Holiday Party Dresses

Getting dressed up for a good holiday party or New Year's Eve party is always so fun. I just love any excuse to wear a pretty dress or some sequins! When I look for a dress for holiday parties, I love to check out really preppy brands I don't normally shop, like Tuckernuck and Vineyard Vines, as they always have their plaid games on point and the cutest details too! I own the Vineyard Vines dress pictured above from a few years ago (here's the same plaid but with sleeves), and love pulling it out every holiday season despite rarely wearing the brand the rest of the year. The holiday designs are so classic and timeless (and also really well made) so I know I'll have them for years to come!

These days, opportunities to get dressed up seem to be few and far between. We ended up skipping my big fancy work holiday party this year, and the other family holiday party I used to always dress up for seems to have gotten more and more casual every year, so I haven't gotten an excuse to buy a pretty new dress! And for NYE this year, thanks to baby, my plans probably include going out to dinner with our friends and then ringing in the new year from the couch. And let's be honest here, most likely from the couch asleep haha ;)

So, let me live vicariously over here - here are a few of the dresses I'd love to have an excuse to buy!

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The Best Holiday Dresses

If you're anything like me, you're so busy prepping for the holidays that you've completely forgotten that New Year's Eve is less than two weeks away! I usually end up scrambling to figure out something to wear (and usually to make plans!) at the last minute. In case that's the boat you're in, or if you're looking for a really last minute holiday party dress, I thought I'd take out some of the legwork for you and find a few options.

Back in the day, New Year's Eve meant finding the shortest, tightest sequined dress I could, but these days I'm all about leaving a little more to the imagination. If I had fancy plans this NYE (ahem, like my trip to Vegas last year) number one would definitely be my choice. Seriously, how gorgeous and fun!

We haven't actually decided on our New Year's Eve plans for this year yet, but right now the options are a fancy dinner for just Jeff and I, meeting some of our friends out at a dive bar, or maybe a combo of the two. So what will I actually be wearing? Maybe the same dress as last year. Don't tell ;)

one / two / three / four / five / six / seven / eight / nine

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What to Wear this NYE

similar dress / similar heels

Okay you guys, so I know that this weekend is Christmas, but that means that NYE is just a week away! I don't know about you, but every year New Year's Eve sneaks up on me while I'm busy wrapping presents and baking cookies and then I realize I have nothing to wear.

Jeff and I were planning on keeping things casual this year, that is, until we ended up agreeing to a trip to Vegas - cue the glitz and glam!! I love a good excuse to dress up since Chicago is so casual, so I'll definitely be pulling out all the stops. I'm planning on pulling out all of my oldies out of my closet, like this pretty sequined number I wore last NYE.

If I had more money in my budget for December and hadn't already gone a hundred dollars over (whoops!) I would maybe be shopping for something new - here are a few of my favorites!

So tell me, do you have big plans for New Year's Eve? What are you going to wear?

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What to Wear for NYE

What are your plans for New Year's Eve? We got invited on a ski trip to New Mexico, which would have meant a more casual night. But since we're taking off kind of a lot of time and dropping a big chunk of cash in the next couple of months between our wedding, bachelor/bachelorette parties, and our friends' weddings, we decided to be responsible and stay in Chicago instead. Now that we're staying, we may have gotten talked into hosting a little party ourselves! 

Like just about every girl, I love New Year's because I love the excuse to wear something sparkly. I've put together a couple of looks that would work for any NYE plans, from a casual night with friends to a fancy party. 

Sweater / Shoes / Watch / Clutch / Nail Polish / Jeans

Scarf / Heels / Clutch / Bracelet 1 / Bracelet 2 / Blouse / Skirt

Clutch / Heels / Earrings / Lipstick / Dress

What's your NYE style?

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NYE Dresses on a Budget

I always want to buy a new fancy dress for New Year's Eve, but after all of the Christmas shopping (ahem, and shopping for me, the sales are just too good!) it seems silly to spend a lot on a dress I'm probably only going to wear once or twice.  I've pulled together some cute dresses for NYE that are under $25, under $50, and under $100.

1 - A'GACI - $22.50

2 - H&M - $24.95

3 - Macy's - $22.99

1 - Forever 21 - $27.80

2 - H&M - $34.95

3 - Nordstrom Rack - $39.97

1 - Piperlime - $69.00

2 - Express - $58.80

3 - Macy's - $52.99

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