PW: Dress me for H's company holiday party (PIP)

jemmini6

So H's company holiday party is on Saturday and it's a fairly formal event (black tie optional).  It's also not a small event by any means, it's literally a multi-million dollar party.  So I have this gorgeous coat I love and don't get to wear often, but I only have one dress that sort of goes with it.  What do you think?






Also is the issue of shoes.  I own a few pairs of black shoes, none of them are near comfortable enough to wear to this party (I wore one of them last year and ended up walking around barefoot for more than half the event because they killed my feet).  I have two other pairs of shoes that are pretty comfortable, but I really don't think they go with this outfit at all, but for reference, here they are.



I'm not really crazy about the dress with this coat, but I've looked online and I can't find anything that would really look good with it (I wouldn't want to spend more than $40 - $50), and I'm running out of time.  However, if I do wear this dress, I at least want to wear cute shoes (plus, who shouldn't have a pair of comfortable black heels?)

Worst case scenario is that I do have another cute coat that's easier to match with, but I wore it last year, so I kind of want a different look (the party is in a sports complex and it was pretty chilly inside last year, so I did keep my coat on most of the night).




So ladies...help!

desertsun

I think the herringbone coat is quite a bit dressier than the other coat, so I say go with that, a black dress, and red shoes.

I think the other coat/dress are both a little too casual for my taste for a formal holiday party.

You could always check out Ross or somewhere similar to see if you could get a deal on a sweater dress to rock with tights and some sparkly accessories, or a different coat!

jaycee7389

IMHO the flower dress is too informal and summery. I like the herringbone coat better, and I like your idea of adding a pop of color with the red shoes. Much more winter

Peaseblossom55

I like the idea of the herringbone coat, new black dress and some red shoes. It will be a cute look.   I think a black dress will read fancier.

thejucheidea

I definitely wouldn't wear the flower dress to a formal party.

jemmini6

I agree with you guys.  So would you do a black dress and red shoes, or maybe try to do the pop of color with the dress?

ETA:  herringbone coat, black cocktail dress, red belt & shoes:


Good??  I don't have any red accessories though...

Elle1036

Can you wear the red coat with a formal black dress?  I love the red jacket, but I agree with everyone else that the flowered dress won't really work.

csousa1

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_pw-dress-hs-company-holiday-party-pip?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:136Discussion:c1210eb1-1a9a-44db-b77e-90a26b0a6dffPost:67171c77-4363-46e8-80e8-1002d14d7360">Re: PW: Dress me for H's company holiday party (PIP)</a>:
[QUOTE]Can you wear the red coat with a formal black dress?  I love the red jacket, but I agree with everyone else that the flowered dress won't really work.
Posted by Elle1036[/QUOTE]

This was my thought. I think the red coat only looked more casual than the herringbone because of its pairing with that dress. With a more formal black dress underneath (which you could probably find for $50), and silver shoes, you would look quite formal.

Like this -


<a href="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/images/store/12/15/fc9eb357-0e09-4c4a-bf8d-ef3f8ef92fe4.large.png" title="Click to view a larger photo" onclick="return gSiteLife.LoadForumPage('ForumImage', 'plckPhotoId', 'fc9eb357-0e09-4c4a-bf8d-ef3f8ef92fe4', 'plckRedirectUrl', gSiteLife.EscapeValue(window.location.href));" class="PhotoLink"><img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/images/store/12/15/fc9eb357-0e09-4c4a-bf8d-ef3f8ef92fe4.medium.png" alt="" /></a>



ETA: I do love the black dress, red belt & shoes and herringbone, though!

jemmini6

I tried the black dress with the red coat, but because the fur is a tan color, I thought it looked kind of off.

Elle1036

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_pw-dress-hs-company-holiday-party-pip?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:c1210eb1-1a9a-44db-b77e-90a26b0a6dffPost:0534dcb1-20a2-44e5-a02e-3cb6254bd478">Re: PW: Dress me for H's company holiday party (PIP)</a>:
[QUOTE]I tried the black dress with the red coat, but because the fur is a tan color, I thought it looked kind of off.
Posted by jemmini6[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>Can you take a picture?  In my mind's eye, it works.  I like the combination of black and tan.  Maybe I just can't see what you're seeing.

</div>

jemmini6

I think it doesn't work right because the red isn't really deep (this is also not that great of a picture, but you get the idea)

cu97tiger

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_pw-dress-hs-company-holiday-party-pip?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:c1210eb1-1a9a-44db-b77e-90a26b0a6dffPost:0534dcb1-20a2-44e5-a02e-3cb6254bd478">Re: PW: Dress me for H's company holiday party (PIP)</a>:
[QUOTE]I tried the black dress with the red coat, but because the fur is a tan color, I thought it looked kind of off.
Posted by jemmini6[/QUOTE]

<div>Yeah, I didn't think that would really work. What size are you? I have two black dresses and two cream colored dresses that could totally work, but I'm thinking you are a size or two smaller than me (all of them are size 4). Just say the word, though and I'm happy to let you borrow one!</div>

HULU

I'm completely biased, but I'm going with the *ahem* houndstooth jacket. The fact that the event is taking place in a sports complex just seals the deal.

leia1979

I'm with the others that the first outfit is too casual. I think the houndstooth coat with a black cocktail dress works.

My only real experience is H's company party, where the CEO wears a tux. I bought a floor-length gown for this year's party!

Elle1036

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_pw-dress-hs-company-holiday-party-pip?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:c1210eb1-1a9a-44db-b77e-90a26b0a6dffPost:2e79a086-be3f-4231-bd08-a0609659f6ac">Re: PW: Dress me for H's company holiday party (PIP)</a>:
[QUOTE]I'm completely biased, but I'm going with the *ahem*  houndstooth jacket. The fact that the event is taking place in a sports complex just seals the deal.
Posted by HULU[/QUOTE]

<div>Oooh, interesting.  A Bama fan in our midst.  I had no idea.</div>