The festive season is fun, with lots of parties, and time to let your hair down. But the biggest tip to remember is, that when it’s a work function (whether it’s yours or your partner’s) it’s still work, and so the rules of the office still apply if you don’t want to damage your career or opportunities for advancement.
You will be seeing your boss, and their boss and they will make assumptions about you from your clothing and behavior at these functions. You don’t want that novelty tie or dress with too much cleavage to change their opinion of you for the worse.
Here are some ideas on What to Wear to the Office Christmas Party
Women
- Wear a cocktail dress if the dress code is formal, it should end around the knee
- Not too much cleavage or leg or see-through fabrics without an opaque layer underneath.
- Classy not trashy
- Don’t forget to accessorize – a clutch not your laptop bag!
- Avoid Christmas themed jewellery – unless you work with kids.
- If the party is at the office or in a casual environment you still need to dress appropriately.
- Do dress up a bit, don’t just wear your regular clothes – it’s a party – make an effort!
Men
- Keep the cartoon ties and joke accessories at home, nope, they’re not funny once you’ve left primary school.
- If the invitation says formal, this doesn’t mean your best pair of jeans. It means a dark suit and tie at a minimum
- Leather shoes are a must, whatever the dress code. Leave your sneakers for exercise.
- Black tie means just that – a dinner suit and bow tie.
More about work wear:
