The festive season is without doubt one of our favourite times of year for getting dolled up and ready to tackle ALL the Christmas parties. A festive dress needs to make us feel sassy, powerful, suave and Christmassy all in one!
I headed to New Look last week and was so pleasantly suprised with what was on offer in their latest Christmas collection. I wasn't expecting to find a timeless, classic LBD (little black dress) that made me feel like a Bond girl - with sparkles on. But standing in the changing room, looking in the mirror as I stood in a midi black halterneck velvet dress, I was obsessed.
READ MORE: 5 stylish New Look jumpers to cosy up in this Christmas
Now, you might be thinking 'it's just a dress', but there is such a confidence boosting power that comes with finding an item of clothing in which you feel comfortable as well as, quite frankly, drop dead gorgeous. Now, that's not me saying I looked it - after a day's work, I looked far from that, but I felt it. Which is half the battle won.
The dress I am talking about is this saucy little number from the popular high street retailer that's had its price reduced by £4, meaning it now costs £35.99 rather than £39.99. And while I love sparkles as much as the next person, I don't feel that comfortable in them. But this black dress was a bit of an exception. Albeit covered in sequins, it's a Christmassy dress that doesn't overwhelm you with its sparkling brightness - ie, you won't need sunglasses to look at it. It's got more of a starry night sky kind of vibe to it, which adds to its charm.
Coming in navy and black, the dress has a cheeky slit at the back, allowing for ample movement (aka, you can tear up the dance floor at your work's Christmas do with no accidental tear in your dress) and its halter neck gives such a gorgeous and classic silhouette. As someone who would usually opt for a more floaty dress over one that shows my figure, this dress made me feel supported because of the thickness of the velvet and it was so comfortable.
And because the sequins (which are not scratchy, by the way!) give the dress a gorgeous texture, it isn't one dimensional and so it glided over the areas I'm not so fond of - plus, it's stretchy. Which is always a win.
Another lovely detail about this party look is that it's got a really beautiful back - with a two button tie at the nape of the neck, the dress has an open back in a circular shape before being fastened by a zip. It's not too low that your entire back is exposed, but just enough to make it feel a little special.
As a midi dress, this wardrobe addition from New Look comes down, on me, to the middle of my shins (I am 5'6) and know that it would benefit from a heel in a silver or gold or a pop of colour - like these Public Desire platform block heels - for a real show stopping look. And, of course, some dazzling earrings.
Or, if you want to try and dampen down the dressiness, it would look great with a pair of boots and a chunky oversized jumper.
Now, I am not the only one who has fallen in love with this dress. It has received five star reviews across the board with people raving about its "Elegance" and "Stunning silhouette".
Another added: "Beautiful dress, true to size, comfortable and very glamorous! Ideal for Xmas party season!"
It's even caught wind on social media and people on the likes of TikTok and Instagram are going wild for it. One influencer, who goes by the username @mycapsulewardrobe shared a series of party looks she'd recently invested in from New Look, the first of which was this dress which she described as: "This gorgeous black dress. I like the simplicity of this dress. I feel like it's almost timeless. The neck for me is absolutely lovely. It shows off your shoulders. It also has a lovely back. And you can still wear a strapless bra with it!"
I couldn't agree more. So, to get your hands on this lush dress - about which I literally have no complaints in all honestly, I wish I did just to make it seem more fair - see the New Look website here.