Holiday Capsule Wardrobe | Festive Outfit Formulas
Take the stress out of getting dressed and get RSVP ready with my 10-piece Holiday Capsule Wardrobe and festive outfit formulas. Your calendar may be packed, but your closet doesn’t have to be, to have everything you need to look effortlessly styled this season. You’ll have something stylish to wear whether you’re delivering cookies to your neighbors or having cocktails at the country club.
Holiday Capsule Wardrobe Checklist
I’ve made the list so check it twice and make sure you have all you need when you want to be naughty or nice.
1 | Velvet Blazer
A blazer is the most powerful piece in pulling an outfit together. A luxe velvet blazer will work year after year with all of your holiday outfit formulas. For more ideas, check out the post “Makeover Tons of Outfits with this Blazer“.
Traditional
Oversized velvet blazers are multi-purpose. These double-breasted styles from Free People do double duty as a coat and the soft structured styles look a lot like a cardigan. This soft style from Eileen Fisher comes XXS-3X.
Cropped
From our favorite “Kenzie” style from L’agnce to this !function(w,i,d,g,e,t){d.getElementById(i)||(element=d.createElement(t),element.id=i,element.src="https://widgets.rewardstyle.com"+e,d.body.appendChild(element)),w.hasOwnProperty(g)===!0&&"complete"===d.readyState&&w[g].init()}(window,"shopthepost-script",document,"__stp","/js/shopthepost.js","script")
2 | Dressy White Blouse
Make a dressy white blouse with festive embellishments part of your new holiday uniform. They are pretty enough to stand solo but work well layered under a cashmere pullover or velvet blazer.
3 | Black Waxed Jeans
Imagine your favorite black jeans and luxe leather pants made a baby and you’ll get be able to envision the new and improved waxed denim available now. It took me a minute to warm up to waxed jeans, but after a major try-on session, I’m all in. Here are the styles that fit the best and feel good too. Looking for more denim outfit ideas, check out my denim directory here.
Long Waxed Jeans
Ankle Length Waxed Jeans
4 | Sheer Long Sleeve Top
This might be my favorite festive piece in the capsule. This #trending top totally transforms an outfit. Make your look a little more modest when you wear one under a silky slip dress or give your look a subtle sultry vibe when you wear one with just your bra and a velvet blazer.
Solid Sheer Tops
Solid sheers are the easiest to layer. This one from Free People has cool thumb holes and is under $50.
Printed Sheer Tops
If the other pieces in your capsule are solid consider using a printed sheer top as color story inspiration for your capsule.
5 | Camisole Top
A camisole top is a styling staple I suggest year-round. During the holidays promise you be wearing one on repeat. A silky fabric with adjustable straps is the most versatile. To create a slimming monochromatic base layer, wear a black camisole top black to black coated jeans, or a black sparkly skirt. If you crave a little color in your outfit combinations, a colored camisole top is a perfect punch. Get some more color into your everyday looks with a few of my tried-and-true tips.
These all come in more than one color. This style from Amazon is under $50, comes in 7 colors, and is available in sizes XXS-5X.
6 | Sparkly Skirt
You’ll turn up the volume at your next holiday event when you pair a sparkly skirt with heels. Don’t stress you can dress a sparkly skirt down too. Trade your heels in for opaque tights, fitted boots, and a pullover cashmere sweater.
This style from Vince under $100 comes in plus sizes too and this style from Anthropologie comes in petite, regular, and plus.
Under $50
7 | Silky Slip Dress
A flattering and feminine slip dress never fails to give my fashionable clients over 40 something stylish to wear. This silky staple will work wonders in more festive outfit formulas than you can imagine. My favorite way to wear a slip dress in the winter is layered. There are 10 different outfit formulas with just the pieces in this capsule. Check out some more ways to style your slip dress this winter in this post and get more year-round outfit ideas with a slip dress including 3 that start with pieces from Amazon under $25 HERE.
Banana Republic and J. Crew both offer extended sizes.
8 | Pullover Cashmere Sweater
The perfect cashmere pullover is thin enough to layer over any of the tops in this capsule but cozy enough to wear solo with black waxed jeans. If you choose a slightly shorter style like this one from Free People you can wear it over a silky slip dress to create the illusion of a skirt and top.
Here are just 3 of the 11 festive color choices from Free People.
There are 13 colors in this cozy Nordstrom brand cashmere pullover. Yes, you should get more than one.
9 | Black Button-Up
Give your basic button-up a festive facelift when you buy one in black lace. You can wear it unbuttoned over a silky slip dress or camisole top for a little more arm coverage, or under any of the layering pieces in this capsule. There are so many ways to style it.
10 | Colorful Coat
Don’t forget this holiday outfit essential. A colorful coat can take an all-black outfit from blah to beautiful! Choose a neutral color or one that pops, and party in style all season long.
43 Festive Outfit Formulas
High-Low Holiday Capsule
You can make the same number of festive outfit formulas if you mix high and low separates. I swapped out some of the key pieces in this capsule with pieces from Amazon, Target, and Walmart. You can make subtle swaps too like this washable slip dress from Banana Republic available in petite and tall sizes too. I just added this cozy open-back bow embellished pullover sweater from Express to my current capsule. I don’t mind that it’s not cashmere because I can wear it backward too!
Festive Accessories for Your Outfit Formulas
There are 4 must-have festive accessories that will make all of your holiday outfits better. From statement earrings to textured tights, these small things make a big fashion statement. Shop my “It List” here.