Holiday Party Pieces You Can Wear Again And Again

What To Wear To Friendsgiving & Thanksgiving

A good sweater dress will take you easily through fall, Friendsgiving and Thanksgiving included, but a good statement boot will get you all the way through winter. Consider this comfy but cute combination the best investment you can make at the start of the holiday season (especially considering that boost of cash back you can put toward the rest of your wardrobe!).

Earn up to 8% cash back when you shop with Ibotta!

• Banana Republic Rosie Sweater Dress
• Franco Sarto Talfer Boot (also available in Wide Calf)
• Anthropologie Slouchy Baguette Shoulder Bag
• H&M Hair Clip with Bow
• Ana Luisa Puffed Heart Necklace - Lev

What To Wear To The Holiday Office Party

Whether you’re finally catching up with your remote work bestie or heading straight from the office to happy hour, strike the perfect balance of polished yet party-ready by pairing one occasion piece with a more casual compliment. Tie it together with a trendy pair of bow heels or flats, depending on the formality of your office.

Earn up to 5% cash back when you shop with Ibotta!

• Old Navy Mock-Neck Eyelash Sweater for Women
• H&M Sequined Skirt
• Anthropologie Leather Scrunch Shoulder Bag
• Express Ankle Bow Closed Pointed Toe Pumps
• The Petra Short Drop Earrings

What To Wear To The Community Event

Gathering with your community for the greater good is one of the most wholesome ways to spend the holidays, and while you may not need a formal ‘fit, you should show up with a festive touch. For hosting and volunteering, a textured tweed-inspired jacket is classy and cool, making it easy to wear with some fabulous accessories to keep things fun.

Earn up to 6% cash back when you shop with Ibotta!

• GAP Boucle Cropped Sweater Jacket
• Levi’s Circular 501® Original Fit Women's Jeans
• Maeve The Frankie Mini Clutch: Tweed Edition
• Steve Madden Elina Flat
• Queen Jewels CZ Tennis Necklace

What To Wear To A Holiday Party

When it’s time to pull out all the stops for a formal holiday party outfit, start with a fancy dress and add classic accessories with a modern twist. Think slingback pumps in the color of the season, printed tights (polka dots are about to have a moment!), and a mix of metallic touches.

Earn up to 6% cash back when you shop with Ibotta!

• H&M Silk-blend Twill Dress
• H&M 40 Denier Dotted Tights
• Melie Bianco Brigitte Mini Satchel
• Steve Madden Legaci Heels
• Old Navy Fabric-Covered Headband
• Anthropologie Ribbed Metal Bracelet

What To Wear On New Year’s Eve

Be the main character of your New Year’s Eve in the eye-catching metallic pants everyone will want this season. If the new you is committing to a revamped wardrobe this year, you’ll know you need a gorgeous investment coat to balance out the bold look. Cue your Ibotta cash back coming in handy!

Earn up to 5% cash back when you shop with Ibotta!

• Banana Republic Amina Double-Faced Top Coat
• H&M Sheer Lace Top
• GAP High Rise Faux-Leather Cheeky Straight Jeans
• Old Navy Faux Leather Crossbody Bag
• Angel Alarcon Pointed-Toe Kitten-Heel Boots
• AE Bestie Beanie
• Express Tube Hoop Earrings
• Coach Horse And Carriage Leather Tech Gloves

Wear Unexpected Colors

Pastels

When it's cold outside, there are only so many ways to shake up your look without shedding layers — you need to stay warm! One way to keep things interesting is to look for colors that will make you stand out. Pastels are about to become your best friend because they're not just for spring. Rock a baby blue sweater or a pink coat.

Warm Neutrals

Your holiday parties are going to be full of go-to outfit colors like red, green, gold. If you want to keep things dark instead of going with a pastel or white, brown is a great option because it's warm and muted but still looks fresh. A two-toned outfit is even better!

Muted Tones

If you're a traditionalist and want to stick with red or green this season, try to find tones that are out of the ordinary, like a sweater + dress combo with a little bit of gray added in. It still looks festive, but because it isn't Christmas-card vivid, you can wear it the rest of the year.

Pair Different Textures In The Same Holiday Outfit

Fur + Sequins

Fur and sequins are both winter staples, so why not combine them?! This DIY disco ball kimono is the perfect addition to that Christmas dress you just bought or the jumpsuit you can't wait to rock at New Year's. Since it's a DIY, you can customize the colors to make sure it matches your style just right.

Leather + Sequins

One of our favorite things to do is stick to a strict color palette and then go crazy with textures. Exhibit A: fur, leather, and a sequin tank? *Chef's kiss*. Keep the colors simple, and just make sure your accessories match the rest of the outfit.

Dimensional Textures

Go-to Christmas colors like red and white will make you do a double take when they're made from materials like lace, mohair, and jacquard. Even though there are only two pieces in this look, the dimension in the fabrics, the silhouette, and the detailing on the skirt make it unique.

Mix Streetwear And Formal Pieces

Joggers + Heels

Sometimes you just need something extra comfy. Add some heels and a blazer to your softest sweatpants and boom! An instantly stylish 'fit. Pick sweats in a festive color to make your outfit holiday-appropriate.

Dress + Sneakers

Ever since we saw Emma Roberts rock that sequin dress and Adidas sneakers in Nerve, we haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Holiday parties are a great time to make this trend your own — pick red Chucks to go with a green dress, or rock a monochromatic look.

Tee + Skirt

To tone down a satin skirt, tuck a tee (or sweatshirt, depending on how cold it is) into the band. You'll get a casual edge that doesn't overpower the nicer pieces, especially when it's under a faux fur coat. Slide on some boots and a nice bag and you're ready to hit the town.

Find Holiday Outfits For Warmer Temps

Warm Cuts in Holiday Tones

If you live somewhere that's a bit warmer in the winter, don't feel like you have to wear sweaters or coats for every holiday party. Pick some of your favorite warm-weather pieces in holiday colors, like a white sleeveless top and green pants or a red sequin top and shorts.

Button Down + Claw Clip

An oversized button down, cutoffs, and a claw clip is one of our favorite things to wear when it's warm outside, and it's also an easy outfit to transfer to winter. Add a red lip, gold accessories, and strappy sandals, and you have a holiday party outfit that's chic-meets-casual. Add mom jeans and a teddy coat for cooler nights.

Festive Motifs

Classic winter pieces like a sweater and a satin skirt are must-haves for holiday party season, but change things up with summery motifs and colors for a look that transcends the four seasons. Bonus points if your outfit matches your cocktail!

Step Up Your Accessories

Strappy Heels + Statement Socks

Warm up your tried-and-true strappy heels with some statement socks. Go for a sheer and decorated pair if you're wearing more delicate shoes, or go all-out with chunky platforms and thick, festive knit socks.

Gems and Appliques

Shoes and jewelry aren't the only accessories that will add personality to your look. In lieu of earrings and eyeshadow, use gems to add color and shine to your lids. Don't forget the cosmetic adhesive!

Holographic Accessories

These DIY holographic boots are the perfect way to score a new pair of shoes *and* make use of a pair that you never wear anymore. They'll add shine and dimension to your outfit, with very little effort! All you need is spray paint, Mod Podge, and cellophane for some one-of-a-kind footwear.

​In which episode does JJ die?

JJ dies at the end of Outer Banks season 4 episode 10, "The Blue Crown" after rescuing Kiara from his father Chandler Groff. "I feel mad, betrayed, disappointed and heartbroken to say the least," Bruder adds. "JJ went through a lot of crap through the show and he was the one character who deserved his happy ending the most. When the series first came out, people fell in love with JJ and [Kiara]."

While the cast obviously found out about the ending while filming, fans are frustrated with how they chose to promote the show. "Obviously the cast can’t spoil a character death, but to blatantly lie and mislead fans by saying that Jiara was 'evergrowing' and fans would be happy with how the season plays out?" Bruder says. "Jiara fans deserved so much better than what we got, ESPECIALLY when they knew they were killing JJ off."

Why are Outer Banks fans so upset?

The show is the kind of phenomenon that made instant stars out of its cast, but it also made waves because of how the first season portrayed issues like classism, substance abuse, and domestic abuse. "As someone who has been around domestic abuse, I think the handling of the character JJ was detrimental culturally," another fan (who would like to remain anonymous) says. "The character suffered abuse at the hands of a man who was not even his biological father, and the writers almost framed it as if that was okay because in the beginning, his father loved him. Instead of telling a story to victims of abuse about hope and making it through trials, the writers went the opposite way. I also find it interesting that they stated this was a planned death. I think writing a character who is suffering from anxiety and clear mental health issues as well as abuse who is very young like JJ only to let him fall in love and kill him right when he starts to feel happiness doesn’t necessarily make a lot of sense narratively."

Another viewer adds that ending JJ's story that way felt "disrespectful...especially when in an interview following the episode, one of the creators literally referred to his death as pointless." She even says "it feels almost like the show died along with him."

Actress Madelyn Cline (Sarah Cameron) called JJ the "heart of Outer Banks"and for a lot of fans, JJ also became a beacon of hope, a reminder that you can endure, persevere, and come out stronger on the other side. Since the first season of the show dropped during April 2020, it's been one consistent, fun thing for TV fans since the COVID-19 pandemic began, which makes the loss feel even greater.

"Seeing him die at the hands of another abusive father was honestly kind of sickening," the viewer adds. "It’s also unfortunate that his death didn’t seem to mean anything. A character death like this would be one thing if it meant something. If he had died protecting his friends or actively protecting Kiara, rather than having already saved her and then getting killed afterward, it might’ve be easier to get past."

"It’s like a connection to something good and steady was just broken," X user @onlykiep4l says. "Killing a character that has literally gone trough so much trauma and was finally happy just doesn’t make sense. It’s not just the character that’s gone — it feels like a part of the show has ended too."

Why does JJ get killed off?

Rumors have been circulating for years about behind-the-scenes drama between actors Rudy Pankow and Madison Bailey, which has fans believing Rudy asked to be written off the show(for the record, Outer Banks creators Josh & Jonas Pate and Shannon Burke have said it was the plan from the beginning). With Rudy's exit, the writers had a difficult choice in front of them. JJ isn't the kind of guy to abandon his friends, meaning the writers obviously felt like killing him was the only option. But according to an additional viewer, "Outer Banks hasn't been that type of show."

"To attempt to turn this fun, summer, boat show into some dark, depressing story where the heart of the show is gone destroys everything that the show started out as," she says.

Another anonymous fan calls the choice "a character assassination," adding other moments from the season that feel like a different character than the one fans have come to love: barely reacting to John B. and Sarah's pregnancy announcement, or to the fact Rafe had come to talk to Kiara — especially after his reaction to Rafe catcalling Kie in the first season is a moment that led fans to ship them in the first place.

The fan continues by calling JJ's treatment a "lack of respect" toward the character. "The fact that the writers tried to make us dislike him, to soften the blow of him dying. It didn’t work. It has everyone distraught because many people’s favorite character ended up dying after 'finding happiness' for about 10 minutes in Episode 10."

​Does Sarah get pregnant in Outer Banks season 4?

But JJ's death isn't the only moment that has fans reeling. In addition to the fact viewers are saying the Pogues barely reacted to the death of their lifelong best friend, Pope is now a murderer and Kiara makes an absolutely chilling vow to get revenge on Groff — a far cry from the characters we fell in love with in season 1.

"Outside of the JJ of it all, a lot of plot lines/dynamics in part 2 felt off," one of our anonymous fans continues. "Sarah’s pregnancy plot line, especially when coupled with the quote from a creator about ‘giving her a baby specifically because she wasn’t ready’ feels incredibly tone deaf given the current state of things here in the US. The fact that there wasn’t even a conversation of if she wanted to continue with the pregnancy felt very icky. Overall, episodes 1-4 of this season did feel like Outer Banks, but everything after that felt like it was from an entirely different piece of media."

However, some fans are excited to see where the show goes from here. "JJ was such a strong character and his presence will obviously be missed, [but] I am excited to see how the Pogues react and what they do to get revenge on Groff," Virginia McGrew says in an email. "I also think that the scene of JJ dying with Kiara was extremely well done and emotional, making his passing even sadder. I ultimately believe that JJ’s passing serves as a reminder of the themes the show."

"JJ made the group even more aware of friendship, the importance of chosen family, and loyalty, which was seen throughout the season and especially in the finale," she continues. "Now that he is gone, the other Pogues will have to step up even more, creating a shift in their dynamic. While many believe that Outer Banks might not be worth watching after this finale, I truly think that it is only going to get even deeper and more interesting."