Casual Christmas Chic

One of my many personal mantras is: Any excuse to make a dress. If there's any sort of social occasion on my calendar, I want a new outfit for it. That goes triple for holidays.

I adore coming up with froufy dresses for fancy parties, so normally, once Halloween is over, it's time to plan holiday attire. The problem is, the economy has downgraded a lot of parties to a more casual vibe. Whether it's the company Christmas shindig or a friend's house party, odds are, fancy dress is not going to be on the docket this year. But I still want a fun dress!

So, for a fun outfit that won't put me in overdressed territory, I opted to shop our holiday quilting cotton prints this year. Of course, I couldn't pick just one, so I ended up with two: this adorable candy cane print, and a sparkly poinsettia print from the Festive Elegance collection.

I opted for a fun silhouette, with a fitted bodice and medium-full skirt. There's also a little bit of puff to the sleeves for a little extra girlie flair.

I like how my candy cane dress feels a little more casual and the poinsettia version is just a little more grown up. I can't wait to start hunting for tights, accessories and the perfect nail polish to complete my outfits! Now I just need to make sure I have the right parties lined up to wear them at ...

If using a full-on holiday print is just too much for you, a damask print in a holiday color way is a perfect way to keep things a little more grown-up and classic. Get creative, have fun and relish all the compliments you get at every party you attend. Cheers to originality!