2 Standout Holiday Outfits in an Unexpected Color that Looks Amazing on Everyone!

Blue Holiday Outfits

What is that one color that you wear during the holidays, that makes you feel transformed??? Like you are a holiday goddess. Maybe it’s a metallic like gold or silver? Or perhaps the more traditional holiday shades of forest green or cherry red? One of my all-time favorite colors that you may not think of for the holidays…is BACK and beautiful on everyone!  The color is…(drumroll, please)… cobalt blue! It’s one of those universally flattering colors that works so well on most women and most skin tones. Before you ask, “Can I wear this shade of blue?” (I get asked this quite often) My short answer is actually another question, “How do you feel in it?” If you feel amazing, glam and gorgeous… well, then… wear it! I don’t calculate undertones, iris colors or hair tones to determine what colors I wear. For me, I choose to wear colors that I feel special in. If you are still lost, ask yourself this, “What top or dress garners the most compliments and what color(s) are they??” Those are most likely your colors.

If ever there was a time to step out of your color comfort zone, the holidays are it! Why not try something different or put on something extra special. You deserve it. You deserve to feel glamorous and gorgeous. So instead of going with reds, greens, sequins, or shine…you might want to try blue! Below, I’m sharing two inspirational holiday outfit ideas…in this special color.

If you’re looking for more holiday outfit inspiration, make sure you check out our Holiday Capsule Wardrobe!

DRESS | FOR LESS | TIGHTS | BOOTIES | FOR LESS

#1 Holiday Outfit – Blue Satin Dress

Who remembers in the 80s when this color was everywhere?! I remember my sister had a prom dress in this color and I’m pretty sure I wore it to one of the three proms I attended. I also had heels, flats and sweaters in this color. The color blue has always been around, but this cobalt and royal blue specifically is really “in” right now, so it feels very fresh and modern. Okay, now let’s dig into this sexy dress! It’s a mini dress by Ronny Kobo. The draping and design details create such a flattering fit. The mock neck and sleeves are great for adding some coverage for women over 40. The zipper cuffs are a cool detail and I love the subtle floral print. The plunging neckline may be a concern for some of you. BUT, the way that it drapes is so lovely and elegant. It doesn’t feel like you need any kind of double-sided tape because you feel secure. This is my favorite combo of sexy sophistication.

Sizing tip: The dress does run a little snug. I’m wearing a small, but I probably could have sized up. If you’re between sizes, size up.

Accessorize It

The length of the dress is perfect on my 5’4” frame, especially when you pair it with tights. These tights have a small, subtle polka-dot pattern that adds a little more interest to the look. On my feet are a pair of dressy black Stuart Weitzman sock booties. I’ve had these booties for years and love how comfortable and versatile they are. They’re fitted to the leg, which adds a level of sophistication, elegance, and modernity, versus an open bootie that’s less fitted to the ankle. You could also wear heels but wearing booties allows you to wear socks if your feet run cold like mine always do…especially during the winter!

Make It Dramatic

If you want to take it a step further…pair the dress with a fabulous coat. This gorgeous faux fur coat by Milly is the exact same color as the dress and is SO glam. The faux fur feels real, the fit is great, the color is stunning, and I just love the drama! Walking into a party with this coat and dress on would make a serious statement (in a good way!). it also comes in hot pink and emerald green.

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Make It Cozy

If you want to dial back on the drama a bit, swap the faux fur for this gorgeous Ronny Kobo cardigan sweater instead. It is in the same beautiful color as the dress, has beautiful gold button detailing, and the length is the exact same as the dress, which is such a chic look. This pairing is very unexpected, modern, cool, and sexy!

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SWEATER | JEANS | BOOTIES | FOR LESS

#2 Holiday Outfit – Blue Sweater & Jeans

For a more casual holiday outfit, you can’t go wrong with a sweater and jeans! I love this cobalt blue Alice + Olivia sweater so much. If you’re new to the color or a little scared to try something this bright, a gorgeous sweater like this is a simple way to try it out. The sweater is a basic with a few fun twists including, 1) the gorgeous color, 2) the cool collar, and 3) the contrasting cuffs. The fit is perfect and I love the length because you can front-tuck it or leave it untucked. (Note: if you have a longer torso, this length may be an issue.)

Coated Jeans

I left it untucked and styled it with a pair of black, wide-leg, coated jeans by Joe’s. I love the blue and black color combo, and yes… you can wear blue and black together (that includes navy and black too ;)). The jeans have a super high rise (11.5”) and very wide legs…both of which are on-trend right now. They’re super flattering and elongating. If you pair them with black heels, they make your legs look a mile long!

Platform Booties

I styled them with some black suede platform booties by Veronica Beard that are amazing. They look super high, but trust me…they’re really comfortable (for heels) and super easy to walk in.  (I just wore these out to dinner three times in NYC.) These booties have a dressy, slim heel (rather than chunky) but it’s not so slim that it is hard to walk in. My YouTube co-producer Denise ordered them and said she was able to walk to dinner and wear them for a few hours with no discomfort right out of the box! She said they may even be her favorite purchase of the season…which is seriously high praise! (Denise loves clothes like me.)

More Saks Favorites

Saks Fifth Avenue has so many standout pieces in addition to my blue favorites above… make sure you check out their Holiday Wear shop here. I was also given the opportunity to put together a curated shop on SaksFifthAvenue.com. This is SO cool and exciting for me…I would really appreciate it if you stopped by the shop.

So…what do you think? Are you going to wear some blue this holiday season? And are you more of a #1 or a #2 when it comes to holiday outfits?? Please share in the comments.

Huge thank you to Saks Fifth Avenue for sponsoring this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter to receive some incredible style resources. If you’re interested, I recently launched my Style Made Simple course. You can start your style jourmey and learn more here.

Thank you SO much for stopping by!

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Alissa - Social Media Manager

It's all too easy for me to get carried away with my own mental checklist of things to do, and I often find myself feeling overwhelmed and bogged down by the pressure of it all. The practice of "mindfulness" was highlighted at Miraval, and it's easily one of my biggest takeaways. Mindfulness is defined as simply bringing awareness and acceptance to our moment-to-moment experiences. To practice it, I have been focusing on being more mindful of my everyday experiences. Whether it's reflecting on everything I am grateful for as I cozy into bed at night, breathing in the fresh air outside as I notice the sights and sounds around me, or simply standing in my kitchen appreciating the smell of delicious homemade food with the sound of my kids' laughter echoing in the background. Taking the time to be more mindful has made such a difference in pulling me out of the grind and into the moment with a deeper appreciation for where I am.

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Susan - Digital Content Editor

There were many poignant takeaways from the retreat, but if I had to choose just one it would be the importance of accepting transitions in life. As someone who really doesn’t love change, this is difficult for me. But recognizing transitions are inevitable and trying to find the positive in them has been eye-opening and has taught me to reframe my thoughts about change. This pretty much leads to the one habit I’m implementing fairly consistently (still a work in progress!) which involves rethinking my reaction to stress or anxiety…even if it’s something small. At Miraval, we learned that even small (seemingly relatively innocent) little stressors can together have a BIG impact in terms of our happiness and the negativity we carry around in a day. If I start to get anxious about something, I can control the feelings by doing one of these things: breathe/meditate for one minute, change my thinking pattern, listen to music, walk or move briskly. Basically, just change what I’m doing to temporarily step back and gain some perspective. I can ask myself, “Am I giving this “problem” more weight than it deserves?” Essentially, I’m distracting myself from the negativity and choosing to focus on something more positive. I’ve learned there is always something positive to focus on if I choose to find it! So, I try to catch myself before I go down the negative rabbit hole.

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Denise – YouTube Co-Producer

Since returning from our team retreat at Miraval, I have been doing a deep dive into habits. Research has shown that those who create a new “small” habit often have a larger ripple effect in their lives, even more than those who try to implement a larger change. At Miraval, we attended a session that focused on brain health. One of the small takeaways from this session was that the body needs to be hydrated in order to function most efficiently. We have all heard this before…drinking 8 glasses of water a day is in no way new advice, but for some reason, something in this lecture gave me the motivation to try and shift from virtually zero glasses a day to the recommended amount of 8. I’m a diehard Diet Snapple, coffee, and Diet Lemonade girl! Upon returning home, I bought myself a new water bottle, started filling it each morning, and brought it up to my desk. Without even realizing it, I found myself emptying the 32 oz bottle 2 and sometimes 3 times per day. Within a week, the changes I felt (more moisturized skin, less hunger, a more settled stomach) were undeniable. The same research also shows that once you develop a habit, it is easy to “habit stack”. This means you can add on more habits to existing ones and that is exactly what I did. I have moved my vitamins and supplements to my desk which I now take daily because I have the water sitting right next to me. As an added bonus, I am also consuming a ton less artificial sweeteners and caffeine now that I am reaching for my water. If you’re interested in diving deeper into information about habits, I’m currently reading The Power of Habit and Atomic Habits, both linked below.

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Joy – Virtual Assistant

While at Miraval, we took a class about intuitive living and one of the principles was to “Be Clueless.” Which just means that you should choose not to give power to the thinking mind. Instead, practice being clueless by enhancing your senses and connecting to them. One habit I have adopted since the retreat is going outside each day after work and sitting in silence for 15 minutes. I set the timer on my phone, close my eyes, and just listen. Once I've heard 10-15 unique sounds, I then open my eyes and finish out the 15 minutes looking around but remaining silent. It's been a wonderful calming way to transition out of my work brain. And I’m giving more power to my senses than to my thinking mind.

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Rachel – Community Manager

The Team Retreat was something I was looking forward to for months, yet as we got closer and closer to it, I began to feel nervous and unsure of what was to come - anxious feelings that I get with anything new, no matter how exciting it may be. Well, this retreat was, first of all… AMAZING. It was wonderful to be in a beautiful place, to get pampered, to meet and connect with the most amazing team of women, and to simply have a break from the craziness of everyday life… but the best part of it all was what I took home with me. During this short time, I was able to learn so many helpful practices that have truly changed my own well-being and ability to connect with the world around me. The overall theme of the Miraval journey is to focus on and implement mindfulness and balance. Before this week, I thought I was practicing this in my daily life…but boy was I wrong! One particular practice that I have loved adding to my routine, is that of Mindful Eating. The question was posed in a group session at Miraval, “Are you tasting your food or just your thoughts?” Often when I sit down to have a meal, I’ll look at my phone, try to get work done, watch a show, or simply try to eat as quickly as I can to get on to the next task of my day. Without ever thinking about the food I'm eating, only thinking about whatever else is going on inside of my head. But this practice allows you to slow down and truly enjoy. The simple act of placing your fork on the table in between bites forces you to physically move slower and gives you the space to focus on and savor the food that you are consuming. As soon as I heard this, I thought it would be an easy thing to add to my routine every day. Even better…Every single meal could be mindful and what a difference that could make! Well, reality sets in once you return home from a place like Miraval, and the to-do list comes right back. But we were reminded that even one Mindful Meal a week can make such a difference. And how true that has proven to be!

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Kaitlyn - Digital Strategy Manager

I’m extremely hard on myself…Even when it’s pretty unwarranted. I think many women can relate to that. Deciding to skip a workout, not getting to everything on my to-do list for the day, or forgetting to pick up the dry cleaning are all simple (and usually inconsequential) things that make me start that negative inner monologue about not being “insert adjective here” enough. If this sounds familiar…you’re not alone! One of the tools I learned during our Mindful Stress Mastery class at Miraval is something I’ve started implementing and can already tell makes a difference. When that negative inner monologue starts, put your right hand over your chest or stomach and place your left hand on your forearm. When you do it, say “gentle” in your head or out loud as a reminder to be gentle with yourself. Touch is such a strong sense and when you give yourself that small reminder, it can make a huge impact.