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The holidays are just around the corner and with the holidays come a selection of parties that include the ones that you simply must attend because you have no choice in the matter (such as work parties) and others that you probably will want to attend (such as friend parties). With these holiday parties come certain rules on how you should dress.

No matter what type of party it is, there are definite does and when it comes to dressing for these holiday parties and some things that you might want to avoid such as:

1) Too much holiday glitz. Too much of a good thing is not always good. This type of dressing can make you look like you are competing with the Christmas tree, but beading, metallic glimmer and other things that shimmer is fine, just make sure you do them in moderation. If your top is shiny, make sure you wear a plain skirt or plain pants and visa versa. Also, you might want to remember that glitzy stuff draws attention to you where you might not welcome it such as in the chest area, so if you happen to have a large chest area, you might want to rethink wearing a sparkly shirt. You should make sure that the embellishment is used on a part of your body that you want to draw attention to, like your shoulders perhaps. Or maybe you can start off with some small scale jewellery, purse and shoes for maximum impact and go from there. Remember, in this situation, less is more.

2) Showing too much skin or wearing skin tight clothing. This is just asking for trouble that you probably do not want (especially if there is alcohol involved) and definitely if it is at a work party. Sexy is one thing, but sleazy is another. The trick is to show a suggestion of sexy by wearing a lacy camisole under a jacket or a slit in a skirt just allows others to take a peak at your legs. It is best to leave your sexiness up to the imagination of others. Too tight of clothes or too much skin will not further your career, but on the other hand, might hamper it. H

3) Last minute parties, whether they be for fun or not can leave you racing around your house while you try to get ready. Have you ever been invited to a holiday party at the last minute and had absolutely nothing to wear? Almost nothing is as bad as that. The best thing to do is to make sure you have a few of the following on hand and always clean and pressed. Items of clothing to keep on hand for these occasions such as a little black dress, a beaded top, dressy shoes, great looking pants, a velvet jacket and a lacy camisole can be used for a put together look in a hurry. This actually happened to me, we got an invite for a do that was happening that night. I went into my closet, pulled my great looking pants and a dressy white shirt and I was ready to go.

4) Being over or under dressed. You show up in jeans and everyone is else is dressed in business attire. Sometimes, the invitation does not offer any help with their dress codes. Black tie is very formal; semi formal is tricky, but if you wear a little black dress, you should be fine; cocktail is somewhat dressy; dressy causual is like business casual; etc. If you are in doubt, call the hostess ahead of time (better to look silly to one person that a room full of people!)

5) Ah, the office Christmas party. These parties seems to come with their own set of Rules that need to be enforced. So just what is acceptable to wear to your office Holiday party? You might want to look at the party as an extension of your work day, so you will want to keep up your guard when you are deciding what to wear. If the party is immediately after work, the clothing you wore through the day is fine (you can glitz it up a bit by changing your shirt and earrings). However, if the party is later in the evening or on a weekend, your choices may vary depending on what type of party it is. If you are not sure what you should wear, ask the people who are organizing the party or ask a co worker, whose judgement you trust, but no matter what you wear, remember that you need to keep in mind that the clothes you are wearing now, will reflect on your professional life now and later. Now might not be the time to show up in your most revealing outfit.


The keys to the holiday function that you are attending are to hang with people that you a) do not always get to talk to or b) have not seen in a long time and to have FUN and you should not let your dressing get in the way. If you need a new outfit, take a trusted friend with you. This time of year is not for stressing over clothes, its for the spirit of the season and those are love, joy and peace. Happy Holidays!