Five Festive Ways to Dress for the Holidays

Happy Holidays Everyone! Soon we will all be rushing from house to house, party to party, Christmas to Christmas without much time to think about how we are going to dress for each occasion. I am one of those people who are not a fan of novelty holiday clothing. Christmas themed sweaters are ho-ho-horrible. My distaste for said sweaters has become so well-known that one of my mom's friends bought me an ugly Christmas sweatshirt just to mess with me.

In the picture above I am attempting to be silly under a pile of green, red, light and garland. As you can see my doggie, Kylie, thinks I have lost it. The point I am attempting to get to with all of this is that you don't have to deck yourself out in green, red, snowmen or Santa to dress festively for the holidays. In fact, I am going to show you five ways you can dress with holiday cheer that doesn't involve wearing green or red.

Disclosure:  I took all of these photos outside while it was lightly snowing, so if my clothing looks acid washed, that's why. :)

1. Wear some Sparkle

 I realize this is a fairly obvious one, but I am going to show you how to wear sparkle casually and use it as an accent to an outfit, rather than being the centerpiece.

Wearing a sequined top with jeans and a blazer is a great way to look festive (inspired by twinkling Christmas lights), but not too fancy for your casual family get-togethers.

You can also accent with sparkles. Some people would be much more comfortable with just having a little bling in their outfit.  I used a sequined clutch and shoes, as well as a sparkly headband to add a little holiday spirit to a sweater and leggings.

2. Get inspired by the holiday's supporting cast

What do I mean by this? There are so many things in the holidays that we can get inspired by that aren't Santa or a Christmas tree. You can draw inspiration from anything from twinkling lights and stars, to food and presents.

 This outfit was inspired by the snowfall. I used cream, white and a little sparkle to represent the beauty of snow. Funny story, I didn't have any white leggings, so I turned a leopard pair inside out and the look is actually pretty cool.

This outfit was inspired by a favorite Christmas treat: Gingerbread Men. I actually bought this sweater on clearance shopping the other night because it reminded me of gingerbread. I love the color and the lace top underneath represents the icing. 

3. Put on some fur

Fur is one of those things that reminds me of glamorous holidays in old movies. It also reminds me of carolers that used to go around with fur muffs. There are so many ways to incorporate fur. You can wear it as trim on a sweater, wear a fur scarf, or get some boots with the fur. Yes, I went there. You're singing the song now, aren't you?

You can get dramatic with fur and wear it boldly in a coat. This is actually a thrifted coat that is too large for me, but I made it look more fitted by tying a faux leather belt around it. The boots add a ski bunny feel to this cozy holiday outfit.

 None of the photos of this outfit turned out. Wearing a fur vest like this one is a bit more casual and will keep you cozy at the relative's house that is freezing. You know the one I am talking about, don't you?


4. Silver and Gold

These colors are actually a huge part of the holiday season when you think about it. There are so many ornaments, decorations, wrapping papers and bows that are decked out in, or are at least accented by these colors. Silver and Gold are so popular they even have their own Christmas song. Rudolph anyone?

I found this beautiful icy silver button down in my closet and paired it with a vintage pleated skirt, pearls and patterned tights for a sweet festive look.

I used a black mini-dress and black leggings as a background to really let the gold vest pop. I added a little more bling to the outfit with the gold belt and necklace. A gold or silver dress would be gorgeous for special occasions. I don't really go anywhere fancy during the holidays, but I wish I did!

5. Bows

All of the pretty gifts have one, so why shouldn't you? I must confess that I am a HUGE fan of bows, and I know they aren't for everyone, but just try and tell me a bow isn't festive! They adorn wreaths, doors, and presents during this season and are very easy to wear to give your outfit a little holiday flair! 

I've had this sweet little sweater dress a few years now and I still love it! You could get a similar look with bow-front blouses or maybe even wear a bow tie!

You can wear bows in your hair or on your jewelry. There are a lot of ways to incorporate bows into your holiday ensembles.

 I hope this gives you some ideas to change up your holiday wardrobe, but still look festive!

How will you be dressing for the holidays?

Are all of your get-togethers casual or do you have some fancy places to go?