My office is having its annual holiday party today, and I’ve been excited from the moment I got my invite.

I came up with several dress possibilities, ranging from embroidered cocktail dresses to velvet gowns. It is very rare that I get to dress up, so I was thrilled with the long anticipated opportunity.

But then I realized this week, with growing amounts of horror, that the majority of my coworkers were planning to dress as they would on any other workday. Any other workday. I’m at a health tech start-up, so I’m talking lots of flannel, graphic t-shirts, Converses, and joggers.

On a normal day, these are clothing items I can happily get behind, but on what may very well be the most fabulous workday of the year?! Devastating!

I’m all about pushing the envelope, fashion-wise, but even I can’t over-dress two standard deviations above the fashion formality norm. If plaid and sweaters were going to be the baseline, I certainly couldn’t bust out the lush red velvet gown that I was planning on wearing.

Enter This Dress.

Work appropriate, classy enough to satisfy my dress-up cravings, and absolutely gorgeous. I tend to love most of the French Connection finds I happen upon in my favorite department store, Lord & Taylor, but this one in particular caught my eye like no other. The cut is immensely flattering, the colors are rich, and while it’s free of the embroidery, lace, and velvet I was so deeply hoping to wear at our holiday party, it still makes a lovely statement.

To ensure no one would accuse me of not dressing up after I hyped up my dress-up desires for so long, I paired it with these affordable BCBGeneration heels, which make the classic Valentino Rockstud style attainable for those of us who aren’t yet able to drop a thousand dollars on a pair of heels. (One day! *shakes fist*) They are surprisingly not uncomfortable to walk in, look stunning in person, and are easily confused with the real deal! (I have coworkers who own actual Valentinos and even they thought I was wearing a pair!)

Now that I’ve got my OOTD sorted, bring on the white wine! The red wine! The cider! The champagne! And, let’s face it, the hangover!

What are you guys wearing to your work holiday parties? I hope your work party dress codes are fancier than my office’s!