Outfit details: Jumpsuit: c/o London Times // Heels: Missguided // Purse: Louis Vuitton Montaigne BB

December is everyone’s favorite month for many reasons. For me, the festivities and getting together with friends and family, amongst all, is definitely the biggest reason! Side note: I am hosting our first ever Friendsmas party in San Diego a week before Christmas this year. I will be sharing some decor, invite, and recipe prep details next week! But back on the original topic – for many of us working in the corporate 9-5 environment, it also means there might be a company holiday party coming up soon.

Earlier this week we discussed style faux-pas to avoid when it comes to what to wear to a company holiday party. Today, I have yet another classic piece to share with you that’s perfect to wear to a company holiday party by London Times. But on top of just outfits, I also rounded up some useful tips to make you enjoy the holiday party with coworkers more.

Outfit details: Jumpsuit: c/o London Times // Heels: Missguided // Purse: Louis Vuitton Montaigne BB

Jumpers make for great #girlboss outfits

Less feminine and conservative than dresses, jumpsuits by nature convey a bit more power and confidence. It’s modern, unconventional, and just a little different. I always feel like a big girl when I wear one. So if you’re in management, and wearing a skirt isn’t your thing, a jumpsuit might be just the outfit for you!

Outfit details: Jumpsuit: c/o London Times // Heels: Missguided // Purse: Louis Vuitton Montaigne BB

Outfit details: Jumpsuit: c/o London Times // Heels: Missguided // Purse: Louis Vuitton Montaigne BB

Here are a few other jumpsuit selections that will be perfect to wear to a company holiday parties.

Outfit details: Jumpsuit: c/o London Times // Heels: Missguided // Purse: Louis Vuitton Montaigne BB

Now that we have your outfit selection squared away, let’s talk about mentally preparing you for the company holiday party. We all know that the company holiday party basically a networking event. So, it means on top of socializing, you should probably watch how much you’re drinking and avoid topics like politics, money, and overly personal topics. But what CAN you talk about?

Be curious about the other person, and limit talking about yourself

A simple tip in having any good conversation is to ask about the person’s life whom you’re talking to. Get the other person to talk about himself /herself. Be curious about the person you’re speaking to if you’re starting a conversation. Reciprocate with your own stories but keep that to a minimal. The rule of thumb to keep talking about yourself under 20 seconds (according to the 20-second rule) and listen more than you talk.

Keep your cell phone out of sight

We all know the signal that you send when you decide to bury your face in your phone and not look up at people – “don’t talk to me” is what it is. But did you know that even having the phone near you even when it’s turned off, it’s still distracting enough to impair people’s decision making and problem-solving skills? Don’t succumb to the temptation of looking up the latest tweet or what your favorite Instagram star is doing. Stay in the present and enjoy – there’s a reason why it’s the “present”!

Prep your talking points

Always have topics ready in your back pockets. For this time of the year, you can ask “Are you done with all the Christmas shopping?” or “Planning any fun trips anytime soon?” One question that worked really well for me in the last few years is to ask for marriage advice since I just got married this year. This one really gets people talking. Of course, be careful who you ask. Make sure you know a little bit about their marital status. You don’t want to spring this question on a recent divorcee. Here are 48 other topics for you to consider in case you want to expand your list.

All photography by Natalie Alvarado @ Stylenfuse

The post What to Wear to A Company Holiday Party & Easy Small Talk Tips appeared first on Cubicle Chic.

Outfit details: Dress: Eliza J // Heels: Louise et Cie // Choker: Madewell

Guys, It’s December!! Where did the last 11 months go in 2017!? With Thanksgiving just in our rear-view window, Christmas is hovering around the corner. Which means you’ve been getting invitations for Christmas parties from friends and families! But not all holiday parties are created equal, and especially not the Company/Employer-hosted kind. The age-old “what to wear” question takes on an entirely different meaning and so much more is at stake if you were to wear the wrong thing. Still thinking about what to wear to your company holiday party this coming weekend or the next? I got you covered!

Outfit details: Dress: Eliza J // Heels: Louise et Cie // Choker: Madewell

Product details:Outfit details: Dress: Eliza J // Heels: Louise et Cie // Choker: Madewell

Product details: Outfit details: Dress: Eliza J // Heels: Louise et Cie // Choker: Madewell

Outfit details: Outfit details: Dress: Eliza J // Heels: Louise et Cie // Choker: Madewell

Eliza J is My Go-To Brand for All Special Occasion Dresses

Let me just preface this by saying this is not sponsored in any way shape or form! If you’ve been following me for a while you know how many times I’ve blogged about their dresses. It’s A Cubicle Chic tradition! I blogged about it in 2015, 2016, and this Christmas is no exception!I have a few outfit ideas to share with you this week.  In particular, this Eliza J  floral lace dress has these cute flare sleeves and is INCREDIBLY FLATTERING. If you are looking for a dress that will cover a food baby bump, this is it!!

You can find this exact Eliza J fit and flare dress from a variety of sources – compare & contrast before you buy. Some of them are actually discounted right now!! Eliza Eliza J dresses are almost always form-fitting enough and still flattering no matter your figure. If you like the style above but aren’t into this color or the sleeves, here are a bunch other choices that are pretty similar, ALSO made by Eliza J!

So now that we got the outfit selection out of the way, let’s talk other fashion-related etiquette for the event. I’m calling these faux-pas because I’ve seen them happened in the handful of company hosted holiday party myself. Some are embarrassing while others are downright tragic.

Avoid Cotton Dresses unless You’re a Boho Goddess

There may be a very flattering and company party appropriate cotton dress out there, I just personally have never seen one. The problem with cotton dresses is that they wrinkle easily, don’t normally flatter you (at least not the party dresses), and usually make you look very casual. Casual is the codeword for sloppy at a company holiday party. So avoid it at all costs.

Got a Big Butt and Want to Flaunt it? Don’t.

This is simply not the right occasion. I know you work out. I know you’re very proud of it. Heck, I wish I had your butt. But no. If you want to be respected for your professional competency, don’t let the impression of your nice butt tamper with people’s image of you. They say men are visual animals… I say people are visual animals. Especially when it comes to a woman’s figure. I think the line needs to be drawn at what do you want people to remember you of.

This is potentially a controversial stance to take on this topic. If you disagree with me, what are your thoughts?

Pick the right color of dress for YOU

This is a tough one. Everyone’s complexion is different, so there is not a one-color-fits-all solution here. There are general principles out there like warm skin tone is complimented by warm colors and cool skin tone is complimented by cool colors. Also, there are simply psychological associations that we unconsciously form when seeing different colors. Honestly, if I was ever to give ONE fashion advice to everyone who wants to know out there, it’s find the right color that compliments you. For me, I stick with feminine colors (white, gray, blush/light pink) and for the right occasion, I will rock bold colors like royal blue, dark green, or bright red. This is a general rule of thumb but I think everyone should have colors they always stick with!

That’s a wrap! I have another outfit coming your way later this week so stay tuned. In the mean time, if you want to find inspiration on what to wear to a company holiday party, here are all the other posts I’ve done over the years:

2015: Outfit featuring Dailylook faux-fur and jumpsuit

2015: Outfit featuring Eliza J two pieces dress 

2015: Outfit featuring Dailylook Juliette Dress

2016: Outfit featuring Morning Lavender Dress

2016: Outfit featuring Maison Jules 

Let me know which dress you picked to wear to your company holiday party!

All photography by Natalie Alvarado  @ Stylenfuse 

The post What to Wear to a Company Holiday Party & Style Faux Pas to Avoid appeared first on Cubicle Chic.

Isn’t this everyone’s favorite season of the year? The crisp air, the string lights, the pops of green and read everywhere, the gifts…. and the shopping. OH, THE SHOPPING.

How bad was it, for Thanksgiving? What did you all get?? As part of my November shopping budget, I knew I wanted to get something for the holiday parties coming up. SO I was trying to be careful, only going down a very selectively curated list of shops I wanted to hit.

And one of these shops I’ve been coveting is MORNING LAVENDER. It’s a clothing brand created by Kim Le Pham aka Lace and Locks. I may have come across this store while searching for my engagement shoot outfit. They have the most high quality and amazingly classy tutu skirts available anywhere (no 5 year old ballerina feel at all). If you just take a look at their website, it’s immediately clear that the collections are curated by someone who knows TRENDS but also how to blend trends into classy and timeless ensembles. Which, if you don’t know yet, is my kind of style!

So I knew I was going to pick something from their collection this holiday season to be a part of my Company Holiday Party dresses..and then, I found the one… LYNETTE GREEN LACE MIDI DRESS. This piece is unfortunately sold out at the moment, but if you sign up for the email notice, they will let you know when they restock it!

The details on this dress are incredible. It’s very sturdy kind of lace with a slight bit of chiffon at the bottom of the dress. My favorite part of the dress is the shorter sheath layer on the inside… so it’s sexy but in a very subtle way!

I think this dress is PERFECT for those more formal, offsite company holiday parties where you want to be a little daring, but still be completely appropriate and professional. I wore this dress with a trench coat when it was cold, and I felt totally holiday party ready!

 Dress: Morning Lavender Lynette Dress Shoes: Valentino Rockstud Heels Clutch: DailyLook Baggu Clutch; similar here  Dress: Morning Lavender Lynette Dress Bracelet: Gramerci Design Clutch: DailyLook Baggu Clutch; similar here

Disclaimer: This is NOT a sponsored post!

All photography by Natalie Alvarado @ Stylenfuse

The post The Perfect Dress For The [Formal/Offsite] Company holiday Party | Morning Lavender Dress Review appeared first on Cubicle Chic.

Well, I have the talented Ngoc M Nguyen to thank, as well as Eliza J. (Disclaimer – this is not a sponsored post)

But let’s talk about this THIRD outfit as a Company Holiday Party template… See FIRST and SECOND templates/outfits.

Structured Top + Flared Midi Skirt with Gold Details

This one should be a no-brainer. Here are the important components in creating this outfit:

1.       A Structured Top

A structured top always adds the professional touch to any outfit, and instantly elevates it to be more classy and elegant.

2.       A Flared Skirt

This shape of skirt is probably one of my favorite. The A- line shape is very feminine and always flattering. It’s hard to go wrong with skirts like this, especially when it’s…

3.       GOLD!

No other color captures the holiday spirit better than GOLD. I knew I had to incorporate this color at some point in my series of holiday outfits, and when I saw it at Nordstrom, I just had to have it…

Top: Eliza J Embellished Ponte Blouse
Skirt: Eliza J Metallic Jacquard Skirt
Heels: Banana Republic; similar here

Just want to give a shout out to Nordstrom, who paired it so effortlessly in their monthly catalog… I kind of copped out when trying to put together this last look of my holiday outfit series. In case you haven’t, check out the Eliza J Collection on Nordstrom… you will not be disappointed!

More outfits using the same template

As usual, I created a few different outfits on Polyvore that utilizes this template. Check it out by clicking below!

Lastly, have we connected yet?

Find me on Instagram with my two cats Lulu and Miles, and my day to day style challenges and shenanigans!

The post Company Holiday Party Outfit [Pt. 3 of 3] – Ponte Top & Flared Midi Skirt by Eliza J appeared first on Cubicle Chic.

Next up, the Jumpsuit and Faux Fur Coat combo!

Now, before you conclude that you are reading the blog written by a panda, hear me out.

Let’s talk about some of the common challenges in trying to create an outfit for this special holidasy occasion. For company holiday parties, staying classy and appropriate is of the utmost importance. Trying to look stylish and put-together while adhering to this rule of thumb is often the tricky part. Additionally, this faux fur coat, or faux fur coats in general, is challenging in that it makes me look top-heavy. So here are a few things I tried to be mindful of when creating this outfit.

1.       Use a jumpsuit to balance out the over-the-top glamour

Jumpsuits have the edginess that a dress or a skirt won’t give you. When pulling off a faux fur coat which are usually super glamorous and lavish, pair it with a cool-girl kind of jumpsuit that will prevent the overall outfit from looking over the top.

2.       Keep it simple color-wise

With the oomph of the fur coat and the edginess of the jumpsuit, the last thing you want to do is to add more dimension to the outfit. Keep it within black and white like I do, and have no more than two colors at a time in your outfit. Additionally, the pinstripe pattern gives the outfit a professional and formal look, so that’s also a good variation to add.

3.       Stay elongated with high heels

This one is a no-brainer. Unless you have legs like Kate Moss or Gisele Bündchen, wear those 4 inch heels. I’ll be the first one to admit that none of my outfits would’ve looked passable without those heels… they’re painful, but totally worth it.

Coat:  (Dailylook) Line & Dot Scarlett Faux Fur Jacket
Jumpsuit: Dailylook top & bottom
Heels: Banana Republic Heels
Purse: Chanel le Boy Small

All photography by Ngoc M Nguyen Photography

More outfits using the same template

Want to see other variations of outfits using the same template? Head over to polyvore to see where I sourced these pieces to create these two similar looks!

What’s your holiday outfit challenge?

So what do you think of this outfit? Any thoughts you have, I want to hear! Additionally, I’m inviting all my readers to share your holiday outfit dilemma with me… drop a comment down below, or email me at mycubiclechic@gmail.com for ANY concern or challenges you’re having while trying to create your holiday outfit for any occasion! I’d love to help out by offering some advice or perhaps where to shop!

The post Company Holiday Party Outfits | Faux Fur Coat and Jumpsuit [Pt. 2 of 3] – What’s your holiday outfit challenge? appeared first on Cubicle Chic.

For this holiday season, I’ll be sharing with you three sets of outfit templates to live by when picking out outfit(s) for your company holiday party. Sign up for the newsletter and see the new templates as they come out next week! 

12/2/15 Update: Part 2 of this series is now available here! 

First up, the lace maxi dress!

Before you storm out the door (or storm onto ShopBop.com), there are a few things to note about which lace dress you go with… You see, the lace is very tricky. Between looking like an escort to a lady from the 70’s, it’s a very fine line to walk. Done correctly though, you exude elegance, confidence, and glamour – all in one outfit. So a few things to think about in picking your lace dress

• Watch the length of dress: For any company events, I’d suggest dresses that cover the knees. If the length is right over or above the knees, I would pick a dress with longer or semi-long sleeves. The point is to never do sleeveless and above the knee at the same time. We’re not in high school anymore.

• Opt for royal blue, black, emerald green, or burgundy: The point is to stay CLASSY with your choice of color. Anything that is somewhat playful or casual (pink, yellow, or lavender) will be borderline inappropriate. It’s the nature of a lace dress.

• When in doubt, always go with black or nude pumps: This rule requires no explanation. The exception is when you wear head to toe black. Then, go to town with color of your heels!

One thing I’d like to address is the slit in this dress. Because of the color, length, and sleeve length, I personally am OK with the slit going up as high as it does. Usually holiday parties are in venues that are dimly lit, so it shouldn’t matter. But I totally understand if people aren’t comfortable showing this much skin. Just wanted to make sure this disclaimer goes out there – I don’t endorse showing too much skin in any professional settings! (Duh.)

Dress: Dailylook Juliette Lace Maxi Dress
Wallet/Clutch: Proenza Schouler PS11 Chain Wallet
Heels: Valentino Rockstud T-strap Pump

All Photos by Ngoc. M Nguyen Photography

As long as you stay mindful of these pointers, a lace maxi dress is the perfect option to go with for your company holiday party. It will allow you to stand out, precisely because most people don’t know how to handle this kind of dress! You’re welcome.

Stay tuned for two more outfit templates – they’ll become available next week! In the mean time, have we connected over social media yet? I’d love to get to know my readers. Hit me up on one of these platforms!

P.S. Added bonus for readers that made it this far… Hop onto Polyvore to see two other similar looks I’ve created using their “Set” creation function! It provides all the details on where to find such items. These are super fun for me to do.. let me know what you guys think about this feature!

The post Company Holiday Party Outfits | Easy Templates for Creating a Killer Outfit! [Pt. 1 of 3] appeared first on Cubicle Chic.