The Best Party Dress We’ve Seen This Year? It’s From M&S And Is £50 – And You’ll Wear It To Everything

You've perfected your punch recipe and turned your front room into a twinkling grotto. But what about the main event – your party dress? Because it’s no mean feat to find something that’s comfortable, head- turning and priced at that sweet spot around £50 while preparing for a bash that’s going to be talked about until next Christmas.

If that feels impossible, take inspiration from the fashion set, who’ve already decided what a ‘mistletoe’ dress – one so special you are guaranteed admiring glances at the very least – looks like.

To Larisa Klitsinari, communications and PR manager at De Beers, it’s a mini from Saint Laurent, which she scored on Vestiaire Collective. ‘It’s heavy silk with long sleeves and a deep V-cut all the way to the waist. From behind it looks like any little black dress but, when you turn, the effect is immediate,’ she says, adding, ‘Every time I wear it something fun and unexpected happens and that feeling never gets old.’ A mistletoe dress means different things to different people but, according to Dua Lipa, Maya Jama, Taylor Swift and Demi Moore, your best bet for a 2023 spin is something silver.

M&S has a dress that ticks all the boxes: it’s a) high-necked, long-sleeved and has a midi length that will look great with sheer tights, b) silver, and c) clocks in at £49.50. Ding, ding, ding! (Grazia's Anna Silverman wore it to the office bash and, as you can see below, it's a tried-and-tested knockout.)

When M&S posted a reel on social media featuring the silver scene-stealer, sales rocketed by 100%. ‘We’re thrilled with the reaction to the dress, worn by Zawe Ashton in our Christmas ad,’ says Lisa Illis, M&S’s head of design. ‘Metallics are perfect for dressing up during the festive period and beyond. We’ve seen some super-stylish women wearing the dress.’

It’s true this is the kind of piece that could be really dressed up (with shoulder- grazing crystal earrings or satin slingbacks) or left to speak for itself with a simple tailored coat and slouchy knee-high boots. Maya Jama wore an iteration – a spangled, strapless number by Sabina Bilenko – with point-toe pumps for extra sharpness. Olivia Rodrigo, meanwhile, styled her little silver slip with Dr Martens. The choice is yours.

There are plenty of mistletoe dresses on the high street for around £50 and you don’t have to shimmer in silver. John Lewis’s scores for its holly berry-red hue (£55). ‘Red dresses are bright enough to make a statement but also great when paired with black tights and boots,’ says Queralt Ferrer, design director at John Lewis. ‘Our Anyday red dress has proved popular. It was designed with longevity in mind, so it can also be worn throughout the year.’

For now, mistletoe at the ready!