It's kind of crazy, but I got my first invitation for a holiday party yesterday. The season is notoriously busy with social obligations (whether fun ones or not-so-fun ones, like your significant other's office party), and I think it's causing people to plan, and invite, early. The part of your brain that puts together chic outfits can start to shut down after too much use, so let's all agree to prepare far in advance and get some festive looks in the pipeline so that the slew of cocktail hours and festive dinners can be as stress-free as possible.

The fashion world got together for its Night of Stars event last night, and, as one might have expected, there were plenty of pretty outfits that'd totally work for a chilly evening out this fall and winter.

The key to making your crop top work for the cold, like Selita Ebanks did so gorgeously? Skip bright colors and prints and do dark neutrals or jewel tones instead. The higher the crop, the higher the waist of your skirt, with ideally not much more than a half inch of skin showing. A midcalf-length skirt will offer some needed coverage once the temps dip (and you can always layer with tights) and classic, closed-toe pumps make for a nice finish. If you live somewhere deeply tropical, firstly, ugh, but you can squeak by with open-toe sandals. The rest of us aren't so lucky. Pull a leather jacket atop it for a quick fix of chic-toughness.


Margot Robbie made sequins look adorable and very seasonally appropriate by doing them in a darker emerald color and with long sleeves. The shine can feel overpowering at times, leading us to shop it in flirty tank dresses and shells, but if you go with a more somber hue, you can get away with more (IMO, at least). Since she was in Southern California, the strappy heels totally worked. If you're somewhere colder, swap them out for edgy ankle boots.

I'm not sure I would've thought of Michelle Monaghan's black ensemble on my own, but, dang, I like it. It's the whole sexy suiting thing, but she made it extra slinky by layering a filmy silk camisole underneath. It's an easy look to assemble from pieces you already have hanging in the closet too: Pair a favored pair of black trousers (wide like hers or tailored and skinny), add a blazer or sleeveless vest, and pull it over that itsy-bitsy tank.

Do you have a go-to party dress or outfit for when it's freezing outside? What's your combo?