December brings three completely different parties and one wardrobe. Here is how to read each one, and the pieces that carry all of them.
December is the only month that asks you to dress for three different rooms in the space of two weeks, and it rarely tells you which is which.
There is the office party, which is a work event in party clothes. There is the family evening, which is warm and long and involves cooking. And there is the night out with friends, which is the only one where you can wear whatever you like.
They need different answers, and confusing them is what makes December dressing stressful.
The Office Party
The important thing to hold on to is that this is still work. Everybody in the room will see you at your desk again in January.
The register is smart and finished rather than daring. A midi in satin, velvet or a fine crepe. A knit dress in a deep color. Tailored trousers with a silk top, if that is more you.
One sparkle, not several. A sequinned top with a plain trouser, or a plain dress with a metallic shoe and a good earring. The moment two or three shiny things appear at once, the outfit starts making a statement you may not want to make at work.
Choose a fabric that survives a long evening in a warm room with drinks in it. Anything strapless, anything that needs holding up, and anything that shows a single splash will make the night harder than it needs to be.
And think about the shoes properly, because office parties involve a great deal of standing and almost no sitting.
The Family Evening
Warm, long, photographed, and usually involving at least some cooking or carrying.
A knit dress in a deep color is close to perfect here. Comfortable enough to move in, smart enough for the photographs, and it does not crease when you sit down for three hours.
A velvet midi does the same job with a little more occasion to it. Velvet is the December fabric for a reason: it reads as festive without any sparkle at all.
Add a flat boot or a low heel, a long cardigan you can take off when the oven has been on, and one gold chain. That is the whole outfit and it works every year.
The Night Out
This is the one with no rules, so use them.
Sequins from neck to hem, if you want. A metallic skirt with a plain fine knit tucked in. A velvet top with something sharp. A sequinned jacket over everything, which is the most useful December purchase there is because it turns any outfit underneath into a party outfit.
The only practical note is a coat you do not mind queueing in and handing over, and a bag with a strap so both hands are free.
Reading the Invitation
If it says festive, it means an ordinary party outfit plus one seasonal element. Velvet, a deep jewel color, or a little shine. It does not mean novelty.
If it says holiday cocktail, treat it as cocktail: an occasion dress that stops short of the floor, with a heel and a small bag.
If it says dressy casual, it means a proper outfit in a lighter register. This is the code people most often read as casual, and then arrive to find everybody else has read it correctly.
If it says Christmas sweater, wear a Christmas sweater. It is not a joke and turning up without one is the conspicuous choice.
One sparkle, not several. The moment two shiny things appear at once, the outfit starts making a statement.
One Formula for All Three
If you would rather not buy three outfits, this is the approach that works.
Buy one plain midi in a good fabric, in black or a deep color. Then change everything around it.
For the office party: a block heel, a small shoulder bag, a drop earring, hair off the face.
For the family evening: a flat boot, a long open cardigan, one gold chain, and a softer lip.
For the night out: a metallic or sequinned jacket over the top, a heel, a brighter lip, and a bag with a strap.
One purchase, three correct outfits, and nobody at any of the three events will notice that it is the same dress. That is the whole trick of December dressing.
Velvet, Sequins and the Difference Between Them
These are the two December fabrics and they behave completely differently.
Velvet is quiet. It reads as festive because of its depth rather than its shine, which makes it the safer choice in a room where you are not sure of the register. It photographs beautifully in low light and it suits the family evening and the office party equally.
Sequins are loud, and that is the point of them. They are for the night out, or for one piece within an otherwise plain outfit. A sequinned skirt with a fine knit, or a sequinned jacket over a plain dress, gives you the shine without the whole room.
If you only buy one December piece, a sequinned jacket earns its place faster than a sequinned dress, because it works over things you already own.
The Things People Get Wrong
Dressing for the wording rather than the room. Festive drinks in an office is still an office. The building sets the register more reliably than the invitation does.
Leaving the coat until last. It is in the arriving photographs and the leaving ones, and a good coat over a simple dress reads better than an elaborate dress under a poor one.
Underestimating the heat. December parties are held in rooms with the heating on and a hundred people in them. The lighter of the two fabrics you are deciding between is almost always right.
Choosing shoes for the photograph rather than the evening. Every December party involves more standing than you plan for.
If There Is a New Year's Eve Party at the End of It
Save the loudest thing for that one. New Year's Eve is the single night of the year where there is no upper limit and no risk of being overdressed, and it deserves the sequins more than the office party does. The New Year's Eve dresses guide covers what that night asks for.
And if December also brings a wedding, which it increasingly does, the wedding guest guide covers the winter end of that wardrobe.
Sequins and Velvet for December
Common Questions
What to Wear to a Christmas Party?
Read which of the three parties it is. An office party is still work, so a satin or velvet midi, or a knit dress in a deep color, with one sparkle rather than several. A family evening is long and warm, so a knit or velvet dress with a flat boot and a cardigan. A night out with friends has no rules, so sequins, metallics and a jacket that does the work. Across all three, choose a fabric that survives a warm room and shoes you can stand in.
What to Wear at a Holiday Party?
If the invitation says holiday cocktail, treat it as cocktail: an occasion dress stopping short of the floor, with a heel and a small bag. If it says festive, wear an ordinary party outfit plus one seasonal element, such as velvet, a deep jewel color or a little shine. If it says dressy casual, wear a proper outfit in a lighter register rather than what you wore to work. The venue is a more reliable guide than the wording whenever the two seem to disagree.
How to Dress for Christmas Party?
Buy one plain midi in a good fabric and change what goes around it. A block heel, small bag and drop earring for the office party. A flat boot, long cardigan and gold chain for the family evening. A sequinned or metallic jacket, a heel and a brighter lip for the night out. One dress covers all three and nobody notices. Choose the lighter of two fabrics, since December rooms run hot, and think about the coat, because it is in every arrival photograph.
The Short Version
Three parties, three registers. Office is smart with one sparkle, family is warm and comfortable, and the night out has no rules at all. One plain midi in a good fabric plus different shoes, jackets and jewelry answers all three. Velvet for quiet festivity, sequins for the loud night. The sequin-collection is where December lives.