Your Thanksgiving leftovers are a distant memory. The tree at Rockefeller Center has already been lit. A Christmas Story is starting to crop up on TBS more than once a day. Translation? It’s time to put your holiday party pants on. If you’re like us, then you’re probably already mulling over (aka, totally freaking out about) what you’re going to be wearing at all of the shindigs suddenly overtaking your calendar. Thanks to our friends Erica Cerulo and Claire Mazur from Of a Kind, you’ll have no problem looking effortlessly cool at a wide range of events — from the annual office party to a nice, cozy dinner with your best pals. Find a selection of 10 holiday-worthy ensembles for both ladies and fellas in our slide show after the jump.
How psyched would your Hanukkah host be if you showed up in a blue velvet maxi? You’d definitely earn yourself an extra latke. Melissa Coker of Wren is one of those rare designers who nails the chillaxed-girly thing — might have something to do with the fact that she’s in laid-back LA — and we love the way this looks with patent penny loafers.
Eunice Lee of Unis has turned her line into a go-to for plugged-in downtown dudes, and her new collection of (well-priced) suits deserve your attention. This flannel camel take is like the khaki suit’s cold-weather cousin — standout but not at all loud — and the scarf is a fresh alternative to a staid striped tie.
Rolling up in this Tucker ensemble makes you look like a class act — the sort of girl who brings her hosts cheese boards she sourced on her last trip to Vermont. Gaby Basora, the woman behind the line, has a way of making ultra-classic silhouettes look revelatory and impossibly chic.
If you don’t want to be shivering your ass off in thin little tights, then this Shabd look is calling your name. The namesake designer hand-dyes her pieces in Brooklyn, and these red silk pants have the perfect Merlot-spill-concealing print.
Yes, yes — the Christmas-sweater thing is completely played-out. And that’s what makes this Burkman Brothers knit so cool: It’s not ironic. Plus, the neutral tones mean you can get creative elsewhere (see the yellow-and-gray plaid shirt underneath and the cozy-as-hell hat on top).
When you’re the one throwing the party, you need something lightweight that lets you deal with those bacon-wrapped dates in the oven. In this dress from Ace & Jig, you stand out as the girl in green (instead of standard reds and blacks), and the fabric, loomed especially for the line in India, is as breathable as they come.
This black velvet Toujours Toi Family Affairs dress is exactly the sort of thing that little girls wear to grade-school holiday programs, and that is its appeal. The mother-daughter team behind the line would totally support giving it some edge with a messy topknot, metallic platforms, and borderline-crazy tights.
Ilana Kohn makes all of her clothes by hand. We’ll give that a moment to sink in. How much do you love the idea of this silk maxi dress (that buttons all the way up the front) paired with a fluffy boyfriend cardigan and a pared-down shoulder bag that won’t get between you and the hors d’oeuvres?
Southern designer Billy Reid just keeps getting better and better. What works so well about this getup — aside from the way that the light and dark hues play off each other and the fact that that sweater is pure heaven — is that every component is just a little loose, making it clear that you aren’t trying too hard.
There’s no rule that you can’t be comfortable. With its nipping and tucking, this dress from Bodkin — an eco-focused line that started in NYC and moved West earlier this year — looks avant-garde, but it’s as easy to toss on as the pajamas that will be waiting for you after a long night of mingling.