Athena Calderone Leans Into the "Grandeur and Glamour" of Holiday Dressing

For Athena Calderone, there's nothing like the holiday season in New York. "[The city] makes you want to pull out all the stops," the interior designer, cook, and author tells Marie Claire. Between the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree and the Fifth Avenue window displays, "it's a gentle nudge to really lean into the grandeur and the glamour" of her winter wardrobe. "There's something about New York that keeps us young, festive, and alive."

So, when Calderone hosted a soirée with Aritzia to celebrate the brand's holiday edit in her recently renovated Tribeca home, she dressed to the nines. "[The holidays] are that beautiful excuse to turn up the volume to really lean into the decadence of the season," she says. "As much as I'm a white poplin button-down and jeans kind of gal, I also love to put on a glamorous dress."

Slip dresses are her signature for elevated holiday events because "you can move really easily in [them]," she says. "I love timeless pieces that carry some sort of sophistication, with [a feature] that feels a little sexy." With that in mind, she chose Aritzia's Tidal Satin Halter Dress for the event, saying it was "totally evocative" of her personal aesthetic: "The way [the fabric] fell on the body was super elegant, but the open back was the wow moment."

As "a really last-minute choice," she slipped on silver stilettos. While she has a penchant for metallic pieces at home (she collects vintage silver) and in her jewelry collection, she skipped statement earrings in favor of a silver pin, tucked inside her slicked-back bun. "I tend to be a bit restrained in how I adorn my looks," she says. "The silver in my hair and the silver shoe bookended this elegant white dress."

If she wasn't hosting in her home, Calderone would have finished the look with a collarless faux fur coat.

Since turning 50 last year, Calderone's closet—especially the cold-weather chapter—has taken a turn. "I'm embodying this businesswoman, a little bit more polished, a little bit more tailored," she says. "But at night, I definitely like to do something sexy." See the scoop-neck sweater dress she wore to a Chanel dinner, and the red velvet shawl she styled at the American Ballet Theatre Fall Gala last month.

In terms of her "controlled" color palette, Calderone stays loyal to neutral shades. "I tend to wear browns, blacks, and creams quite a lot, but I think if I am introducing color, I really love wine, Bordeaux, or oxblood color," she says. Before the Aritzia affair, however, she dipped her toe into the butter-yellow trend with a silky button-down style. For a more mellow holiday get-together, Calderone plans to pair the creamy cardigan with tailored, high-waisted trousers.

"The holidays started my love of food, design, and setting the table—it's kind of the center of what I do and what I love," Calderone says, reflecting on the "warm world" she created with Aritzia, which included a grazing table that guests gathered around. "I get to lean into creating a spectacular meal and thinking about all of those flavors and how they come together, but also setting the table, setting the mood, and making sure there's an energy in my home that feels relaxed and festive."

For Calderone, those moments make the holidays special, "even when we've had too much to drink, the candle wax is dripping, there are red wine marks. Everyone's relaxed, and their heart[s are] open, and they're laughing, happy, and lingering," she says. "Designing and [creating] a home makes you feel a certain way—fashion does the same."