We do understand that all-black-everything is a lifestyle choice. You can basically wear the same pair of trousers five days in a row without anyone noticing, red wine spillages soak right in, and an LBD is always a good look.
But, if there’s one night of the year to throw caution to the wind and throw on some colour, it’s your work Christmas party. And this year, OTT is an actual trend, so it’s totally fine to wear the rainbow, swathe yourself in multi-coloured sequins and chuck a bright faux-fur on top.
For a little colourful festive inspo, we decided to try on some of the boldest prints, sequins and sparkly knits from the Very party wear collection.
Just tap the wand to transform our images from basic black to tinsel-worthy technicolour.
Stick to your safe silhouette
We all have one: our safe silhouette is the one we turn to in moments of extreme party dressing stress. For some, it’s the micro-mini shift dress; for others it's a simple jumpsuit.
Whatever your silhouette of choice, use it to experiment more with colour. So, instead of another black midi skirt with a cute black knit tucked in, mix it up with a multi-coloured midi and a bright party knit. It’s playing it safe with a sparkly festive twist.
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Image: Sequin jumper, £35; Sequin stripe skirt, £38; Leopard print sandals, £25, all V by Very
Make leopard your new neutral
If you have a strict no-dress, no-frills, policy at the office Christmas party, know that black trousers aren’t your only option. Switch them up for a pair of leopard print cigarette pants, which make equally good multitaskers.
Leopard print is the black of the prints world; a classic that goes with any colour or pattern. So, treat it just the same as you would your fave black skinny jeans and wear with a nice top (naturally), metallic heels and oversized earrings for an edgy take on your usual party look.
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Image: Diamante collar blouse, £32; Animal jacquard trousers, £30; Minimal sandal, £25, all V by Very
Let your inner disco diva out
Even Bey needs her Sasha Fierce. There are times when we all need to channel our inner diva, whether you're headlining Coachella, or hitting the work Christmas do (same, same). And no self-R-E-S-P-E-C-T-ing disco diva would be caught on the dance floor in anything but attention-seeking sequins and bold, bright colour. Sometimes you just have to ditch the LBD and embrace something a little more look-at-me. Enter the multi-coloured sequin mini dress. You know you want to.
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Image: Multi sequin mini dress, £65; Silver strap sandals, £38, all V by Very
Slide into colour
However you do it, it's fun to push yourself out of your colour comfort zone from time to time. Whether it's simply swapping black for on-trend midnight blue - Meghan Markle loves a li’l navy blue for its capable-looking qualities - or whether you add a little drama with some colour pop accessories, it's time to lighten up a little for party season.
For all your colourful party wear (and lots of LBDs too), shop the new collection at Very
Alison is head of content for the Good Housekeeping Institute, responsible for product reviews across homes, beauty, wellness, family and food & drink. She lives by the William Morris quote that you should “have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”
Alison has over 15 years' experience as a lifestyle editor and has written features on everything from misophonia to how to dress like Claudia on The Traitors. She has also interviewed everyone from Dame Joanna Lumley to the Kardashians.
In her spare time, you'll find her hanging out with Monty the cocker spaniel and refreshing the Sezane website every five seconds.
