Budget-Friendly Ways to Dress for a Holiday Party + Kardinal Offishall’s Annual Xmas Party for Free The Children!

The holidays are literally upon us, and 'tis the season of being broke. Between Christmas shopping, furniture shopping (yes, a big move coming soon!) and splurging on winter skincare products in an attempt to save my parched epidermis, I'm on a seriously tight budget.

So when I got invited to attend "Free the City", Kardinal Offishall's 15th annual Christmas party in support of Free The Children on December 19th, I, of course, had a "Omg, what am I going to wear, ESPECIALLY when I do not have the means to spend a ton of money on a dress right now!" moment.


Thanks to social media (particularly Instagram), I now totally understand the pressure celebrities feel to never wear the same thing twice (and for those who don't care, kudos to them!) As my friend wisely said, "You know if you get a dress, you can only wear it once because let's face it, we're going to Instagram the HELL out of that night!" Touche.

So with no cash for new one-time only dress and a closet full of old dresses that has already been photographed, what's a girl to do? Get creative.

Here, a few tips on how to dress for a holiday party when you're on a budget:

1. Rent a Dress
Designer dresses for a fraction of the price? Yes, please! Rent Frock Repeat offers designer dresses for women across Canada to rent for a short period of time (think Badgley Mischka for $90, David Dixon for $75 and Christian Siriano for $95).  They even offer you a back-up size just in case the first dress doesn't fit properly.

2. Borrow from a friend
...especially if she's got great style. Put your own personal spin on a garment from a friend to transform it into a completely new look. If she has a party to go to and is stuck in a rut like you, trade! Just make sure you take good care of your friend's garment. You wouldn't want that BCBG dress returned to you with a red wine stain, now would you?

3. Buy a simple dress 
Rather than go for something extravagant like a sparkly sequinned mini, spend your money instead on a simple dress that won't be so easily recognizable should you choose to wear it again. Then...

4. Invest in accessories
Whether it be a pair of heels, a killer statement necklace or even a faux fur throw, you can easily upgrade that new dress (or even that old LBD that's been sitting in your closet)

5. Pull a Kate Middleton and not give a damn!
Because if Kate can do an outfit repeat (or threepeat), so can you.

I'll be following tip number two for Kardinal Offishall's annual Christmas party at Muzik nightclub in Toronto.

The event, which is co-hosted by Nelly Furtado, Hot 97's Cipha Sounds and DJ Babey Drew will feature red carpet appearances and live performances by Kardinal and his friends (past VIP guests include Jay-Z, Sean Paul and Akon!). All proceeds from "Free the City" will provide 10 inner-city youth the opportunity to volunteer in rural Kenya next summer with Free the Children in partnership with Me to We and 30-Elephants.com.

For more information and to donate to www.freethechildren.com/freethecity.

And if you'll be at the party, see you there!