What to Wear to a Work Holiday Party

Dress one step above what you'd wear to the office on a good day, and add one festive thing. A midi dress, a satin skirt with a fitted sweater, or knee-length velvet all work; anything you'd need to tug at all night doesn't.

The same rule picks a work Christmas party dress, whatever the company calls the event. Below: how dressy to go for each kind of office party, three outfit ideas with the pieces to build them, and what to save for a party with friends.

How dressy a work holiday party is

It depends on where it is and when.

• In the office, during the day: your usual work clothes plus one festive piece, like a satin skirt or a velvet top. Change your shoes, not your whole outfit.
• At a restaurant or bar after work: for a company holiday party outfit, wear a midi dress or a dressy skirt and sweater, polished with a little shine.
• An evening event with a dress code: follow the invitation. Our holiday party dresses by dress code sort dresses by how dressy the party is, and if the card says festive cocktail, festive cocktail attire explains the phrase.

Your office's culture still matters. A company where people wear hoodies won't expect sequins, and a law firm dinner won't expect a mini. When in doubt, ask a coworker who went last year.

Office holiday party outfit ideas

A midi dress and a blazer

The simplest office holiday party dress is a midi with sleeves. The HOTOUCH midi is an A-line with 3/4 sleeves, a round neck and a swing hem, in a polyester and spandex blend, and the listing shows a long list of colors. You can wear it from your desk to the party: blazer on at work, off at the bar.

The Cicy Bell blazer is a slim long-sleeve style in a polyester, rayon and spandex blend that the listing calls wrinkle resistant. A blazer is what makes a festive dress read as work-appropriate, and it's the piece you'll wear again in January.

A satin skirt with a fitted sweater

Zeagoo's satin skirt has a high, elastic waist, and the listing says it falls midi or maxi depending on your height. The satin is the festive part; a knit on top keeps it office-friendly.

The ANRABESS sweater is a slim cable knit with a V neck, in acrylic and rayon. Tuck it into the skirt so the waist shows. Both pieces are machine washable per their listings.

Velvet, kept office-friendly

The IHOT dress is a velvet faux-wrap sheath that ends at the knee, with long sheer polka-dot sleeves, offered in Emerald Green and Wine Red. The knee length and the long sleeves keep it right for a work crowd, and the velvet does the festive part. The sleeves are sheer, though, so for a daytime party in the office, wear the blazer over it.

Shoes and tights you can stand in

Work parties mean standing, mingling and maybe a commute home, so a block heel beats a stiletto. The DREAM PAIRS loafer pumps are faux leather on a 2.8-inch block heel with elastic side goring, with wide widths listed. The loafer shape looks like the office; the heel makes it a party shoe.

EVERSWE's tights are 80-denier and opaque, in three size bands from Small-Medium up to XX-Large-3X-Large Plus. Opaque tights make a fitted dress look office-appropriate and keep you warm on the way home.

What not to wear to a work holiday party

Above all, wear something you won't think about. If you're fixing a strap or a hem all night, that's what people remember.