what are you wearing to [insert holiday event here]?" Office party, family dinner, a friend's cookie exchange, the actual New Year's Eve countdown — they all feel different, but somehow you're supposed to have an outfit ready for each one without buying five new dresses. Here's the honest breakdown of what to actually wear to every holiday event this season.
The Office Holiday Party
This one has rules, even if nobody says them out loud: festive but not flashy, comfortable enough to stand around holding a plastic cup of wine for two hours. A metallic tweed or a subtle sequin detail hits the mark better than a full sequin dress. The Holiday Tweed Mini is the move here — it reads "put together," not "trying to be the main character at the company party."
Family Dinner (aka the Photos-Will-Exist-Forever Event)
Family dinner outfits need to survive sitting down for two hours, hugging seventeen relatives, and being photographed under bad overhead lighting. Go for something with sleeves and a little more coverage — the Decked With Love Wreath Slip Dress or the long-sleeve Trim the Tree Mini both work here, especially since the embroidery and sequin detail actually photograph well instead of washing out.
The Friend Group Christmas Party
This is the one where you can actually go for it. Off-the-shoulder, a slit, a bold print — whatever your bravest self wants. The Candy Stripe Off-Shoulder Dress is built for exactly this kind of night: fit-and-flare, a little bit of shoulder, candy-cane trim that photographs beautifully under string lights.
Cookie Exchange / Daytime Holiday Hang
Daytime holiday events call for festive-but-not-going-out energy. A sweater set does this better than a dress ever could — the Poinsettia Sparkle Sweater Set or Snowflake Fair Isle Two-Piece both give you polish without looking like you're headed to a formal event at 1pm.
New Year's Eve
Saved the biggest for last, on purpose. NYE is the one night you're allowed — encouraged, honestly — to wear all the sequins. The Deck The Halls Sequin Mini was built with the last ten seconds of the year in mind: fitted, sequined top to bottom, made to catch light every time someone takes a photo at midnight.
The Morning After (We See You)
Nobody talks about outfit planning for the day after a holiday party, but it matters. A soft matching set like the Mistle-Bow Lounge Set makes recovery mode feel a little more intentional.
Still not sure which event needs which dress? The full Christmas Dresses collection is organized so you can compare everything side by side — or just trust that whatever you pick, it's going to photograph well.