Style Scenario: What to Wear to a Casual Holiday Party

What are you going to wear? Sometimes it’s good to look at a few suggestions then add your own tweaks and ideas. That’s what these are for. First we went dressed up. Then it was somewhere in-between. Now it’s time for a dressed down but still put-together look for those holiday parties that are more beer, cookies, & white elephant gift exchanges, and less cocktails, appetizers, and schmoozing. (Top Photo by Bob Ricca on Unsplash )

The Jacket: GAP Corduroy Jacket in Evergreen – $78. Holiday appropriate color without getting too bright. Light enough to wear as an extra layer, chore-jacket like, indoors.

The Sweater: Nordstrom Italian Merino Crewneck Sweater – $95. Ships and returns for free. Spendy, but washable and appears to have a decently structured neck, so it won’t look schlumpy and ragged when worn under the jacket. The cheaper alternative: UNIQLO Extra Fine Merino Crewneck – $39.90 (be warned: these are thin.) 

The Jeans: BR Factory Traveler Jeans in Slim or Athletic Fit – $42 ($105). Super comfortable with lots of stretch. 56% cotton, 25% viscose rayon, 17% polyester, 2% spandex. A real favorite.

The “Pocket Square”: Burgundy Cotton Bandana – $5.90 / 2 pk via Amazon. It’s just a bandana. A dark red bandana. Adds a splash of seasonal color, and great if you need to wipe your hands or nose or whatever.

The Watch: Timex Waterbury Heritage Chronograph – $299. Slick Panda dial looks with a more heritage leaning 39mm case diameter. Was just on sale during their 30% off Black Friday event, which was nice to see.

The Belt: GAP Leather Belt – $35 ($44.95). The inexpensive standard. Or whatever brown belt you wear all the time.

The Socks: Smartwool Light Cushion Merino Sweater Print Socks – $27. There are much, much cheaper holiday socks out there. But they’re either cotton or cotton synthetic blends, and during the holidays that’s a one-way-ticket to regretsville. Stick with wool socks. Especially during winter.

The Shoes: Made in Portugal LUCA Chukkas – $215. An investment, but the sneaker like comfort is truly something. The natural Lactae Hevea outsole is soft and springy while being surprisingly durable. Made in Portugal.

The host/hostess gift: Some sort of reserve/holiday beer. If someone is opening their home to you (a likely scenario for a casual holiday party), then don’t come empty handed. If they’re a beer drinker, figure out what type of brew they like, then get a reserve/beefed up version of that. They’ll appreciate it. And if it’s BYOB, the gift is not to be shared. It’s for them. Stick it in their pantry/cupboard. This is something for them to sip on, if they so choose, once everyone is gone and they’re cleaning up.