Ho-ho-holy chic! How to get extra dressed this holiday season
The (official) rules of December dressing
The holidays are the one time of year where girls can dress like a total kitschy freak and no other girls can say anything about it.
Give me sparkle! And bows! Colored tights! Heels in 25 degree weather! Fur cuffs and collars! If there’s ever a time to lean into fun, whimsical, and extra* dressing, it’s the holidays. In this house, Martha May Whovier is our Christmas queen.
If your calendar’s booked and busy with holiday soirees and you don’t know what to wear, you’ve come to the right place. Just remember, when it comes to holiday dressing, standard rules go out the window… and new ones apply.
THE EXTRA DRESSED RULES OF HOLIDAY DRESSING — very (un)serious!
Inspo pics make everything easier to execute. Inspo is everywhere — start to take stock in the *styling* that makes you light up. Not just the individual pieces! I recently saw a dress on Revolve that’s pretty on its own, but the way they styled it made it really special. I took a screenshot. I’m always on Pinterest saving things I want to recreate. I actually just started a new TikTok series where I recreate some of my favorite pinspo. Trust me, having a starting point makes execution easier.
Accessories are everything. Your LBD is the perfect base for the holiday party, but let it be just that. The base! Accessories take your outfit from average dinner drab to OMG where did you get that! Headbands, bows, costume jewelry, glittery eye shadow, pops of color, a red lip, a sparkly purse… accessories are the quickest, easiest, and most cost effective choice you can make this season. These are also so easy to find at places like Target, Old Navy & thrift stores.
Sparkles spark joy. If looking at a shiny, sparkly, glittery object doesn’t make you feel warm and fuzzy inside we are not the same. I think most people love glitz and glam but are so afraid of looking tacky that they avoid it at all costs. Well, not in December you don’t. I want sparkles on my sparkles. I want (fake) diamond earrings and (fake) tennis necklaces and rhinestones where they normally don’t belong. Get over the fear and get yourself some glitter.
BTW, one of my favorite 2025 discoveries was the Fazit sparkle face tattoos. Sounds absolutely bonkers, I know. But they’re actually quite tasteful and suuuuuper freaking cute. I wore them last year on NYE, to multiple concerts, and on the beach in Miami on my birthday.
Tights are fun and sexy. If you’re a seasoned Extra Dressed reader, you know that tights are one of my most consistent loves. I’m manifesting a partnership with Calzedonia because I give them so much money and free marketing. But to me, tights are to holiday dressing as sundresses are to summer… ESSENTIAL! If you are new to tights and want a classic pair, the Calzedonia Invisible Denier 20 will be your girl.
What’s even better, though, are tights that are borderline insane. Polka dots, bold colors, plaid, ones with little phrases on them. Embracing the kitsch is what levels up your look.
HOT TIP: Always size UP in tights. Whatever size you are on the back, get the next size. They will still fit snug but you will have more material to play with, preventing snags from happening.
Take an uber. Wear the high heel. Choose the coat that compliments the look rather than the drab all-black utility parka (Yuck! That’s for January!). Part of the holiday look is committing to the bit, so make lunch at home all week and treat yourself to an Uber to and from your event in the name of FASHION.
Baby pink and ice blue are holiday colors. There I said it! Maroon and it’s many variants (wine, burgundy, so scarlet it was..) are undoubtedly the star shades of the season… even down to the nails and lips. But pink is just as important! Hello, have you seen a sugar plum fairy? And there’s something so cute and cool about a frosted blue holiday color palette. OK, MARTHA MAY XMAS MORNING ROBE!
Cool girls wear whatever the fuck they want. There are going to be neutral apologists in every room you enter. Don’t dress for them. You’re going to a party! The streets and restaurants and homes and trees and bushes and windows are all decked out for the season—it would be a damn shame to not match their energy.
FULL LOOKS & SHOPPABLE LINKS:
All the outfits I want to wear this season — from Christmas parties to New Year’s Eve! Everything (+ more!!!) can be found in my ShopMy (disclaimer, affiliate links!)
Wishing you a verryyyyy extra dressed holiday season!
xx Caylee
TY for reading! If you enjoyed this, you might also like Tights are cool (& sexy), don’t let them intimidate you and Always on brand! Easy ways to find and refine your personal style.
OMG how can I everrr choose between sugar plum fairy + holiday but make it extra ?! loving all of these tips - you are a god sent ❄️
Love your kitschy! Definitely inspirational, even for an old kitsch!