Holiday Party Outfit Ideas: What to Wear to a Work or Christmas Party

What to wear to a holiday party, by party type

• Office party or drinks after work

  Knee or midi

  A satin or chiffon midi with a jacket for the office part; swap flats for heels at five.

• Restaurant dinner

  Midi or maxi

  Long satin in champagne, ivory or black: dressy, and easy to sit in for three courses.

• Formal party

  Floor length

  When the invite says formal or black tie, wear a long dress; one dramatic detail is enough.

• At someone's home

  Mini or midi

  Something you can sit on a sofa in, with sleeves or tights if the house runs cold.

• Daytime lunch with family

  Midi

  A midi in a soft colour and low heels: festive in daylight, comfortable for a long table.

• A party out of town

  One midi

  Travelling to family or a friend's party: one midi that packs flat and works day and night.

How dressy should you go?

• Read the invite first

  If it names a dress code, follow it. If it doesn't, ask someone who went last year: every workplace is different.

• Cocktail or festive

  A knee-to-midi dress with one seasonal touch: satin, a deep colour, a little shine or sparkly earrings.

• Formal or black tie

  A floor-length dress. Shine is welcome here; keep the bag and jewellery simple.

• Casual or at the office

  A midi with sleeves, or a jacket over it, and heels you can stand in for a few hours.

Look 01

At work: a midi with one festive touch“drinks after the last meeting”

• Satin reads festive without sparkle
• A jacket for the office part
• Heels you can stand in

Wear it to

• Office party
• Drinks after work
• Team dinner

Why it works+

An office party is still an office: you'll talk to managers, stand for the speeches and end up in a group photo. A midi with one festive detail, like fringe, a satin shine or a single long sleeve, looks dressed up and still right in front of colleagues.

More for this look

• 
  Club L LondonC$90

  A powder-blue satin midi with one long bishop sleeve, a fitted waist and an A-line skirt to mid-calf.

  Details
• 
  Tiger MistUS$85

  A pale pink chiffon dress with a wrapped halter neck and an asymmetric ruffle hem around the knee.

  Details
• Get work-party picks for your budget

Look 02

Restaurant dinner: long satin“candles on every table”

• Ivory and champagne glow in candlelight
• Gold or pearl earrings
• A long coat over the hem

Wear it to

• Restaurant dinner
• Dinner party with friends
• Hotel bar

Why it works+

For a dinner, a long satin dress is the easy choice: it looks rich under warm restaurant light, and a corset bodice stays neat through a long meal. Pale satin glows by candlelight; black with a sheer skirt looks a little more dramatic.

More for this look

• 
  Tiger MistUS$60

  An off-white satin maxi with a boned corset bodice on thin straps and a skirt that flares from the knee.

  Details
• 
  I.AM.GIAUS$55

  A black dress with a cowl neck, a satin lace-up corset front and a ruffled sheer chiffon skirt with a front split.

  Details
• Get dinner picks for your budget

Look 03

Long sleeves for a cold night“December, just outside the door”

• Sleeves mean no wrap to keep holding
• An off-shoulder neckline still feels dressy
• Sheer tights under a long hem

Wear it to

• A cold venue or a hall
• Family dinner
• A party you walk to

Why it works+

Long sleeves solve the cold without a cardigan over your dress. An off-the-shoulder neckline keeps them from looking like a day dress, and a long hem means tights or boots go unseen.

More for this look

• 
  Princess PollyC$112

  A cream textured-lace column with an off-shoulder neckline and long sheer lace sleeves that flare at the wrist.

  Details
• 
  JW PEIC$227

  A black velvet off-the-shoulder maxi with long fitted sleeves, a crystal-edged sweetheart neckline and a ruffled front slit.

  Details
• Get holiday party picks for your budget

Look 04

Formal party: floor length, one dramatic detail“black tie on the invite”

• Long is the rule when the invite says formal
• One statement piece, not three
• A clutch, not a tote

Wear it to

• Company gala
• Formal dinner and dance
• Charity ball

Why it works+

A formal or black-tie party is the one night for a floor-length dress with a train, a corset or a contrast skirt. Let one detail lead and keep the rest simple.

More for this look

• 
  House of CBUS$299

  A matte black strapless corset bodice over a draped champagne satin skirt that pools on the floor.

  Details
• 
  Sau LeeC$805

  A strapless floral brocade corset bodice with small clasps, over a draped beige satin skirt with a short train.

  Details
• Get formal picks for your budget

At a friend's place: a mini with sleeves

For drinks with friends or a party at someone's home, a mini with sleeves looks like a party and keeps you warm. Add sheer black tights if it's cold, and shoes that still look nice if the hosts ask you to take them off.

What reads right in front of colleagues

• One shine at a time

  Sequins, a metallic fabric or statement earrings: pick one. A single festive element looks polished.

• A length you can sit in

  Knee to ankle is the easy range for a work party: you'll sit, stand, mingle and maybe dance.

• A layer for the speeches

  A blazer or cropped jacket over bare shoulders keeps it office-ready, and it comes off later.

• The group photo

  Work party photos often end up on company channels; pick a dress you'd be happy to see there.

Holiday party colours

Five colours that look right at a December party, from an office lunch to a late dinner:

• Champagne and gold

  Night

  Festive without sequins, and lovely in candlelight.

  See picks

• Ivory and winter white

  Day & night

  Fresh against dark coats and grey winter light.

  See picks

• Black

  Night

  Right at any party; add one shine with satin, sheer sleeves or sparkly earrings.

  See picks

• Deep green

  Day & night

  The colour of the season, richest in velvet or satin.

  See picks

• Soft pink

  Day & night

  A softer choice than red, and easy for a daytime party.

  See picks

Dressing for a cold December night

• A coat as long as the dress

  With a midi or a maxi, a long coat keeps the hem from peeking out under a short jacket.

• Tights are fine

  Sheer black or nude tights work with minis and midis; skip them with open-toe sandals.

• Warmer fabrics

  Satin, crepe and velvet feel warmer than chiffon; lace sleeves add cover but little warmth.

• Coat check and a small bag

  Check the coat so it doesn't crush the dress, and carry a bag that holds a phone, a card and a lipstick.

For the countdown at the end of the month, see our New Year's Eve outfit ideas. If your own birthday falls in December, our December birthday outfit ideas keep the birthday separate from the season; for the rest of the cold months, see our winter birthday outfit ideas.