Holiday Parties Are Back, and Our Outfits Are Honestly Better Than Ever

As a child, I played dress-up all the time. I even had a dedicated box filled with tulle dresses, glittery heels I couldn’t actually walk in, and more tiaras than any non-royal needs to own. I still remember the joy of putting on a fancy and often dramatically sparkly outfit without anywhere to wear it. My looks at the time may have been wildly over the top, but that was precisely the point. Now that I actually have places to wear these types of pieces, you better believe I’m going to.

This holiday season, I’m remembering what it’s like to play dress-up again because holiday parties are back and just as festive as ever. While I no longer have a dress-up box, I do have an excuse to wear fancy dresses, complete with as many sparkly accessories as I want, outside of my home again. Prada is making it easy with its latest holiday collection, which features crystal-adorned footwear, sequin handbags, and more shimmery dresses and skirts than I’ll have time to wear this month. Here’s how I’d style the pieces for my big return to holiday parties this year. My 7-year-old self would be very pleased.

One of my favorite holiday traditions is going out for brunch or afternoon tea at a swanky hotel. It feels ultra luxurious and gives me a reason to get dressed up before the sun sets (for once). This shimmery knit sweater set and coordinating sequin tulle skirt are exactly the kind of pieces I'd like to wear for the occasion. The collar on the tank and the pointy silver heels say, “I’m sophisticated and polished,” while the metallic accessories and sparkly fabrics add, “but I’m also fun and festive.”

Speaking of accessories, they go a long way in making a look feel just the right amount over the top. Take these crystal earrings that double as Airpod holders, for example. A bit dramatic? Maybe, but once again, that’s the point. (Plus, you can secretly listen to music if the brunch convo is boring, but you didn’t get that tip from me.)

A night out for, say, a cocktail party or New Year’s Eve bash requires something even more extra. A crystal-studded top paired under a crystal-studded dress? Sounds like double the fun to me. But if wearing a sheer dress isn’t your thing, tights are the perfect solution.

Yet again, a healthy dose of sparkly accessories—this time by way of a sequin handbag and matching bucket hat—is just what the doctor ordered. After all, more really is more when it comes to holiday dressing.

Not a dress girl? Not a problem. Here’s another evening-ready embellished top-and-mini-skirt set that feels like it was taken right out of a ritzy party during the roaring ’20s. However, the look gets a modern twist with crystal loafers that are equally as elevated as any party heels I’ve ever seen. There’s something about wearing all black that instantly makes an outfit chic and, in this case, allows all of the different sparkly adornments to work together. I’d be tempted to wear this tote in black to keep with the monochromatic vibe, but the pop of purple is just too good to pass up.

It's been a couple decades since playing dress-up involved tiaras, but a sequin headband feels like the adult-appropriate replacement, and I’m here for it. Plus, pulling my hair back with a headband offers the opportunity to show off some ear bling like these logo earrings.