It can be really, really tricky to find a great dress that is polished and sedate enough to wear to work, but then is interesting or elegant enough to also go to a cocktail party or holiday party after work. So let’s discuss — what are you looking for in day to night work dresses? Do you add additional details like a statement necklace or ring to make it feel more festive?

These are some of the most polished, elegant day to night work dresses that I love…

Stylish Day to Night Work Dresses

Marycrafts

This dress is almost always under $50, and feels fancy because of the twist detail at the waist. It’s available in sizes 0-22, at Amazon, in a bunch of colors.

Karen Kane

This Cascade dress has been a reader favorite for years because it’s so easy to wear — it’s stretchy, it’s flattering, it’s a little bit dramatic, and you can hand wash it. Score! It’s $118 full price at Nordstrom and other retailers, often available in sizes XS-3X as well as petites.

Adrianna Papell

Aw, I’m kind of excited to see this Adrianna Pappell dress back in stock — it was a reader favorite for years, and then it disappeared for a bit. But it’s a great dress for day to night looks.

It’s $129-$159 at Nordstrom and other retailers, available in regular and plus sizes.

M.M.LaFleur

I’ve always thought M.M.LaFleur’s Jillian dress was a gorgeous, elegant dress that would be just as appropriate in a conference room as well as at a cocktail party. It comes in a bunch of different colors, and a new “everyday satin” fabric, for $365 full price. (There are a lot marked down to $220 right now, though!)

Black Halo

In general, Black Halo makes beautiful, stylish, super polished dresses — it’s hard to think of an item of theirs, over the years, that wouldn’t be appropriate for both day to night. The pictured dress, the Jackie, is their classic, and also comes in a jumpsuit form. It’s $375-$435 at Nordstrom and other retailers.

The Fold

Man – we have featured so many drool-worthy dresses and blazers from The Fold over the years, it’s hard to say which is my favorite, but this hot pink dress may just be it. SO. FABULOUS. One of their iconic dresses, the Arlington, is also great for day-to-night looks.

The pictured dress is $595 at TheFold.com.

What are you looking for in a day to night dress, readers?

The post 6 Stylish Day to Night Work Dresses appeared first on Corporette.com.

I’m working on a monster post about what to wear to your office holiday party, and in the meantime found all these great articles about office holiday party etiquette, which we haven’t discussed in forever — so I thought we should discuss today, as a bit of a precursor to the “what to wear to your office holiday party” post. (Although of course feel free to share what you plan to wear to your party this year!)

{related: all our advice on holiday business etiquette}

The Rules for Office Holiday Party Etiquette

For my $.02, it comes down to some simple rules:

If it’s your first holiday party, don’t assume — talk to others so you know what to expect, because there can be a huge variation in office holiday parties. Some offices have a midday Santa hat+suit kind of luncheon; others have a Friday night affair at a hotel ballroom. (One of my old offices did the hotel ballroom for the low key affair, and another black tie ball in January just for attorneys.) 

If you can’t ask anyone, look for clues — if it’s a Friday night after work, odds are good that people are going to be still wearing their office clothes (with one small tweak like a party blazer or statement necklace).  If it starts at 5, it may be over by 7. Another way to gauge the formality: where the event is held. If it’s chosen for locality (the closest hotel ballroom, the closest restaurant, etc), odds are it’s going to be more low key than an event a bit further from the office.

Do not get tipsy, let alone drunk. Save it for the office after party or when you’re at an event that isn’t affiliated with work. (Many moons ago, we also talked about what your drink says about you at the office cocktail party.)

Make it about the people, not the food or drink. That’s a good hallmark of any party attendee, but it goes doubly here.

Talk to everyone. Fight the urge to huddle in the corner with your friends, or only try to network with the VIPs. It’s a great time to smile and laugh with your subordinates, as well as support staff. A corrollary:

Don’t just talk about work. If your boss comes over and needs to discuss a project, that’s one thing — but assume that people want to talk about anything but that. Politics and religion are still dicey topics, of course, but there are a ton of other party-appropriate conversation topics.

If the next day is a work day, it’s business as usual. 

Some General Tips on What to Wear to Your Office Holiday Party

Some Of Our Latest Favorite Statement Necklaces

Some Of Our Latest Favorite Work-Appropriate Holiday Tops

Note that regardless of how it’s shown on the model, you should a) not wear a sheer top to an office party, and you probably should not wear a crop top or anything that exposes your belly. Depending on the office environment you may want to keep a cardigan, shawl, or shrug with you if your top exposes a lot of your arms, such as with a halter top.

Some Of Our Latest Favorite Office Holiday Party Shoes

As of Dec. 2023, these are some of our latest favorite party shoes — also consider using shoe clips on some of your regular shoes if you’re on a budget! These under $50 ones are best sellers at Amazon…

Some Of Our Latest Favorite Festive Blazers

Hunting for festive blazers for 2023/24? Stay tuned for a bigger roundup, but on the affordable side we like J.Crew Factory and Loft — and this Eliza J one is almost always in stock. On the more expensive side, check Reiss, Paige, and L’Agence. (Love this green iridescent houndstooth from L’Agence, also!)

Some Of Our Latest Favorite Polished Party Pants

Stay tuned for our favorite party pants to wear to holiday office parties in 2023!

Office Holiday Party Etiquette, Further Reading:

• Holiday Parties and You: All the Basics You Need to Know [Above the Law; guestpost by me!]
• 23 Rules of the Office Holiday Party [WSJ] (amusing!)
• Office Holiday Party Etiquette [Boston Globe]
• Career Advice for your Office Holiday Party [HuffPo]
• Office Holiday Party Etiquette [Monster.com]
• 14 Survival Tips for the Office Holiday Party [Business Insider]

Ladies, what are your best etiquette tips for the office holiday party? Care to share any fun stories about misunderstandings of office holiday party etiquette? 

Pictured.

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