Party dressing for real women
Sequinned gowns may look glam – but would you really wear one? Emily Cronin finds her perfect – and practical – party outfit, and asks three stylish women to share theirs
Irecently saw a lookbook image that captured almost everything about how I want to look and feel at a party. In the picture, a model (an impossibly leggy, slim, bronzed model, with Rapunzellike blonde hair – so, you know, my twin) wears a slit-up-tothere violet sequinned gown with red satin slingbacks from Attico’s spring-summer 2018 collection. I say it captures almost everything, because she isn’t chatting with friends and she could use a drink (and, let’s face it, a burger), but barring these omissions, she looks like a mermaid by way of Studio 54.
You’ve no doubt noticed that we’ve entered prime party territory. The seven weeks leading up to Christmas are the time of year when everyone, social butterflies and Stranger Things conspiracists alike, can depend on an invitation or three blinking in their inboxes. My limited slate of holiday events includes a Thanksgiving dinner at home, my annual latkes and vodkas Hanukkah party and a Christmas Eve pub crawl. And I don’t even do Christmas.
Party dressing isn’t about practical concerns – it’s about a feeling. But when party feeling confronts preparty fact – an overflowing laundry bin, a self-imposed shopping ban, a babysitter waiting downstairs and a sneaking suspicion that everyone will just be wearing jeans – it becomes an altogether more complicated thing. For real women as opposed to Lookbook dreamgirls, sequins snag and high heels more often than not end up being downers.
So what to wear? I’m a great fan of a dress you can drink in (but not too much) and shoes that don’t compel you to leave a conversation so you can sit down (unless you need an excuse). The rest of my party-dressing equation can be distilled to Heattech layers for warmth and a crossbody bag, for hands-free revelry. It’s true that sometimes you can get it wrong in a good way – this has happened to me exactly once, when I wore a backless Roksanda cocktail dress and the highest Louboutins I could manage to a US presidential debate-watching party in Harlem. For the most part, all we want is for our clothes not to attract undue notice or get in the way of a good time.
With that in mind, I consulted three women from different walks of life for their time-tested party-dressing strategies, while trying out my own. Follow their cues and plan your outfits now, and you’ll have even more time to jingle all the way.
The entrepreneurial mum
Elly Simmons, 32, director of Herringbone Kitchens in Canterbury
“I do a lot of colour-blocking and try to be playful with my outfits in some way. Until June, I worked for the NHS in London and had to be a bit more reserved – I still wore my zebra shoes into the office, but you do have to represent yourself in a certain way. Now that I work with my husband full-time on our company, I can play with fashion a bit more. For a typical day, I might wear a snake-print jumper, pink skirt and blue velvet bootees.
“Next month we’ll host a Christmas party for 50 or 60 friends, family and little ones. Santa might make an appearance. We’re planning a booze cruise to France to fill one of our vans with as much wine and cheese as we can. It’s just a good excuse for family and friends to get together, isn’t it?
“For parties, usually I’ll have a last-minute rush-and-fuss over what’s clean. This Christmas I’ll wear funky trousers and a top like this one. I love everything about this jumper – it has the colour and the loose fit I look for. I don’t ever like anything to be too tight on my stomach for a party. I want to be able to eat mince pies.
“Really the most important thing for me is comfort – if the hostess is comfortable, it sets the tone. Sparkly dresses are beautiful, but I don’t have anything to wear those to, and I wouldn’t feel comfortable. That said, I always feel party-ready when
I put on big earrings and some mascara – so I’m not a sparkle-free zone after all. And my mother-inlaw always says that a glass of bubbles makes everyone more glamorous. I happen to agree. Come to think of it, I
haven’t worn pleather trousers since the night I met my husband at a party, 10 years ago. Pleather trousers and a sparkly top. Wearing them now is completely taking me back. One big difference is that I have Freddie – he’s nearly three and loves a party. I like to leave him to it a bit. Kids are imaginative – they can make up their own games. Cheese sticks and crayons always help.
“At parties, I always, always end up in the kitchen. It’s just where the best chat and banter is, and being around the food is quite cosy.”
The art-world matchmaker
Joanna Payne,
29, founder and director of Marguerite “Usually I’m quite relaxed – I’m in blue or black jeans and a white or cream top. It’s boring but it makes it easier to get dressed in the morning. Going out, I am always in a dress, red lipstick and pinned-back hair. I don’t go for a retro look per se, but that’s what tends to happen. “I’m really into long sleeves at the moment. My favourite dresses all have high waists and a midi length – it’s classic and more appropriate for a work event than a short skirt. Normally I would go for a lower heel so I can actually walk between friends. I like texture, so I’ve got fluffy shoes, sparkly shoes – anything that’s a bit different. And matte red lipstick is my shortcut to feeling glam, no matter what outfit I’m wearing. “I launched Marguerite, a private members’ club for women working in the arts, a year ago. Before then, I was working for an art fair and could see that a lot of men found it easier to realise their potential and progress in their careers. Also, I knew so many women working across so many galleries, museums and companies, I thought it would be so nice if these people knew each other. I wore this dress to a launch event we co-hosted at Mark’s Club.
“I love being glam – it doesn’t matter what everyone else is wearing. I don’t think you can ever be too overdressed. Sometimes my friends see what I’m wearing and say, ‘Oh, I thought it was just a casual thing,’ and I’m like, ‘It is – but that’s no reason you can’t wear a fauxfur coat!’ It’s important to always dress for yourself. I used to worry about what everyone else would be wearing whereas now I just focus on what I feel good in. No one’s ever going to say, ‘Oh god, she’s too much’. Just have fun with it. Although I do love the fact that with Marguerite I get to set the dress code. People want an opportunity to dress up.”
The fashion expert
Jane Lewis, 43, founder of Goat
“I had an all-in-one in my first collection when I started Goat 14 years ago and I include at least one virtually every season because I like to wear them so much myself. I turn to them time after time, for practically every situation.
“They’re really elegant. I love the fluidity and how lean they are, how elongating, and this one is very pretty because it’s got a little puffed sleeve and a slightly raised shoulder. It’s also got quite a high waistband, which creates the illusion of long legs. It’s all these little elements that create something very understated, and yet it’s unusual. I feel confident when I go to a party that I’m not going to run into anyone wearing something too similar. And I feel comfortable.
“This winter I’ve got a Christmas drinks party outside of London, several work events, a big charity event. I’ll probably wear a variety of all-in-ones or winter white. A lot of people automatically turn to colour for holiday parties, but you don’t have to. You can be just as arresting wearing something incredibly simple and dark with an accent of colour as you can wearing something very bright and dazzling. It’s amazing the impact a vintage bangle or metallic shoe can make.
“When I’m planning what to wear I’ll think about where I’m going, who my company is going to be – but I’d rather do the opposite of whatever I think most people will wear. Don’t be afraid to go against the grain and wear trousers when you know everyone else will be in a dress. I’d rather be underdressed, but wear it very well. To be elegant and stylish whilst being underdressed – if you can carry that off, that’s optimal. Style should be effortless.”