Festive, But Make It Fashion: A Gothic Guide to Holiday Dressing
The ultimate guide to looking outrageously good at every holiday celebration
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
Holiday season is upon us and, honestly, it’s the best excuse we get all year to sparkle a little harder than usual. It’s the stretch of winter where you celebrate the people you adore and politely unravel with the coworkers you usually only interact with at face value.
It’s gift exchanges, questionable playlists, desserts to die for and the annual reminder that looking stunning is absolutely part of the tradition.
Whatever the invitation says, this is your moment to show up as the most festive, most fashionable version of your gothic self.
1. Party Looks
Party season with friends and acquaintances where the drama gets to come out and play, providing plenty of material to keep the tea hot until spring.
Long satin dresses slip through the room with scandalous slits while black corset gowns flare into mermaid skirts designed to make an entrance. There’s a formfitting noir number with mesh windows placed so strategically it should come with a warning label (and some double-sided tape!), and a fringe dress straight out of The Great Gatsby for anyone who prefers their sparkle vintage and a little unruly.
Heels come adorned with daggers, bags arrive embellished and the necklaces sit high on the collarbone.
The Vamp treats the party like her natural habitat, The Heiress floats through it like she owns the venue, The Brat adapts the dress’s slit as a whole personality for the evening and the Pinup brings Jessica Rabbit energy to 2025.
2. Intimate Dinner Ensembles
An intimate holiday dinner is where mood and magic share a table. Blood-red dresses glow against black and gold accents, turning satin and velvet into a quiet kind of decadence that suit The Romantic Goth, Oracle and Whimsy Goth in different ways.
One leans into the narrative of smouldering colour, one the drama of intense texture while the other treats the whole evening like a fairytale written in the margins.
The standout accessory is a red storybook clutch embroidered with The Nutcracker — a piece so charming and theatrical that it feels like a prop from a winter fantasy. It’s the perfect finishing touch for a dinner that’s meant to feel soft, opulent and a little otherworldly.
3. Office Party Essentials
The office party is one of the only nights a year where polished professionalism loosens its grip juuuuuust enough for style and silliness to take the reins.
An impeccably-tailored black satin tuxedo for The Corporate Goth sets the pace, paired with a leather loafer and pony hair bag. Jewel-toned tartan dresses sweep in for The Dark Academic, while velvet platforms at an element of gothic theatre. The Widow gravitates toward an architectural pantsuit that cuts like a quiet threat with heels that convert from heel to flat with one click, for gothic glamour with an escape plan.
Holiday style should feel more like a ritual than a requirement. Whether you’re seducing a room in velvet, twirling on the dance floor in tartan or slipping into satin like it’s a second language, the season is your chance to dress with intention and a little mischief.
Every gathering becomes more fun when the outfit has a story — and now you have plenty to choose from.
Which looks are you claiming this holiday season? Tell us below or tag #TheLaceLedger to show us on social.
