The season of the office party is officially upon us, and along with the dilemmas about Secret Santa and whose turn it is to open the next door on the advent calendar, the office party and Christmas party outfit loom large.

Not everyone has the luxury of living close enough to the office to go home and change, but you want to make an effort on the one day of the year you can officially have fun on work time. So you need to plan ahead for the perfect transitional Christmas party outfit that will take you seamlessly from sitting at your desk to dancing to Mariah Carey with a Bellini in your hand.

With a bit of savvy shopping and some on-trend accessorising, it’s a lot easier than coming up with an excuse for your next-day hangover will be.

Choose a versatile day dress or top, sleeveless is good, that can be dressed up with a set of Wingz to really glam up your look. For work, opt for a classic little black dress with something that makes it look a bit different – a statement belt, some lace detailing. You can wear it with a cardigan over it for the office.

Wear your normal day shoes and tights with the day outfit, and take something with a sexy heel for the evening do.

When the clock hits 6pm, it’s time to metamorphose into your party girl persona. Throw off the dull cardi, shake down your hair a la Lynda Carter and Wonder Woman. You don’t have to go for hot pants, though. This is when you slip your Wingz on under your dress or top – the black lace Wingz are perfect for Christmas parties this year.

It’s time to accessorise! Swap the work tights for something lacy and pretty or just bare your legs if you dare. If you’re going casual, you could just swap a work skirt for jeans with lace up heeled boots and a sparkly top.

Ditch the everyday work tote and swap it for a glamorous metallic or embellished clutch, pop on some costume jewellery and add some colour. Don’t go too overboard on the makeup, although no Christmas party is complete without a hot red or pink lipstick to vamp up your evening look and transform you from the woman behind the computer in accounts to a disco diva just waiting to get down to a bit of Abba when the time comes.

Top tips for Christmas party outfit swaps;

• Focus on accessories to glam up your evening look – the right accessories will instantly transform the everyday, plain black dress into something party-ready and stylish.
• Make the day outfit something easy to slip in and out of so that you can swap your tights over, add your Wingz and generally do a quick change that won’t take too long.
• Have fun!