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What to Wear to Holiday Parties: Your Complete Guide

‘Tis the season to dress up and party! If you follow our outfit guide, you’ll be perfectly dressed for every occasion. Whether it’s a family gathering or a New Year’s rager, we’ve picked out the cutest outfits for any type of party!

Family Gathering

The type of family gathering you’ll be going to influences the type of outfit you’ll be picking out.  If your family is laid back and easygoing, choose a sweater and skinny jeans combo that’s comfortable and simple.  Throw on a pair of black boots and you’ll be good to go!

Sweater: American Eagle, $29.97

Jeans: American Eagle, $29.99

Shoes: Gap, $99.95

If your family party is bigger and involves some of your extended family, it would probably be better to dress up more.  A simple black dress is ideal for this occasion, but a skirt and dressy top combination will work perfectly, too.

Dress: Gap, $59.99

Top: Forever 21, $24.80

Skirt: Banana Republic, $89.50

Meeting the Parents

If you’re meeting your boyfriend’s family for the first time or attending their holiday party, you might want to dress up a little more than you usually would for your own family. While you want to make a good impression, don’t compromise your sense of style. Wear something modest and respectable, but spice it up with some cool statement jewelry.

Dress: Forever 21, $12.80

Top Necklace: Forever 21, $7.80

Bottom Necklace: Anthropologie, $68

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A Small Party With Friends

The holiday season is the perfect time to break out the LRD, or Little Red Dress. And what better time to wear one than when you’re at a party with your friends? They’ll love your sense of style and you’ll stand out in the crowd. Wear it with nude or black pumps and a shiny silver necklace, and prepare for all the compliments that will come your way.

Left Dress: LuLu*s, $42

Middle Dress: LuLu*s, $41

Right Dress: Forever 21, $13.80

Big Holiday Rager

If you’re going to a big holiday party, the more extravagant your outfit, the better. From Christmas-themed house parties to New Year’s bashes, this is when it’s appropriate to break out all the sparkles and sequins you want without judgment. Have fun with your outfit and don’t hold back!

Left Dress: Nasty Gal, $78

Middle Dress: Forever 21, $22.80

Right Dress: Forever 21, $34.80

 

If you follow these tips for holiday fashion, you’ll be the best-dressed collegiette at the party.  No matter what you wear, the important thing is to relax, have fun and enjoy the holiday season!

Social media and beauty obsessed.  Twitter/Instagram: @caseyamcbride
Cassidy is a Digital Production intern at Her Campus. She's currently a junior studying journalism at Emerson College. Cassidy also is a freelance reporter at the Napa Valley Register and a staff writer at Her Campus Emerson. Previously she blogged for Seventeen Magazine at the London 2012 Olympics, wrote for Huffington Post as a teen blogger and was a Team Advisor at the National Student Leadership Conference on Journalism, Film, & Media Arts at University of California, Berkeley and American University in Washington, D.C.. When she's not uploading content to Her Campus or working on her next article, Cassidy can be found planning her next adventure or perfecting her next Instagram. Follow her on Twitter at @cassidyyjayne and @cassidyjhopkins.