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Hold the jingle bells!

Wondering what to wear to holiday parties? Relax. Dressing for the season should be subtle, not stressful.

By SHARON FINK
Published November 12, 2005

[Times photo illustration: Bob Croslin]

From left, a metallic-infused jacket spreads the shimmer to midthigh with this design by Bisou Bisou Michele Bohbot for JCPenney ($86, but watch the store’s frequent sales to get it for less). - Next, men can go festive with these three pieces that work together and separately. The black velour jacket is Nick(it) at JCPenney ($120, but look for sales!), the red pinstripe shirt Express Men ($49.50) and the red tie with black striping Material London at Macy’s ($39.50, arrived just last week). - The silk piece in the middle (Target, $29.99) is shown as a scarf, but could also be used as a belt or a head wrap. - For those who like their holiday references subtle, this angora-blend poinsettia cardigan ($78) is from Dillard’s Preston & York store brand. - This Ann Taylor angora-blend sweater, encrusted with faux pearls and jewels ($128), can go formal (with a ball-gown skirt), middle of the road (winter white pants or a knee-length silver skirt) and casual (white jeans).

	[Times photo illustration: Bob Croslin]
	Get more mileage from a sweater set that isn’t a sweater set (an approach that can be adopted for all the cardigans with this story). This jeweled cardigan with three-quarter sleeves ($44) and sleeveless, synthetic metallic turtleneck ($30), both by Apostrophe for Sears, are sold separately. And yes, we said Sears, which is offering more stylish and trendy, yet affordable, clothes.

At the undisputed most stressful time of the year, it is the least understood and least appreciated producer of angst: holiday party dressing.

Headaches are generated over how often the Christmas tree sweater with the dangling ornaments is appropriate. How much sparkle is too much sparkle is debated with more passion than the cost of health care. The average male Floridian reaches new heights of confusion over why his Tommy Bahama palm tree shirt won't work for every gathering; it is green, after all.

No one goes through this for Labor Day.

And no one needs to go through it now, either.

In today's debut of Threads, a new St. Petersburg Times column on fashion, we explain why party dressing should be the least of your seasonal stressors and offer a few examples to inspire you.

Shopping for a party outfit really is easy. It has just four simple rules:

1. Remain calm.

2. Use your head.

3. Ask for directions.

4. Don't spend a lot.

The details of each:

1. Take deep breaths and keep repeating this calming mantra from Bettye Black, a veteran of the St. Petersburg social scene and a member of the St. Petersburg Women's Service League's Best Groomed Hall of Fame: "As long as your clothes fit, you'll look nice in anything."

2. You can never go wrong taking the middle ground between too dressy and too casual. For instance, you're safer going with one of the festive sweaters pictured here and a pair of dressy slacks than you would be in some drop-dead strapless red satin number.

If the event has a theme or a longstanding dress code, stick to it, said Jacqueline Cotman, another St. Petersburg social scene veteran known for her good taste.

3. If you don't have a handle on what to wear, ask.

"Because if you have some who've dressed up and some who've dressed down, it just lends a different atmosphere to the whole evening, depending on the kind of activity it is," Cotman said.

If you're the tiniest bit queasy with uncertainty, ask. It's better than getting all worked up.

"Casual wear, resort wear, holiday attire . . . to me, those are relative terms," Black said. "To some people, casual is a blazer and gray slacks; to another person, it's jeans."

4. Once you have an idea of what's required, don't pile on more stress by going out and spending a lot of money.

For less formal parties, Cotman said, she has followed the example of her 17-year-old daughter, Sochitl (pronounced SO-chul), who looks for special-occasion outfits at places that sell the latest trends at reasonable prices, such as Forever 21. Example? A party skirt "that will pick up the light and just shimmer and shine and look like it costs $1,000," paired with a spaghetti-strap top and a jacket and accessories, Cotman said.

Other places to holiday bargain-hunt are Target, Sears and JCPenney, where some of the outfits featured above were found.

"Once you take a photograph (of the occasion) to look at years later," Cotman said, "who's going to know what you paid for it, but you look really, really nice."

Plan carefully and you can get away with buying just one or two new pieces. Nobody will remember last year's black velvet slacks. And if they do remember that fabulous burnout velvet jacket with the faux fur cuffs, they're remembering it because it's fabulous. And fabulous is always the right thing to wear.

- Sharon Fink, who can be found anywhere from Neiman Marcus to mesmerized by QVC in front of her TV, can be reached at 727 893-8525 or fink@sptimes.com

[Last modified November 11, 2005, 09:05:05]