Festive frocks: Christmas party chic

It’s time for the third in my series of festive frocks, with ideas on what to wear for any sort of occasion. So far, I’ve written about a gorgeous Gatsby Lady frock for posh evening parties and a quirky Lindy Bop novelty print for daytime shenanigans.

Today, I’m writing about a Collectif dress, paired with a tulle skirt from Elsie’s Attic. I look like the sugar plum fairy and I love it!

I think this would be the perfect dress for a fun night out. It’s mega comfy (the dress is stretchy) and it’s a lot of fun.

I’ve wanted a tulle skirt for ages, and when this lilac one went into the sale on Elsie’s Attic, I nabbed it. It’s a size 16, but has a mega stretchy waistband, so you could definitely size down.

The dress is a pencil dress from Collectif, which I believe has been discontinued in the silver glitter. However, I managed to find one on eBay, which was very exciting. It’s a bit fiddly to get into as it’s very fitted – there’s an underlayer which I think is made out of bengaline, then the silver sparkly layer goes on top. But, once it’s on, it looks lovely.

I’ve accessorised with the sparkliest shoes I think I’ve ever seen, from Schuh.

The skirt also has an underlayer, so if you decided to go a more traditional top and skirt route, you wouldn’t be flashing your pants to all and sundry – a definite plusaa, I think. The tulle is very, very frothy, meaning that sitting down is like sitting on a cloud. It’s delicious.

All in all, this is a lovely outfit for the festive period or – unlike the other outfits in this series – at any other time of the year. I offer only two points of warning.

1. If you’re busty like me, safety pins are your friend. The crossover section at the front of the dress isn’t secured to anything, to facilitate actually getting it on and the like. I wore this outfit to my best friend’s hen party and there’s a lovely photo of me and another friend where I have my bra on show (not just a hint, really quite a lot of it) because the crossover section had ridden up without me realising.

   Seriously, safety pins.

2. The tulle likes sticking to things and will do so with the slightest provocation. I give you, rosebush-stuck-on-skirt-chic (I’ve just invented it).