As the holidays draw near it seems like the perfect time to add a new post to our 2024 style series with tips that will have you special occasion ready. I’ve got steps to build a special occasion capsule wardrobe so that you don’t have to buy all new things for every party. Instead, you can buy just one or two unique and stylish things each year, but you’ll look glamorous and festive for every event or gathering.
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Creating a special occasion capsule wardrobe simply means that you keep in your closet some unique and elevated pieces that are classic and beautiful enough to wear for multiple special events and gatherings through the years. When you have such a capsule, you can then purchase one or two new items for that festive party, wedding, cruise or holiday event…if you want to…instead of a buying a whole new outfit for every occasion.
Classic Elevated Outfit Essentials
The first step is to make sure that your closet contains a few classic but elevated outfit essentials that have versatility and staying power. My Kate straight leg ankle pants in four-season stretch have been in my closet for a couple of years now, but I’ll keep pulling them out time and again for easy special event outfits.
Sure a wide leg pant is more modern this year, but my straight leg ankle pant will always look classic and appropriate. So the idea is to have at least one or two items in your closet that will stand the test of time and provide you that elevated base layer for a truly special outfit. I’d begin with a black pant, skirt or dress, but you could also go with navy, ivory white or grey if you just don’t do black. I have some great options for you to consider below. Your selection could be very basic like mine, or you could opt for something in velvet or taffeta, too.
Special Outfit Elevator
The next item in your special occasion capsule wardrobe should be a few unique outfit elevators. These are those garments that are just a “little extra.” I would definitely count most of my beautiful, solid silk blouses in this category. But this year I sprung for a beautiful wine colored tulle layering blouse from Me+Em. It features voluminous, lightweight, tulle sleeves that look oh so special. Unfortunately my blouse is no longer in this color, but it is available in a chic black. My sweater vest is also no longer available in this color, but does come in winter iris and black.
But there certainly is no shortage of unique outfit elevators to be found right now. You could add to your wardrobe a sequined top, tartan plaid pants (I LOVE mine and wear them year after year), taffeta pants or skirt, a silk blouse or something else equally “extra.” I would say that these should also be pieces that you might enjoy wearing for several years at least. But you could also just spend less money on this item and get something more trendy, if you prefer.
Elevated or Special Shoes
It’s also smart to have some truly elevated shoes in your special occasion capsule wardrobe. Maybe something in a metallic or glitter, or even something with rhinestones or bows. I do indeed have those in my closet, but this time I opted for my classic black pumps from Ally (c/o). My gold pumps or any of my metallic slingbacks looked a little out of place with this otherwise dark outfit, so the black pumps served me well here. Remember, you can use the code KAYHEELS once to get $40 off your first pair of heels at Ally. (And I always have over 20 other codes you can use for significant discounts in the PROMO CODES tab at the top of the blog.)
I have a variety of other options for you below. I’ve included some in different heel heights and styles.
A Few Dazzling Accessories
The next step to build a special occasion capsule wardrobe is to add some dazzling accessories. You can surely collect these over time. And you might consider checking a local resale shop for these, too. Often women sell theirs after using just once or twice, and you might even find a pretty vintage option at an antique store.
I purchased my sparkling crossbody/clutch for my son’s wedding five years ago. I have a few other similar bags, but I love the shimmery light of this one. I do suggest looking for a bag that has a strap because it gives you the ability to put it on your arm while you stand with a drink in your hands.
Your special occasion accessories wardrobe should also include some pretty jewelry that is a little elevated and dazzling. With the “busy-ness” of my sleeves and neckline, I decided to keep my jewelry pared back but still a little extra. I wore my 14k gold Arabella necklace (c/o) from Penelope Jewelry and my new 14k gold pave diamond huggies (c/o) (sold individually) from Quince. You can use code KAY20 for 20% off at Penelope. Your special occasion jewelry certainly does not have to be fine jewelry. I have several pairs of earrings and bracelets that are not. But if you do have fine jewelry, wear it!
Also, accessories are a great place to show a little personality. So if you prefer lots of bling, go for it! For instance, I love wearing this bracelet throughout the holidays, even with casual special outfits. Or if you prefer soft and subtle, choose accordingly. I’ve collected a wide variety of accessories and jewelry for you to consider below.
Outerwear
Especially for cool weather special occasions, it is important to have some beautiful outerwear to accompany your outfit. Remember, your coat is the first thing many people will see. I’d rather be dropped off at the door without a coat than ruin first impressions by wearing the wrong coat over my special occasion outfit.
I did not model a coat with my special occasion outfit for this post (my bad!). But if I had worn one it would have been my black wool blend coat. You basically can’t go wrong with that. However, it’s also smart to have a cashmere wrap in your wardrobe, and I do indeed have half a dozen of those. I’d start with a black one, but a soft ivory or beige is also a nice option. Then you may want to add a shimmery organza wrap to your collection for warmer weather when the air conditioning may necessitate one. A faux fur wrap or coat is another nice addition to your special occasion capsule wardrobe. (Wraps are shown in the shopping widget above.)
I hope you enjoy lots of special occasions this holiday season. Remember, YOU can make an occasion special simply by dressing up for it a bit. At this time of year I take advantage of every opportunity to dress a little “extra.” Don’t wait for an invitation to wear your sparkles and jewels, tartan plaids and velvets. Just go for it! Wear them to lunch with friends, out to dinner with your husband, to church for a choir performance or when you attend your grandchild’s piano recital. These are all festive events worthy of dressing up a little. Even if no one else does, you go for it! Trust me, no one will think you are overdressed. In fact, they’ll wish they had thought to wear their special pieces, too.
Of course I’ll be sharing festive outfits for more casual events, too. But I highly recommend you putting your special occasion capsule wardrobe to good use this Christmas season. Tell me about the events and gatherings on your calendar and I’ll use those to direct my thoughts as I put together additional holiday outfit inspiration for you in the weeks to come.
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Blessed for My Day
In the Bible we see that God directed Moses to create for his brother Aaron “holy garments…for glory and beauty.” Of course these were the garments Aaron was to wear when ministering before the Lord in the temple and celebrating the sanctioned feasts. There is no comparison between those and the outfits we wear to holiday parties. Hahaha!
However, I do take inspiration from the fact that God wanted His servant to be dressed in finery for sacred and, yes, festive occasions. What we wear not only reflects our “glory” or essence, but it tells others how we feel about the occasion. When we put a little extra effort into our appearance and wear something special it says to our guests, companions, date or family members that this is a festive occasion worthy of dressing up a little. Just something to think about.
And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. ~ Exodus 28:2
I am going to be attending an evening Christmas parade. The temperatures will be cold, but not freezing. I often struggle with what to wear when I’m going to be all bundled up, but I still want to feel special while not being cold.
Fun! I used to go to a lot of those in our last town. I think just jeans and a warm festive sweater with a puffer or puffer vest would be nice. Maybe add a festive beanie if it’s cool enough. Have fun!
I guess it depends on the weather but last year I got a lot of compliments on my Christmas parade outfit. I wore cream cords, a long cotton cream tee that had very subtle gold snowflakes on it, a faux cream vest and my cream booties with faux fur. I did wear a cream and gold belt with the cords and a small cream leather bag. Have fun!
I like your devotional message. I never thought of that. I always dress up for special occasions and church. It was how I was brought up plus I like to dress up. Now I have this verse to remind people God does care how you dress. In the US we all have access to dress nice no matter how poor. I volunteered at a church run thrift shop and we just gave the clothes and shoes to whoever asked for them. Everything was gently worn too.
Kay, thank you for the encouragement to dress up for seasonal events even if they aren’t by invitation! I’m going to try to hold myself accountable to that in the coming weeks. My grands will love it and it will be fun!!
You looked adorable in your outfit! The sleeves on the top were stunning!
I have my granddaughters Nutcracker ballet recital coming up in Bend, Oregon. They tend to dress pretty casual in Bend, as its a very active Mountain town, so not sure what to wear. I was thinking my black pants similar to the ones you are wearing in the post, my light grey sweater and my suede dressy booties. I have a pretty, long dress coat to go over the top if needed. Its hard to explain but different texture with all the greys in it. I bought it at LOFT last year, but didn’t have an occasion to wear it. I don’t dress up much these days, but when you mentioned dressing up even if you think others won’t, I was thinking I needed to think about it. Any other ideas would be appreciated when you post. You look sooo beautiful in the blouse and vest. I LOVE the color and textures with your color hair.
I think the outfit you mentioned sounds lovely. And your granddaughter’s ballet recital is definitely worthy, even if others won’t be dressed up. Enjoy!
I have very few occasions to dress nicely, but when I do, I tend to reach for items like you’ve highlighted. Right now I’m not sure I have a whole lot of items to choose from in my closet, though. I may pick up that sequin shell from Talbots to go with some dressier slacks I own.
I love this post! I would submit that one could start with shoes and build from there. I have a pair of comfy gold flats that come in handy every time, summer or winter. This way I can riff on the outfit, but my foundation is in place.
Also, I found that weekend before Halloween is a good time to shop — widest selection. I’m hard to fit, so it’s worth it. Thanks Kay!
This year I added 3 silk skirts to my holiday/dressy wardrobe: Cream, navy and black. I also added a suede knee lenth kitten heel cream boot. I think they will look great with all three skirts but I’m particularly looking forward to wearing them with the cream silk skirt for a cream monochromatic look which has been a favorite of mine since the 90’s. That cream monochromatic look is timeless and I think very classy and elevated no matter if worn with jeans and a tee or silk skirt and suede boots, etc. Happy holidays everyone!
My husband and I go to the American Music Theatre for their Christmas Show the Saturday before Christmas-It has become our tradition for several years and we dress up. This year, I bought a sweater/blazer and shell which has metallic threads in it in a lighter to medium teal color with matching plain ankle slacks. I will also wear this outfit to our candlelight Christmas Eve service at our Church. We also will be attending a more casual Christmas Breakfast at Conestoga Valley High School. I bought a red light weight sweater with a small ruffle at the neck which I bought from Talbots Outlet and plan to wear it with my black ankle pants. This gathering is more casual but is festive with music and caroling. We also will be celebrating my husband’s birthday on December 16th and we usually go out to a nice restaurant. I am thinking of wearing a new sweater I got from Chico’s which has lavender floral embroidery on it with purple parisian pants I had purchased from them earlier in the year. I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas and a lovely time with your friends and family!
I will be attending my granddaughter’s college graduation in a few weeks (University of Georgia). Any suggestions to about what to wear? Thanks.