OFFICE HOLIDAY parties are vexing events to dress for. Like funerals in the tropics and weddings at nudist resorts, they don’t immediately compute. For one awkward evening, you drink Cava and sing karaoke with the same people you haggle over Excel spreadsheets with in normal life. Unsurprisingly, the work shindig has been mined extensively for comedy: The sitcom “The Office” featured nearly 10 years worth of holiday party episodes; an unmerry moment in “Seinfeld” captured Elaine jiving uncontrollably on the dance floor at her affair; “Mad Men” showcased the boozy yuletide conga line pictured. There is even an entire, regrettable 2016 movie called “Office Christmas Party.”
What these awkward jokefests don’t convey is how to dress for a work fete if you don’t want to look like Mrs. Claus or an outdated caricature of a punch-thirsty vixen. Among the clichés of office party dressing: anything that nods overtly to Christmas or lights up, velvet minidresses and red plaid pants.
“ ‘Always say “no” to the three Ss—no sexy, no short and no sheer.’ ”
But the occasion—and the attire—can be festive without being silly. At its best, the holiday party is an opportunity to bond with colleagues and share more of your personality than cubicle life allows. “This is a moment for everyone in the office to see a little extra part of you that they don’t normally see on the day to day,” ventured Antoinette Clarke, SVP of branded entertainment at CBS and the author of “Double Down: Bet on Yourself and Succeed on Your Terms.” At her own party she’ll be wearing a blazer with asymmetrical pleating over slim pants. Personal yet professional.
Nonetheless, you don’t want to share too much. Added Ms. Clarke, “I always say ‘no’ to the three Ss—no sexy, no short and no sheer.” Vicky Tsai, the founder of the Tokyo and San Francisco-based skin care brand Tatcha, agrees. “I think holiday parties are a wonderful time to show people a multidimensional side of yourself and to let loose a little bit and show your personality, but there’s a fine line between that and regret,” said Ms. Tsai, who advises dressing as if your grandmother were in attendance. Not the same vibe as the Mad Men-era debauched conga line, but then, workplaces have chastened drastically since then and even more since the #MeToo movement.
If you can’t wear your festive Christmas sweater or your short and sheer party dress or your typical drab cubicle garb, what is left? Ms. Clarke suggests metallics and winter white as reasonable ways to stand out. She also recommends textures like pleats, velvet and the subtle sheen of matte sequins, such as those on the red wraparound Tibi skirt at left. Luckily, this season yielded plenty of modest shapes emboldened by shine, from designers including Marc Jacobs, Khaite and Sies Marjan. The Paris-based label Indress offers shimmering Lurex tops, pants, dresses and jackets in shades of lavender, silver and rosy beige.
SPIKE THE PUNCH / PEPPY PIECES TO GIVE YOUR LOOK FIZZ
Still, some women, let’s be honest, have a hard time ditching workaday black and navy for glimmering lilac. One approach for those digging in their sensible heels would be to dress in head-to-toe black—say, a simple tuxedo—and accentuate it with one merry accessory, such as Indress’s ostrich-feather brooch. According to the brand’s Dutch designer, Wies Schulte, “it’s one of our best sellers, because you can wear it on any simple sweater and you look like a party.”
More ways to amp up an otherwise discreet get-up: Don a playful shoe that would normally feel a bit manic for the office—rhinestone-bedecked Miu Miu mary janes, perhaps. Or invest in one of designer Julien Dossena’s intricate brass-link handbags for French brand Paco Rabanne. And then there’s the punch of wearing something totally unexpected, like the daisy-printed evening pajamas from Marc Jacobs’s quippy “The” line. The effect: professionally covered-up yet lighthearted. Ms. Clarke extols the power of fashion as a conversation starter. “Based on what you’re wearing, you may be able to strike up a conversation with someone in the C-suite who you’ve never had contact with because she is loving your blouse.”
Holiday jubilation is back on the upswing. According to employment firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, 76% of American companies polled planned to throw a holiday party this year, up over 10% from last year. So chances are, you’ll be gamely explaining the rules of White Elephant to the office intern in the near future. Why not use the occasion as an excuse to buy something new and possibly sparkly?
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