Choosing the perfect Christmas Party Dress.

There’s never a time that you need something new quite like Christmas. My dresses of Christmas past seem to haunt my wardrobe (or my Depop) taunting me that they’ve not been worn in pretty much a year – or three – to the day. It’s not their fault I bought so impractically. So don’t be a serial one-time-shopper this holiday season, make sure you are buying to wear and enjoy way past 2016.

Shopping for a re wearable Christmas party outfit starts at home. What do you already have that may work in a new way, and if so, what do you need to compliment it?  To face this wardrobe-challenging time with grace, you’ve got to know how to make your staple pieces feel totally different for each occasion from now until the New Year and onward. Outfit repeating is all but mandatory this time of year, but you’ve still got to do it right. Think accessories, trimmings, layering, hair, make up, all these things can completely transform a look from days of yore so there’s no need to stretch the overdraft on a new one.

When my tangerine dream queen Pip Jolley finally got her flat in Glasgow, it was just in time to throw the perfect Christmas party in her Pinterest dream of a home – as you can see above. From the fabulous vintage kitsch Christmas spread (that ham though), to the soundtrack of East 17 and other classics in Mariachi form, it was really time to pull out all the stops. Pip’s classic decorations and the most beautiful cocktails (tune in to her blog for the recipe) that I have ever tasted even home with us in a goody bag! It was the perfect occasion to debut my only Christmas purchase of the year, my black (!!!) woollen fringed dress from H&M Trend.

The H&M trend sale never seems to fail me, and after my wardrobe inspection, I definitely got the feeling that I had enough polo necks and sparkly shoes to last me the entire season. I just needed a dress to pull it all together that will work for me in seasons to come. You may find it pretty hard to believe, but I do not – or did not – own a legendary LBD. I have many a top, skirt and black based prints (does leopard count as black?) but no fail-safe black dress existed in my wardrobe. So when I stumbled across this baby in the sale for just £25, I knew she was the one. Especially the fact that I instantly thought of at least three different ways to wear her at first glance.

If you haven’t got a classic Colorado String Wolford bodysuit then you need to relook your essentials – and your Christmas wish list! These second skin bodies are irresistible to the touch, comfy and is the perfect layering partner to everything imaginable. It was extremely cold out that night and since the dress has no sleeves I knew nothing short of a polo would do, and the thong bottom made sure my dress was streamlined and comfortable. I knew the boxy shape of the dress would be perfect for layering and eating at the same time, so the fact it had wool fringing all along the bottom was just the cherry ontop of the ham. No seriously, try it it’s delicious.

Once I had the core outfit in place it was time to pull together the perfect accessories for Pipmas. I had rediscovered these incredible red patent shoes after yet another Depop uploading haul. It may be the reason why I hoard a lot of clothes but since I thought I lost them I love them even more. They were the perfect partner with my Poppin’ Bottles Fizz bag from Luna and the Moon which my girl Bee got custom made for her Bridesmaids. For my face I went for glittery flicks and red lips with my Miu Miu frames from Pretavoir. To say it got me feeling festive would be an understatement!

Now I have two more Christmas events to attend before the big day, so I’m gonna go all ‘Three Christmas Parties one Dress’ on ya’ll to show you how easy you can reinvent the same dress over the holidays as long as you have your core essentials. I think I may even wear black more often! (SHOCK, HORROR!)