How to Glam Up For This Year's Office Christmas Party

Be the center of attention this Christmas

With Christmas around the corner, offices across the globe have started preparations for their very own parties. Unlike present-shopping, which tends to happen at the very last minute, getting ready for office parties happens much sooner, with many already knowing what they will wear for this very unique occasion.

Should you combine gold and silver? Will you add a touch of glitter to this year’s outfit? Will you go for high stiletto shoes or ankle strap heels? Decisions, decisions... We have prepared our own style guide to help you out with what most likely will be one of 2017’s most memorable events.

Choose a fitted dress to show your curves to the world...or...errr...your office!

Christmas dinner won’t happen until the 24th and if you have been on the most popular diet this year, i.e. five a day, chances are you are still proud of your curves! A nicely fitted long sleeve dress will keep you warm if you decide to leave the premises and do some al fresco networking mid-party and it will also show your body in its truest glory. Choose from one of these beautiful prom dresses to awe your boss and colleagues!

Combine it with a powerful set of drop earrings

You could decide to go for something plain and simple, in order to make sure it is to everyone’s taste, but as far as we are concerned, you are the star of the party and you deserve to be noticed. Why not choose this wonderful set of earrings from H&M? That’s what Christmas is all about, after all - color and sparkle! And we guarantee you, these will look fab no matter what dress you decide to combine them with.

Go for killer heels that will silence the room

Sure, heels can be painful and standing on them for hours can be terrible for your delicate feet, but who’s complaining? With the Christmas office party happening just once a year, this pain is worth enduring. Match that fabulous prom dress with one of these killer heels and stun the room this December. After all, you have worked hard and it would be a shame not to look the part for the grand finale. Go on, treat yourself!

Pick a clutch that matches the dress’ color

We have been known to go a bit crazy during our shopping sprees, women that is. Christmas music playing from the loudspeakers, dozens of shoppers in hectic mode and wintery weather outside the stores makes us all go a bit mad when we go out and hunt for the perfect season dress. However, stay cool when choosing the clutch. This is the make or break fashion accessory and if the decision is rushed, you could end up looking like a badly programmed Katy Perry concert. These clutches are all under $70 and we are loving the look of them!

We hope you got inspired by our Christmas party fashion tips above. Good luck and behave responsibly! Or don’t! Most importantly, don’t let go of your clutch and walk upright. Remember, Christmas parties only happen once a year!

fashionado

Sir ARI GOLD ~ Spirit, Flesh, Sparkle

Sir Ari Gold

is certain to

'Sparkle'

at the

Atlanta Pride

stage this week. I got turned on to Ari Gold about four years ago through his music videos which played regularly on the LogoTV Network. The music was great and well, Ari was easy on the eyes. So, with that said, you can imagine my excitement when I read in

Project Q

that Ari Gold was to headline Pride! I wasted no time in contacting him for a "chat".

We chatted about the things that matter most to Sir Ari Gold: his music & LBGT rights. And if you're not familiar with his music, Gold describes it as a mixture of R&B, dance, soul and pop. [

I describe it as fabulous.

]

I asked Sir Ari Gold how he came to choose Atlanta Pride and learned that we chose him! He said: The Pride Committee approached me. I've done about fifty Prides but I have never done Atlanta. I'm excited to come. I hear Atlanta has a love of music.

What can we expect on Sunday October 9th?

I want people to get a good feeling of what I do. I'll perform songs from the new album

Between the Spirit & the Flesh

. I'm bringing dancers along with me so we'll take a journey with my sets. I like to give a little theater...

You made a choice to be openly gay. Will you talk about that?

I think it stems from being an

artist and not really being famous nor rich but its more about being able to write and sing about the things I'm passionate about. I couldn't justify in my head being 'out' in my public and private life and not having that be a part of what I do. I need to write about the things I see every day from the perspective of a gay man - that's a big part  of my life...

How did folks react at first to your lyrics and content?

I came into resistance from the industry. Unfortunately many of them were gay themselves who told me I should go into the closet or that I won't sell records.

You are an active supporter of gay/civil rights and anti-bullying. Tell me about [your]

It Gets Better

video.

I read

Dan Savage's

column religiously. Its amusing and informative. I saw a call for those videos so I did one. That too got a great response! Whenever I can use my platform to propell acceptance to move LBGT people forward, I try and do so. [

WATCH VIDEO

]

When I asked Sir Ari Gold about his musical inspirations he laughed a little because he gets asked this loaded question all the time. He answered as concisely as possible since his influences are multi-layered and  cross generational:

[At first] I loved and worshiped many great artists in the 80's like Michael Jackson, Madonna and George Michael. However, as I did my research, I fell in love with the 70's and artists like Sylvester, Chaka Khan and  Johnny Hideway.  And of course, I'm influenced by 90's.

The videos for

Human, Make My Body Rock

and

Wave of You

are some of my favorites. They're beautifully artistic. Sir Ari Gold describes the sexy

Make My Body Rock

video as "a True Blood meets Mad Men deconstruction of heterosexual marriage and a heterosexist economy." His

Wave of You

video was a collaboration between Ari and director Guy Guido and serves as an homage to the "iconic" body of work of the late photographer Herb Ritts.

Currently, Sir Ari Gold is promoting his new album, the critically acclaimed,

Between the Spirit & the Flesh.

The second single to be released,

Sparkle

, features the vocals of

Sarah Dash

. The song serves as a "self-empowerment" anthem and "a rallying cry against all bullies" as described by Sir Ari.

When I asked if he'd ever consider doing a full concert in Atlanta Ari enthusiastically answered, "I would love to!" In the meantime, you can enjoy Sir Ari Gold on Pride Sunday, October 9th at the

Coca-Cola Stage

at 6:15. [

I know I'll be there... not missing this one!!

]

BTW, and if you're wondering why the "Sir"... Ari was knighted by the

Imperial Court of New York

...

fashionado