Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Life

8 Modest Party Dresses To Wear To Your Family Hanukkah Party This Weekend

Aside from the oil-drenched foods, the dreidel playing and chocolate coins, Hanukkah is all about family. And if your very religious cousins are hosting this year’s Hanukkah bash, it can be difficult to find the perfect party dress. After all, you want to look cute, but you need to stay modest. So what’s a nice Jewish gal to do? Luckily, we’ve put together 8 dresses that are on-trend, festive and, most importantly, modest.

1)

Image by Amazon.com

Florals aren’t just for spring anymore. In fact, they’re the perfect metaphor for Hanukkah — the florals serve to remind us of “days long ago” when the sun was shining and the birds were chirping and the flowers were blooming. It’s the light in the darkness we call winter, providing hope that even as we shiver through the chill, spring will soon come.

Unibelle floral dress, $20.99-$36.99, amazon.com

2)

Image by Amazon.com

Holiday season is all about the sparkle, and wearing a sequin dress is basically an obligation for those who are serious about observing the festive cheer. Take it up a notch and pair with sequin booties.

Carmen Marc Valvo Infusion sequin cocktail dress, $295, amazon.com

3)

Image by Amazon.com

Just because it’s modest doesn’t mean it can’t look sexy. Sheer dresses allow you the freedom to cover or reveal however much (or little) you want, depending on the kind of slip worn underneath.

Nicole Miller Studio, $98, amazon.com

4)

Image by Amazon.com

Much like a swishy skirt, dramatic sleeves make movement in an outfit even more fun. However, beware of the buffet table — dipping an errant sleeve into the bowl of applesauce is a sartorial hazard and should be avoided at all costs.

Maggy London bell-sleeve sheath dress, $82.99-$118, amazon.com

5)

Image by Amazon.com

The holidays require an added dose of drama to your wardrobe, but if you prefer a simple sheath silhouette, a bold red print fits the bill.

London Times sheath dress, $98, amazon.com

6)

Image by Amazon.com

If the idea of wearing a fitted dress makes you break into a sweat, a flattering fit-and-flare silhouette may be your best best. And if color and sparkle scare you, a classic navy hue may be just the ticket — just add high heels and layer on the jewels to glam it up.

Julian Taylor fit-and-flare dress, $59-$60, amazon.com

7)

Image by Amazon.com

Velvet is a classic holiday fabric — rich, sumptuous and luxurious, its the textile equivalent of the plentiful meals that define the holiday season, specifically the sheer numbers of latkes and donuts. Speaking of sheer, this dress have plenty of that too.

Rachel Roy velvet jacquard dress, $159, amazon.com

8)

Image by Amazon.com

Take your love of velvet to the next level with a jewel-tone aubergine hue. The side-ruching is critical to hiding the food baby that is bound to increase in size as the night wears on.

Eliza J, side-ruched velvet dress, $118, amazon.com

Michelle Honig is the style writer at the Forward. Contact her at [email protected]. Find her on Instagram and Twitter.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.