It is never too soon to think ahead for an office party dress. Buying one ahead of time is a good way to make sure you have time to make any necessary alterations and to have a better chance of not showing up as someone’s outfit twin.
You can take advantage of the current 35% off Labor Day sale at Banana Republic to pick up these options, which are great for parties hosted in your office right after work.
Dress 1:
This one from the Mad Men collection was too large on me (tip: size down from your usual BR size). The material quality and silhouette are worth the price. I think this dress would look great with pearls and can even double as a bride’s maid dress 😉
Dress 2:
This is another dress that would look great with pearls. I added the gold belt so that you could see the separation of the ‘skirt’ and ‘top’ of the dress.
- buy pieces that you can wear to more events than just at your holiday party
- choosing dresses of good quality with a muted palette like the 2 above will allow you to change looks with different accessories
- to stand out, do not opt for the traditional holiday colors
- it is better to go with whatever colors flatter your skin tone
- play with textures
- festive dresses do not have to have glitter or metallic colors
- rather than looking like a piece of foil, leave the fun glitz for your accessories, here is where you can play up your jewelry and shoe choices
- do not show too much skin
- if you opt for a short skirt: your top should have long sleeves and you should wear opaque stockings
- if you opt for a sleeveless look with a high neck you can do your usual office skirt length
- if you go with a lower cut neck line you should opt for a longer dress hem and wear a shorter necklace to not add attention to your breasts
- go for a classy and polished look anything sexy should be saved for personal time