Holiday Office Party Dress

Things You Should Never (EVER) Wear

‘This is the season—for gingerbread-flavored lattes (yes!), phone calls from relatives you kinda forgot you had and, one of the most infamous holiday traditions, ye old office party! As your social calendar starts to look like a Byzantine mosaic over the next month or two, you wanna make sure you’ve got some dynamite go-to looks that are both totally appropriate and tries chic for soirees with your coworkers. (Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with these holiday dresses.) But the other thing to keep in mind? Exactly what not to wear. Here are 11 things to steer clear of (warning: some willpower may be involved!)

Holiday Colors

Feel free to deck the halls—not yourself! Reaching for a bright red dress or a shimmery green number won’t get you into trouble, but trust us and stay away from pairing the two, lest someone gets confused and starts to wrap a garland around you.

The Highest Heels You Own

Go ahead and climb into some fancy heels for your work party, but hold off on the ones that make you taller than your boss (and her boss, and her boss, too!). Plus, you don’t want your coworkers making jokes for the next year about what you do once the office is closed: Teetering in sky-high heels might lead less fashion-obsessed folks to ask how you can walk in those “stripper heels.” (We learned this one the hard way.)

Crazy Animal Print Clothes

Don’t be afraid to try something bold, but keep away from the seriously loud animal prints. Until we Glamour Girls take over the world and declare leopard print the official international office uniform, you’ll have to keep that sexy animal print dress stowed in your closet for one more night.

Sheer Fabric

Super-sheer choices don’t work for in-office, and unforch, you’ll have to skip ‘em for your office party, too. We know they’re a fall trend, and we know Blake Lively rocks a mean version of the look, but we have a feeling HR won’t exactly be down with your explanation.

Ultra-Casual Attire

Just ‘cause you’re out of the office doesn’t mean it’s time to let all of your well-learned work attire rules slip away. Unless the staff is ringing in the holiday with a trip to a basketball game, your jeans ‘n’ tee combo is a no-go for party day.

Christmas Sweaters

We won’t tell if you secretly still hold on to that Santa sweater your granny knit you that year, but do yourself a favor and keep the festive knits for Christmas day with your fam.

Wrinkled Clothes

You’re making a social splash at the party—being funny, well-spoken, confident you. But all of your networking will be for naught if you show up in that wrinkly dress you pulled from the corner of your dresser, no matter how cute it might usually look. If you have any question about the condition of your outfit, just say “yes” to a quick pre-party iron.

Novelty Socks

The holidays mean endless smiles, which mean you can break out your super-fun colorful striped toe socks, right? Um, wrong. Keep the stuck-inside-on-a-snow-day-wardrobe behind closed doors.

Too Tight, Too Short Dresses

We know we sound like a broken record, but keep yourself on hemline patrol when suiting up for your office party. Remember: Just a couple of inches too short (or a couple of sizes too tight), and you’ll wind up shattering your professional reputation, while being the talk of the evening. And we don’t mean that in a good way.

Festive Garb

We’ve already put the x-nay on Christmas sweaters and holiday color schemes, but make sure you know that applies to all of that stuff you stick in a box the other 364 days of the year. That includes antler headbands, mistletoe pins or that battery-powered menorah necklace. After all, people are going to be taking pictures at this thing—don’t make a choice you can’t undo!

More from Glamour:

• How to Find Your Body’s Best Jeans
• 19 Cute Celebrity Haircuts to Consider
• 8 Sex Moves Every Woman Should Try Once
• Why He Hasn’t Proposed (Yet)
• 10 Things He’s Thinking When You’re Naked

News Updates

Search This Blog