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This is the first time that I am going to attend a company Christmas party. I choose to wear this type of dress, and it is red. Do you think it is professional/appropriate to wear red? and in general this dress?

Or should I wear dark colors? The party is outside of the company and it is after work.

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    It's fine......
    – Stephan Branczyk
    Nov 28, 2019 at 21:42
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    Didn't we just have this one or two days ago? Must be the season for ladies to ask if their sleeveless above-knee-length dress is appropriate for Christmas parties in Canada. Edit: Ah I see, same person, different account.
    – ig-dev
    Nov 28, 2019 at 23:20
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    @JoeStrazzere: I have a strong feeling that we deal with a double account. Both women, same country, both beginners, questions asked at about the same time, same kind of event (I mean, not birthday party, not baby shower...), same links... Combined with linking to the same specific shop and the same specific product, I start to get a better picture...
    – virolino
    Nov 29, 2019 at 9:41
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    I doubt if Workplace Stack Exchange is really the best website for fashion advise like that.
    – Philipp
    Nov 29, 2019 at 12:22
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    @Philipp The link is not really about advertising here, I would guess it is SEO (search engine optimization). This shop/ this product is being talked about on legitimate websites like SE, hence the google engine thinks it is important and ranks the result higher.
    – quarague
    Nov 29, 2019 at 13:50

2 Answers 2

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I'm a woman in tech in Canada, I think this dress is ok. Red is definitely on the end of the spectrum in terms of the dresses I have seen. Most women dress in either black, gray, blue or something pattern of those colors. But I have seen red.

As long as you act professional, it'll be ok. But also, make sure it's not a casual dress code - I have been to a xmas party where jeans were appropriate...

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    Although even if it is casual, that dress is not so formal that it would break a casual code. Again, this becomes interpersonal at this point and isn't a hard-and-fast rule anymore. If someone wants to complain about you, they'll complain no matter what you do.
    – Nelson
    Nov 29, 2019 at 3:05
  • Am I the only one rolling my eyes at the idea of a "Casual code"?
    – komodosp
    Nov 29, 2019 at 8:42
  • I agree. It may be a bit out there for a normal work party, but it's fine for a festive Christmas one!
    – Gamora
    Nov 29, 2019 at 10:06
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    @colmde, I think so. Why? Why do we need to dress up to hang out with coworkers? I wear jeans and hoodies all year round. Why be uncomfortable and cold during a Christmas party just for the sake of fanciness?
    – Catsunami
    Nov 29, 2019 at 20:15
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    @Nelson, you're right, it's close enough to casual to pass. But working in a SW industry, if given the choice most people just wear jeans and tshirt (maybe a short sleeved collared shirt), so the dress is still fancier than 90% of people would be wearing. Just my experience in this industry...
    – Catsunami
    Nov 29, 2019 at 20:16
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Do you think it is professional/appropriate to wear red? and in general this dress?

I don't see any reason why not to wear that dress.

Judging by the picture, it doesn't seem too "provocative" or "showing too much skin", so even though I am male and don't know much about fashion, I think this dress is OK.

As a rule of thumb, even though this is outside work hours and outside the office, it is still a company event, thus you can take the chance to wear something more of your liking, but still I suggest you try to keep it professional (that is, don't go for something way too provocative or informal).

Additionally, you could ask around with your female coworkers and see what kind of dress they will wear, so you can judge if yours is "too much". You can also ask if there is a dress code already in place for events like this in your company (something HR or your boss can surely answer).

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