Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Fashion & Style
  3. Evergreens

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

What to Wear to a Holiday Party

By

So, you’re wondering what to wear to a holiday party … we’ve got not one, but two ways to help you with that. The best menswear to put on for a holiday party is a tricky balance, a blend of classic pieces you know and love, plus ones with a bit of flair. For the man who likes straightforward, sharp classics, we’ll show you how to style a crisp cardigan with winter-ready boots. And for the guy who dresses with holiday fun in mind, the second outfit in this feature ought to do the trick nicely. Check what to wear to a holiday party off your list of concerns this season — we’ve got you covered.

1 of 10
what to wear to a holiday party
Image used with permission by copyright holder
what to wear to a holiday party
Image used with permission by copyright holder
what to wear a holiday party 13 cardigan by the manual credit genevieve poblano
Image used with permission by copyright holder
what to wear a holiday party 11 by the manual credit genevieve poblano
Image used with permission by copyright holder
what to wear a holiday party pants the manual 1
Image used with permission by copyright holder
what to wear a holiday party 1 by the manual credit genevieve poblano
Image used with permission by copyright holder
what to wear a holiday party mvmt watches white gold classic watch 2 by the manual credit genevieve poblano
Image used with permission by copyright holder
what to wear a holiday party johnston amp murphy conard wingtip boots by the manual credit genevieve poblano3 1
Image used with permission by copyright holder
what to wear a holiday party johnston amp murphy conard wingtip boots by the manual credit genevieve poblano3
Image used with permission by copyright holder
what to wear a holiday party johnston amp murphy conard wingtip boots by the manual credit genevieve poblano 1
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Genevieve Poblano/The Manual
Recommended Videos

The Classic Outfit

  • The Sweater: Abercrombie & Fitch Cardigan – $98
    Abercrombie & Fitch does a great job making simple, subtly stylish staples — this cardigan, with just a bit of holiday flair, is a prime example. It’s the perfect antidote to any ugly holiday party sweaters.
  • The Dress Shirt: Mizzen+Main Kennedy Dress Shirt – $125
    Crisp, sharply tailored and easily wearable the rest of the work week, the Kennedy Dress Shirt from Mizzen+Main is anything but ordinary. Again, it’s the proper response to the guy who might have a laughing snowman on his sweater.
  • The Trousers: Mizzen+Main Vice President Charcoal Chino – $135
    Going with a look that’s a bit more tailored this holiday season? This refined pair of charcoal chinos has your name all over ‘em.
  • The Tie: Seize Sur Vingt Dark Navy Herringbone Tie – $140
    Leave the holiday printed novelty tie at home — at least, that’s our recommendation. This classic tie is supremely well-made — the sort of tie James Bond might pair with a charcoal suit. That means it’s more than suitable for your holiday party.
  • The Watc: MVMT Watches White Gold Classic Watch – $110
    It’s tough to find a subtly stylish watch that doesn’t cost a boatload — this handsome rose gold watch from MVMT leaves you plenty of money to splurge on a fine bottle of wine for your holiday party host (or yourself).
  • The Boots: Johnston & Murphy Conard Wingtip Boots – $179
    Navigating winter’s treacherous terrain is no fun — Johnston and Murphy is here to help with stylish, affordable wingtip boots.
the fun outfit
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The “Fun” Outfit

  • Bonobos Capstone Italian Wool Tuxedo Jacket – $700
    Now, for the man who wants to dress with a bit more pep in his step this holiday season … we think this tailored, well-made Bonobos tuxedo jacket is the perfect starting point.
  • J. Crew Everyday Cashmere Cardigan in Deep Navy – $148
    It’s different than a black vest or a cumberbund, and because we’re having fun with this outfit … that’s a great thing. This cashmere cardigan provides both warmth and visual interest when it comes to an extra layer against the chill of winter.
  • Bonobos Jetsetter Stretch Dress Shirt – $128
    There’s virtually no wrong way to wear a sharp white dress shirt — that’s great news for you, because this simple option lets the striking tuxedo jacket do the talking.
  • The Tie Bar Solid Satin Bow Tie – $19
    A holiday party calls for only your best ensemble, right? And there’s nothing sharper than a neat twist on a black-tie ensemble — this satin bow tie echoes elegant refinement.
  • Brooks Brothers Regent Fit Blackwatch Plaid Pants – $248
    Here’s perhaps the most “fun” part of this outfit — a pair of blackwatch plaid pants that exude vintage cool and a dash of sly style. Plus, who doesn’t love getting dressed up in tailoring from Brooks Brothers?
  • Allen Edmonds Carlyle Plain Toe Oxford – $395
    Because this outfit is based on a few statement pieces, there’s not a more elegant style move than black Oxfords for a smooth finish — Allen Edmonds makes some of the best out there, perfect for your holiday party.
  • Daniel Wellington Classic Sheffield Watch – $229
    To keep the focus on the plaid pants and burgundy tuxedo jacket — as sharp and stylish a combo as any — reach for a cleanly designed dress watch that’s a statement in and of itself.

Special thanks to our friends at Raven & Rose and The Rookery Bar in Portland, Oregon for allowing us to use their beautiful and historic restaurant and bar as a backdrop for our photo shoot. 

Beau Hayhoe
Beau Hayhoe
Former Contributor
Beau Hayhoe is a freelance men's style writer, consultant and PR pro based in Brooklyn. Beau's menswear and gear writing has…
Breitling’s new Top Time is a wearable tribute to the Aston Martin DB5
The new watches rep the iconic Bond car right down to subdials shaped like its dashboard gauges.
Car, Watch, Man

Breitling just released a trio of heaters: the Top Time B01 Chronograph 41 Tribute to Aston Martin DB5, a three-edition collaboration with the British carmaker. The connection between the Swiss watchmaker and the British car company runs back to 1965, when a Top Time ref. 2002 appeared on Sean Connery's wrist in Thunderball, worn alongside the DB5 — the first Q-modified watch in the Bond series. It's a nice bit of trivia that the DB5 and that Top Time shared the screen in the same film, and both went on to outlive the movie by decades.

The car cues go deeper than the "squircle" gauge-shaped subdials: a wooden inner ring nods to the DB5's steering wheel, and each edition rides on a hand-colored gradient calfskin strap meant to read like automotive upholstery. All three run on Breitling's in-house Manufacture Caliber 01, a COSC-certified automatic chronograph with a 70-hour power reserve, visible through a sapphire caseback and finished with an Aston Martin-engraved rotor. The case measures 41mm. The editions are divvied up by material and rarity. Stainless steel with a silver dial is limited to 1,022 pieces and sticks closest to the original ref. 2002, while steel with a platinum bezel and black lacquered dial drops to 315 pieces.

Read more
Look to the sky for these space themed watches
These 5 space themed watches will have you seeing stars
Accessories, Strap, Wristwatch

It was the 1960s. We were in the middle of a Cold War with Russia, and instead of escalating to an actual war with bullets and bombs, we took the conflict to the sky. We created a war of economics, science, and morale in a race to the sky to be the first nation to reach the moon. While the race picked up throughout the decade, it came down to the wire before the USA won the race by landing on the moon (if you believe that sort of thing and don't believe Stanley Kubrick directed the greatest ruse of all time). In any case, no race can be run without a good timekeeper. And watches were a must-have for all involved. Ever since, chronophiles like me have been obsessed with space-themed watches and, in particular, moon mission watches.

That is why I happened to have this list in my head. Five watches that bring the space race and the great beyond to the forefront of thinking to build a collection that is out of this world.

Read more
Legendary designer has a project coming up you may not know about
Legendary designer, Tom Ford, is writing and directing a film adapting the Anne Rice novel, Cry to Heaven
Accessories, Formal Wear, Tie

Tom Ford is a name that every fashionisto knows well. He is the top of the top when you talk about famous suit makers. He began his career changing the landscape of multiple brands, including Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, before launching his own self-named brand of his own in 2005. The brand has remained a mainstay in the industry for the last 20 years, including the acquisition of Estée Lauder in 2022 for an estimated $2.8 billion. For the movie buffs in the room, you also likely know about Tom Ford because he became the exclusive tailor and suitmaker for Daniel Craig's James Bond for Quantum of Solace in 2008. He carried that gig all the way through the series and defined men's style for two decades.

Now, for the real cinephiles in the room, you may also know that Tom Ford himself is a movie buff and entered the industry as a writer and a director in 2009 by directing A Single Man with Colin Firth and Julianne Moore. Then again in 2016 with Nocturnal Animals with Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Michael Shannon. Of course, the wardrobe was stellar in both, and we will get a chance to see his talents onscreen again this fall with a new Anne Rice adaptation, Cry to Heaven.

Read more