Green with envy! Everything you need to know about wearing the most popular holiday dress color

Hello, party people!  It’s officially December and as the holiday cards begin to roll in, you are probably receiving some party invitations, too.

With all the stress and excitement of the month, you may be at a loss of what to wear to your many events. This year, instead of reaching for your trusted little black dress, why not match the bright and colorful spirit of the season in a trendy festive shade?

According to a recent study conducted by Karen Millen, green is the most popular Christmas party color dress in America. But what shade is right for you? FEMAIL breaks down everything you need to know before abandoning your LBD. 

In addition to possessing a vitality and vibrancy that is undeniable, a big part of green’s popularity is due to luxury houses like Bottega Veneta.

The Italian label released so many punchy green-hued pieces over the past few seasons that the color ‘Bottega Green’ is in high demand with the fashion set.

This, coupled with the fact that red and green are synonymous with Christmas, makes it no surprise it’s the most sought-after color right now. 

In addition to possessing a vitality and vibrancy that is undeniable, a part of green’s popularity is due to luxury houses like Bottega Veneta. The Italian label released so many punchy green-hued pieces over the past few seasons that the color ‘Bottega Green’ is in demand hit with the fashion set

Determining your shade 

The fist step in determining which shade of green is best for you is identifying your skin’s undertones.

A simple trick to figuring this out is putting a piece of gold and silver jewelry up to your face. If gold looks better, then you are warm-toned, and if silver looks better, you are cool-toned.  

Warm-toned beauties should opt for greens with a yellow undertone like lime, olive, pistachio, chartreuse or Kelly green.

While greens with blue undertones, like emerald, turquoise, mint or cerulean look best against a cool-toned complexion.

Warm-toned beauties should opt for greens with a yellow undertone like lime, olive, pistachio, chartreuse or Kelly green. Taylor Russell looked like a present in a Kelly green gown on the red carpet

What colors should you pair it with? 

When combining colors wisely you not only will create a standout and unforgettable look, but show off your style savvy. 

The trick to experimenting with confidence is understanding the color wheel. 

The color wheel is broken down by primary, secondary, and tertiary colors.

Primary colors are red, yellow and blue. They are, in essence, the building blocks.

Secondary colors are achieved by mixing two primary colors together. 

The secondary colors on the wheel are orange, green and violet.

The tertiary colors are the other six formed by mixing a primary with a secondary. They are red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet, red-violet.

The trick to impactfully combining colors is understanding the color wheel. The color wheel is broken down by primary, secondary, and tertiary colors.

For a simple and clean look, accessorize a sharp green suit with neutral pumps, à la Zuri Hall, or, go monochromatic like Madelyn Cline

Afraid of pairing complementary colors together?  A swipe of red lipstick with her green sequin dress was all  Laura Barth needed to pull off the look

Attending an office gathering? Opt for a simple yet polished look that can take you from day to night with ease.

Try a sharp green suit with neutral pumps, à la Zuri Hall, or go monochromatic in a dress and matching boots like Madelyn Cline.

For a night on the town with your girls, have fun in something sparkly that gives main character energy like Laura Barth’s moss green sequin dress at the Sustainable Fashion Awards.

Turn heads with any of the below color combining methods: 

Complementary colors: sit opposite each other on the color wheel. Green and red are one of the most popular of these combos. Laura Barth effortlessly pulled off the two colors with a swipe of scarlet lipstick.

Triadic color combination: comprised of three colors evenly spaced (like a triangle) on the color wheel. A traditionally-balanced triadic color scheme focuses on one dominant color (in this case green), with the other two serving as accents (amber and purple).

Analogous colors: shades that sit next to each other on the color wheel, like green, teal and chartreuse. 

When in doubt, a fitted (not tight) dress teamed with metallic accessories will never fail and capture the spirit of the season. Happy holiday partying!