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As holiday party invites begin to roll in, the panic-induced hunt for the cocktail dress to trump all cocktail dresses sets in. Hours of internet searches and exhaustive mall crawls later, all you're left with is a lackluster bodycon get-up you impulsively bought on Black Friday. This year, we've done the hard work for you by scouring the market and finding the four best party dress trends of the season. We did the shopping for you, too, choosing four options (starting around $40) for each trend.
Lace: Show some skin without fully exposing yourself on chilly winter nights. Play up the texture by teaming it with a pair of velvet heels.
Slip: For a black-tie event, you can't go wrong with a slinky, minimalist dress and metallic jewelry.
Velvet: If you're looking for something to wear to your end-of-year office party, consider a velvet wrap-dress with tights and peep toe booties.
Sequined: It's not a holiday party without an abundance of sequins. Keep the shiny accessories to a minimum and opt for a small box clutch to complete the look.
Shop all of these trends from across the web, from Topshop to Alexander Wang, in our gallery above.