Blake Lively's red dress: The ultimate holiday party outfit solution
ETimes December 16, 2025 12:39 AM
December gets chaotic, fast. One minute you’re planning menus, the next you’re panic-buying gifts and realising you have said yes to three parties in one week. And somewhere in all that, you’re also expected to figure out what to wear. This is usually the point where we look to celebrities for help. This Christmas, Blake Lively is basically telling us: relax, just wear a red dress.
She proved it earlier this month when she stepped out for her Blake Brown Beauty x Stoney Clover Lane holiday party. A day before, she’d been in full drama mode in a feather-heavy Tamara Ralph outfit. But this time, she dialled it down and honestly, it worked even better. She went for the ultimate festive staple: a little red dress.
The dress in question was the Alice dress by Annina, and it ticked all the right boxes. Sleeveless, tea-length, and made in rich ruby-red silk taffeta, it had structure without feeling stiff. A corset-style bodice, a neatly pleated skirt, and soft ruffles along the straps gave it shape and movement. Festive, yes. Over-the-top, not at all. And the best part? It’s not some impossible-to-find couture piece. It’s made to order and actually available, which makes it feel refreshingly doable.
The colour did most of the work, so Blake kept everything else pretty clean. No handbag because the dress has pockets (the dream). Then came the shoes. Pointed pumps with gold crocodile detailing, crystal flowers around the ankles, and those iconic red soles. Classic Louboutin. Slightly extra. Completely Blake.
Her jewellery choice is where things got interesting. Instead of defaulting to gold, she went all in with emeralds. A bold emerald necklace sat at her neckline, matched with statement rings and stud earrings, all by Lorraine Schwartz. Red and green can feel a bit too obvious for Christmas, but somehow, this didn’t. It felt sharp, styled, and very intentional.
Lorraine Schwartz’s emeralds have that effect. They’re basically collector’s pieces in Hollywood. Everyone from Salma Hayek to Kendall Jenner has worn them, often with deep reds and wine tones. Blake’s look just showed how well that pairing works outside a red carpet, too - perfect for holiday parties where you want to look festive without trying too hard.
The real takeaway here is simple. You don’t need to overthink your Christmas outfits. A well-fitted red dress, a good pair of shoes, and one strong jewellery moment can do all the work for you. Yes, red and green are classic holiday colours. But as Blake Lively just reminded us, classics stick around because they actually work.
So if your December calendar is filling up and your outfit ideas are running dry, take this as your cue. Sometimes, the easiest answer really is the best one. Just wear the red dress.
