19 Vintage and Handmade New Years Eve Dresses

Oh, the end of December. It’s many people’s favorite time of year, what with the one-two punch of Hannukah/Christmas and New Year’s. And why shouldn’t it be? It’s all about family, love, food and partying. Nothing not to like in there! In my house growing up, New Year’s was always a pretty quiet affair. Whoever could muster up the strength to eat mom’s cooking for a week straight and then stay up long enough to watch the ball drop in New York from the TV screen was the prize winner of… bragging rights? Yawn. As much fun as hanging out in your PJ’s in front of the TV can be (and believe me, I’m not fighting off it’s cherished place in my life), by the time I’d hit the road and moved out after high school, I was always out-and-about for New Year’s. And, as a certified big dress loving girlie-girl, getting dressed up has always been the best part of the holiday for me. As I’ve gotten older, the celebrations have gotten smaller (on the agenda this year is a Mad Men themed affair at a best friend’s house), but the costumes never do!

While it might be a little late in the game to be ordering online, we hope that this roundup of fancy party dresses will get you in the mood and get you at least perusing your local Goodwill or thrift shop for your own finds. Worse comes to worse, you can always bribe one of the shops below with an extra $20 to ship you something overnight. But no matter what you do, I hope you do it safely, with renewed spirit in your heart for the year to come and wearing something that makes you feel awesome – whether that’s sparkly house shoes or high heels. When else… and why not? Cheers and happy new year, friends!