How to Style a Corduroy Dress for the Holidays
This holiday season has been a weird one for me personally. I spent the entire time at home, which is fine and I enjoy it because the holiday season already is so short in the first place (though I also love going to Cabo, too—we’ve done that twice in the past few years!). Even still, we didn’t get our Christmas tree until the second weekend in December, and then Korri was out of town, and I didn’t feel like decorating at ALL. I just got my nutcrackers up and the tree decorated within the past couple of days, and Christmas is less than 48 hours away!
Similarly, I have not felt like blogging this whole week! I was originally planning three new posts, and then on Sunday I said eff it and decided to scrap two of the three. It’s so not like me to not stick to my self-imposed schedule and number of new blog posts every month, but I think I might be feeling a little burnout after doing this for over nine years (a long time to be publishing new content at least 10x a month!). I think I’m also still feeling the effects of COVID too; I’m just so tired all of the time and don’t have the energy for much of anything.
I didn’t want to let the whole holiday season pass by without dressing up in front of my decorations, so here’s a fun lil holiday outfit featuring a couple of new wardrobe additions: a corduroy dress from Madewell and semi-sheer tights from Sheertex! Below, I shared a few tips for styling your own corduroy dress for the holiday season (or winter in general).
How to Style a Corduroy Dress for the Holidays
Corduroy is a fun texture that really lends itself perfectly to the fall and winter months. I’ve owned multiple pairs of corduroy pants during my blogging years and currently own two corduroy shirt jackets, but this is my very first corduroy dress! It’s definitely a lightweight corduroy compared to the pants and shirt jackets I’ve owned, which mostly featured thicker, hardier corduroy.
Pick a focal point
This is a tip I follow for basically all of my outfits to keep things streamlined and to not use too much of my brain power trying to make multiple focal points work well together. In this outfit, the corduroy dress is the star. I kept the rest of the outfit simple by wearing semi-sheer black tights, black velvet ankle boots, black statement earrings, and a black leather clutch bag. It might be boring to some of you but it works for me! 😆 I like adding interest in other ways (see below)!
Add tights
Unless you are fortunate to live somewhere warm year-round, you probably own at least one pair of tights. Tights are definitely a necessity when wearing dresses of all types in the fall and winter months in Boise! We were lucky to not get the worst of the cold front that swept through the eastern half of the country this week (thanks, Rocky Mountains), but it’s still cold enough that you want something covering your legs. Fleece-lined tights or leggings are a great option for those bitterly cold temperatures!
Mix and match textures
I especially love mixing textures during the fall and winter and holiday season. There’s something so luxe about wearing corduroy with velvet (as I did here—my ankle boots are velvet), faux fur with corduroy or velvet, corduroy with knitwear. Play around with what’s in your closet to see what textures look and feel best to you!
Glam it up with statement jewelry
I’m simple when it comes to jewelry. I only wear earrings and necklaces, and I rarely wear both a pair of earrings and a necklace at the same time. Here, I opted for a pair of statement earrings to pull it all together. It’s the holidays, after all! Depending on the neckline of your dress, you may like a choker or long pendant (or something in between; I’d wear a necklace that hits at or just below my collarbone with this dress). A large statement headband would be fun, too!
Coordinate your coat
I’m not wearing a coat here, but I did consider the coats in my closet to see what might work best over this corduroy dress. It’s a little bit tricky to wear a coat over a dress with billowy sleeves. My first thought was to wear one of my faux fur coats for the extra texture; in this case, I’d need a more oversized coat so as to not squish the sleeves down too much. A cocoon coat might work well with a dress like this too since the fit is usually slightly oversized and boxy with wider sleeves, and I like the idea of a coat that matches the length of your dress. If it’s real cold out, opt for whatever coat is warmest—being practical is much better than freezing!
Corduroy Dress Holiday Outfit with Sheertex Tights
I purchased this corduroy tiered mini dress from Madewell with an expiring coupon (it’s also on sale at Zappos). The reviews are what sold me on it, and I surprised myself by liking the tiers and puffed sleeves! It’s something new and exciting in my closet. It runs slightly big; I ordered size small, but it’s loose everywhere (even around my broad shoulders), so an XS may have worked better. I really love how it has pockets! I was hoping it’d be slightly shorter on me but oh well. All of the petite sizes were sold out so this was the best I could do.
The other new item in this outfit is my pair of Sheertex semi-sheer tights! I’d heard such good things about the brand and ordered myself a couple of pairs (semi-sheer and opaque in the control top style) during their Black Friday sale when they were 50% off. These tights are SPENDY, and I couldn’t believe I dropped $70 on two pairs of tights, lol. But apparently they are the best, don’t snag, and last longer than any other tights.
I admit that I don’t wear tights often enough to wear them out (or ruin them) every season, but I had to try these because of the fact that I have cats! So far, so good, but I only wore them for a few hours in this outfit. I will say that the sizing is a little weird; I opted for mediums in both styles (that’s what I am per the size chart) and they were surprisingly difficult to get on and over my hips. They felt tightest around the top of my legs, so I might try a size large next time. For reference, I’m around a size 27 in denim these days. Wearing them for a while did help stretch them out a bit!
Shop Corduroy Dresses Under $200
OUTFIT DETAILS
Madewell dress / exact or exact via Zappos (plus sizes)
Sheertex tights / exact (also available via COS)
Earth boots c/o / old; similar by Bella Vita or Target (last seen here)
Moorea Seal earrings / old; similar by Forever 21 or Shop Premium Outlets
Madewell bag / exact (also available from Shopbop and Nordstrom)
Dior Lip Glow in rosewood / exact