At this time of the year, I feel like I’m being inundated with so many articles/blog posts/advertisements that pop up to tell me how I should dress for office parties/dinner with in-laws/New Year’s Eve parties. I also can’t help wondering how many people actually DO any (let alone all) of these things— it’s as if I’m being not-so-gently lectured: I should be going to more parties! And have the perfect outfit for every one of them! And this is where I start to feel not just socially inadequate, but also a distinctly “Bah, humbug” attitude coming on.
Well, help arrived this morning right into my e-mail box! This slideshow from Refinery29 is a holiday-wardrobe masterpiece, showcasing 30 dresses, each with a suggested wear-to scenario. I was just flipping through it and, instead of getting depressed, I couldn’t help fantasizing about living the kind of life that would require fabulous dresses for even half of these events! (Hey, it could happen— I have officially designated 2013 as My Year of Dreaming BIG!)
Here’s one of my favorites (both the dress and the party idea):
Dress for Gatsby-themed dance party, from J. Crew. (Click on the photo to go directly to this slide in Refinery29’s slideshow. Each slide includes the maker, price, and a link to the maker’s site.)
As you’ll see in the slideshow, a wide range of styles and prices is represented, so you’re sure to find something that inspires you! Do you have plans to attend any/some/all of these events over the holidays? Which one would you be the most likely to wear??
Changing Your Clothes 
December 8, 2012 at 7:02 pm
Could this be Downton Abbey modern? People act amazed at how denizens of past decades and centuries had specific dress codes for specific occasions and changed multiple times a day, but are we really that different? How much time do we spend fussing over what to wear, and how many people search for answers to “what is appropriate in X situation”? Is the only real difference that people used to break dress codes as a statement, and now they just don’t know what the rules are?
P.S. The mere mention of Gatsby makes my heart go pitter-pat. I vote for the J. Crew!
December 10, 2012 at 9:51 am
You are so right— even though I don’t necessarily think of changing clothes consciously as “dressing for dinner” (or tea, traveling, work, receiving guests, or whatever), most days, I do change my clothes at least once: I have my coffee-and-papers outfit, work ensemble (even though my “commute” is up the stairs to my loft), then workout/taking a walk clothes. And that’s just the normal days! Add on other things I like such as going out dancing, meeting a friend for a drink, going to the cinema, etc., etc., and a single day could involve as many as 5 outfit changes— sound like the Crawley sisters at Downton Abbey?? I suppose the major difference today is that what we wear can’t really be held against us a social offense. (Or can it?) I think this topic really deserves its own post… Thanks for the insight, markhamcaerus, and I’m looking forward to hearing what everyone else thinks about this too!
December 10, 2012 at 2:00 am
Love the Mango silk red gown – I think most people though dress more casually, even for parties during the holiday season, unless of course, you’re at the Hotel de Paris in Monaco!
December 10, 2012 at 9:55 am
I’m curious— what constitutes “casual” in Nice? (I know what people mean here in Portland when they use that word, but I suspect it’s different in France.) I like to dress up, but I also don’t want to look entirely inappropriate, so I try to balance the dressier bits with less formal pieces. For example, you know the grey sequinned skirt in my “Changing My Method” post? I wore that to that cocktail party with a simple, close-fitting long-sleeved black knit top, sparkly crystal necklace, semi-sheer black tights, and black-and-silver heels— so it was basically a pencil skirt and sweater, but the fabrics elevated it to something special. (Makes me think of the YSL quote I love: “What a woman needs is a straight skirt, a black turtleneck, and a man to love her.”)
December 10, 2012 at 10:34 am
Great quote! Dressy casual here is usually classic and a little sparkly for holidays, but not too over the top – I would say “elegantly casual” for parties and special occasions (black always works such as the LBD!)
December 10, 2012 at 9:56 am
By the way, that red gown would be really lovely with your coloring! : ) You ARE spending New Year’s Eve at the Hotel de Paris, n’est-ce pas?
December 10, 2012 at 10:35 am
Thanks – I love red, mais malheureusement, will be spending New Years Eve elsewhere 🙂