Velvet Christmas Party Outfit

Velvet is a defacto holiday season fabric. When I think back to my earliest memories of dressing up for the holidays, velvet is always in the forefront. Here’s an look I keep coming back to when the party season hits: the Velvet Christmas Party Outfit.

Vintage Velvet Dress

I can’t speak to the current state of velvet, but vintage velvet is sumptuous. The plush fabric is the closest I’ll ever come to feeling like a fainting chaise in a gilded age home. Most of my aspirations in regards to clothing lately have been to feel otherworldly or more specifically, evoking a time I can romanticise without thinking about it too critically. 

This particular velvet dress has both exquisite fabric in addition to it’s excellent cut. I believe it was made in the 80s as the cinched waist, power shoulder pads, and calf length fit the style period. I didn’t even bother to take out the shoulder pads like I often do as they truly enhanced the silhouette of the overall dress / look. 

Blue Velvet Dress

It’s hard to tell in these photos, but the colour is a cobalt blue bordering on purple which is why I paired it with the shape shifting glitter boots. The Aldo Karlah sparkly boots colour shift a purple / blue / pink / yellow  which compliments the shade of blue velvet. A silver boot would have also been a great option since it would have tied in my DIY decoration crown a bit better.

With this length of dress, I either choose a tall enough boot that the top of it is hidden by the dress hem, or a classic heel. Anything in between such as an ankle boot etc would make my calf look strange. When working with certain garment lengths such as this one, I try to pair shoes that will create a seamless line.

These boots refuse to photograph in any normal sort of way. I held up a flashlight in attempt to showcase the shifting colour as much as possible. The photos, I’m afraid, do not do them justice!

DIY Christmas Crown

I adore taking old vintage christmas decor and fashioning them into a headpiece. This particular version has been a longstanding crown that I continue to rewear over and over. Perhaps next year I will make a Christmas Crown craft post so that everyone can join in on the fun. It’s my version of the long lost Christmas corsage that hostesses used to wear. Yes, I do own a few of those too!

Outfit Details

CROWN – diy’d old xmas decorations
DRESS – thrifted vintage
SHOES – Aldo Karlah boots – c/o

Velvet Christmas Party Outfit

Hopefully this has provided you with some inspiration for your own take on a velvet Christmas party outfit. One cannot go wrong with a classic black velvet dress paired with gold accessories. Even adding a gold curtain tieback tassel to the strap of your handbag is added touch for a subtle hint. Here’s a vintage black velvet dress I wore to a Tiffany’s holiday party 10 years ago that remains timeless!

Whatever you choose for a holiday party, I hope you feel great it in it. 🙂

photographs - sandy joe karpetz