Cocktail dresses for holiday parties

Paint the town sparkly! The sequined blouse is a quintessential holiday wardrobe top. Its straightforward shine is the key to one-and-done festive dressing. What’s so great is its versatility and “zhuzhing-up” effect. When it's layered with a tailored jacket and pencil skirt, it's business that knows how to have a good time—voila, balance! You can also top off a satin-silk skirt or fully lean in and grab a pair of matching sequin pants. But nothing compares to sporting this top with your favorite pair of oversized vintage wash jeans—it’s simply the coolest. CompositionEdit If there is no dress codenamed on your invitation, you will need to make the call on whether to turn up in formal evening wear or in semi-formal wear. The difference is subtle, but important. Formal wear for women typically means a long dress, which might include elaborate details such as embroidery, beadwork, or a sweeping train. This is the kind of gown a celebrity would wear on the red carpet at a top industry event, or that a First Lady might wear to an inauguration ball.

Amid doing some shopping of our own for upcoming weddings, baptisms, graduation parties and vacations, we cherry-picked some of the best brands and designers to pull cocktail dresses from — from petite to plus size. SEAMLESS CUT-OUT DRESS This Amazon velvet dress is very forgiving. It’s the perfect ‘eating’ dress too, thanks to an empire style waistline and full maxi skirt. Wear it to Thanksgiving dinner, a holiday potluck – anywhere you want to indulge :)