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How to Recycle Your Holiday Dress

Holiday parties are a blast, but what’s not a blast is picking out a festive and fabulous outfit for each of your many occasions. On a collegiette’s budget, we can’t be expected to shop for a brand new outfit every time we get invited to a party, so a girl’s gotta recycle the most reliable items from her party wardrobe. Not sure how to re-wear the same piece without looking like a carbon copy of last weekend? Her Campus is here to help. We’re showing you how to rock one party dress, this Becky Metallic and Sequin Contrast Shift Dress ($26 at boohoo), three different ways, for three different holiday parties. With the right tweaks, no one will even notice that you’re recycling your festive frock!

Casual


For a more casual family party, there’s no need to go all out with heels, so pair your holiday dress with short and fun boots, like these Dollhouse Perforated Cut-Out Ankle Boots ($29.70 on Amazon), and add a bit of interest by pairing the sequins of your dress with Lace Full Tights ($24.90 at Express). To finish the look, throw on this Christmas Preppy Style Plaid Grain Scarf ($13.30 at Chicnova) to keep you warm and add some festive flair to your outfit. Plus, by covering the sequined sleeves with your scarf, your holiday staple will look like a totally different dress!

Girl’s night


Hitting a night out with your girlfriends is the perfect excuse to rock a bright and bold outfit. Pair your gold dress with colorful accessories, like these hot pink Qupid Virtue-15 Platform Pumps ($29.95 at DSW), but skip the tights for a flirty vibe (you’ll be inside anyway). Match your lips to your pumps by rocking the Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Stained Gloss in New Wave ($18 at Sephora)… just make sure to keep the rest of your makeup natural! Finish off your fun and trendy look with some gold midi rings, like these Faux Pearl Midi Ring Set ($3.90 at Forever 21). Adding pops of color to your holiday dress will totally transform it!

New Year’s Eve


On New Year’s Eve, it’s time to let the dress (not a scarf or pair of shoes) take center stage, so build an outfit around your sparkly centerpiece. Feel free to add an accent color (in this case, navy) so long as it doesn’t steal the spotlight from the dress. By adding basic Body Shaping Full Tights ($22.90 at Express), some killer navy pumps, like these Almond Toe Hidden Platform Pumps in Navy ($19.79 at Charlotte Russe), will look streamlined and sexy without standing out too much. Skip the bold lips for this look (a midnight kiss could be in your future!) and frame your beautiful face with fabulous drop earrings, like these LEGALISEN Earrings in Navy ($15 at ALDO). We love that the top of these earrings works with the dress while the bottom ties in with the pumps. You’re ready to ring in the New Year in style!

 

Using accessories you already have in your closet, you can turn that trusty holiday dress into the centerpiece for three totally different looks. The key to your fabulously festive wardrobe will be our little secret!

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Sophie Dodd

Middlebury

Sophie is currently a senior at Middlebury College in (very) rural Vermont and loves it. In addition to majoring in English and double minoring in Classics and Film, Sophie loves watching makeup tutorials, buying magazines in bulk, obsessively repainting her nails and catching up on The Vampire Diaries. Oh, and she's completely obsessed with Christmas, coffee, and her two kittens, Luna and Zuzu.