Do people buy a new christmas party dress every year for the work ‘do’ (and then never have occasion to wear it again..!)

[Poppysball]

Every year I feel I have to buy a new dress for the christmas party and i spend far too long wasting time trying to find one I like that doesn’t cost the earth. My DH says just wear the one you wore last year, no-one will remember. But I think I would remember if my close colleagues wore the same dress particularly as some of them are quite glam and memorable. It’s almost like an unwritten rule that you don’t wear the same dress twice!

Once I’ve found something that I’m reasonably (never fully) happy with, I never seem to have anywhere to wear it again and so it just goes back in the wardrobe, having been worn for just a few hours.

I haven’t got alot of spare money for clothes and so I’d rather spend it on things I’m going to get wear out of. But our xmas party is such a dressed up affair I feel almost under pressure to find a fab new dress, just as everyone else seems to but I’m starting to really not want to spend the money.

So was just wondering if other people feel similar or if not what do you do/buy?

I buy a new dress, but I get it from the charity shop and I tend to trade in my old one, so it's almost like a swap. That way I don't feel as bad about not wearing it again, and its cheaper

Yes I usually get something new every year, like you I don't have a lot of spare money for clothes and I'd rather spend it on something I will get wear from. But...I do wear the outfit to my work do, Xmas day, mum's night out and maybe a date with Dp.

Then once I'm sure I'm done with it, it will go on eBay, I won't get full cost back but I've had a few wears and recouped some money.

No. If I bother to go I wear a dress from my wardrobe. I can't see why it would matter a jot if someone recognised it from a previous occasion.

If buying a new dress gives you confidence and adds to your enjoyment, then go for it, but if you're just conforming to an unwritten rule and would rather use the money elsewhere, then be the one to break free from a pointless and wasteful convention.

I usually wear the same dress for Christmas Day or at another Christmas night out depending on the style of it

Thanks these are both great ideas I hadn’t thought of.

I usually get a party dress to wear to various "dos" in November/December and also wear the ones from the last couple of years as well so they get some use.

There's a couple I loved and am hanging onto because they suit me, otherwise I'll donate anything I'm unsure about or is getting abit tight as I move towards menopause .

I would just get one from eBay if you know it's only going to be worn once, then sell/donate it on.

I often wear the same one and hope everyone else was drunk and can’t remember!

Our work Xmas do isn't posh enough to warrant a dress but I have worn the same dress to every wedding I have been to for the past eight years. All my friends joke about me "dragging the old red dress out again" but I don't give a fuck - it fits, it's still smart and I hate dress shopping so until it falls apart that's what I'm wearing!

I get one that works for almost everything I go to over Christmas 😂... work do, friends dinner, Christmas Day. Then I tuck it away for a few years and rotate it back in.

No I don't. Everyone gets pissed and no-one remembers.

I recycle my dress amd wear it several times regardless of who is at the party. I like to get the cost per wear down.

I personally think that’s crazy! Have a couple in rotation, it’s a WORK party! I never understand the need to buy something new for each event.

I buy a new dress each year but I enjoy shopping and getting dressed up. I do always sell them on eBay though or keep them if it's something I know I could use for other events through the year

I was wondering the very same this this morning when i passed all the shops with amazing glittery frocks (that you couldn’t really wear at the PTA meetings).

The best dress I ever bought was about 20 years ago - beautifully cut black velvet with silk edging - knee length skirt and long sleeves. I wore it for Christmas, new year, work events when I was pregnant - hell I even wore it as the base for a witch costume for Halloween! Changing shoes and jewellery make it the ideal for dressing up or down.

I still have loads of sparkly and very dressy frocks (pre baby days when I had money) that I know realistically I know I won’t ever wear again.

I buy a really nice dress and spend a little bit more and then wear it for 3 or 4 years. If my work colleagues notice I dont care and anyway they probably don't notice. I dont remember what anyone else wears. When I'm fed up of it I sell it on Ebay. If someone wants to look down on you for wearing the same dress it says more about them than you imo.

I used to when I was 20, but only for a few years. I guess it depends whether you have the spare cash and how much you like buying dresses!

I used to until I ended up donating around 10 dresses that I'd only ever worn once. I then started hiring designer dresses for less than I'd spend on the dress I'd only wear once. I'd recommend you go down that route, there are quite a few companies that do this now.

I have 2 Xmas do's so I tend to buy one new one and then use one out of my wardrobe for the other and rotate them. As an example I bought a green dress for Xmas do A last year but will wear that one for Xmas do B this year.
I genuinely couldn't tell you what any of my colleagues were wearing last year though so I wouldn't worry about re wearing them!!

I have a couple and rorate them round. If you are going for something that doesn't stand out loads e.g. black, navy I doubt anyone would notice and who cares if they do!

I used to but one year I got so many compliments I decided I couldn't beat it and I'd just keep wearing it. It was an expensive dress that I'd found vastly reduced and I still bring it out for every formal occasion. Its 12yo now, I still get compliments and I'm too old to care what others think about me wearing the same thing.

It saves me hours of stressing over what to wear and its good for the environemnt. It's quite normal for a man to wear the same DJ for years on end, why do we let "them" put this pressure, never mind expense on us?

I'm not buying a new one this year as strapped for cash so just going to wear one from a few years ago. It's very distinctive and people will recognise but I really dont care.

I like the dress hiring idea!

I have three on rotation, I don't like dressing up and avoid it if at all possible (mainly because of shoe issues) so they do only get worn once a year. Last year I decided to go more casual and it was fine so I think I'm going to ditch out of party dresses again this year.

I do however I have gone from buying a new phase eight etc dress in my first few years to now getting something from ASOS or somewhere similar.

I hardly ever go to parties now where I can wear a nice dress and I enjoy it, so the buying something new every year is a part of it for me. If you feel like you want something new but don’t want to spend loads, there are ways of doing it. Ebay is great for this kind of thing