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Christmas has begun. Don’t come for me with your pedantry about partridges and pear trees. The lights are lit, the turkey sandwiches are in Pret: ’tis the season, already. For the next few weeks we will be in a bubble that has its own festive rules. This is an alternate universe in which it is perfectly acceptable to have Michael Bublé on your Spotify playlist and to drink at lunchtime (to be fair, it is almost dark by then) and non-negotiable to play parlour games.
Christmas also comes with its own set of fashion rules, some of which are set in stone, and others which are updated every year. So I thought it may be helpful to have a quick refresher on how to dress for Christmas. Not least because one of the ways in which this time of year is its own little world is that even people who don’t like parties go to parties.
If parties aren’t really your thing, you probably dress to reflect that. You go in full wallflower regalia so people don’t make the mistake of thinking you may be fun to talk to. Here’s the thing: you are better off doing completely the opposite. Instead of trying to blend into the background, wear something that gives the impression you are in a party mood. This is the better strategy, for several reasons.
Number one: you can in fact dress yourself into a party mood. If you wear something upbeat, you put yourself in a more party-appropriate headspace. Number two: if you look as if you are fun at parties, people will come and chat to you, and this makes parties more fun. Number three: if you arrive with a bang, then if you still find you aren’t in the mood a little later, you can make a French exit and everyone will remember you as having been on great form.
Some old party dressing rules no longer apply. For instance, the old stricture about showing only legs or cleavage and not both feels a little outdated in the age of the naked dress, so if skin is your thing, go for it. There is new etiquette to navigate instead. For example: making an effort no longer tracks with buying a new outfit. A dress from a vintage store, or recycled from your own wardrobe, is more of a flex these days. Fashion is always about how we live now.
Also, if you are going to a party in someone’s home, bear in mind that they may impose a shoes-off rule, so that means nice socks, even if you thought they were going to be hidden under your boots; don’t choose an outfit that you only feel good in while wearing a heel. And, finally, make sure your phone fits in your evening bag or in a pocket: the endless plaintive cry of “Have you seen my phone?” gets old fast.
But the most important rule of Christmas dressing is an evergreen one. From now until new year, think about what you would wear for an equivalent event in the non-festive period, and then turn the dial up by a generous 30%. This is the only way to fit in. You are operating against a backdrop of fairy lights and tinsel, so an understated outfit that may work perfectly any other time of year can look inadvertently curmudgeonly.
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This doesn’t have to mean getting more dressed up, in the sense that it feels like a challenge. It doesn’t have to involve high heels or grand jewellery or the kind of dresses that involve a panicked 10-minute manhunt for a strapless bra that’s gone awol. All it takes is what I think of as fashion sprinkles, like icing sugar on a mince pie. Dig out your favourite earrings. Cinch your sweater with a bold belt with a shiny gold buckle. Or – my favourite – swap your opaques for party tights, whether sparkly black ones, or Calzedonia’s adorable sheer pair embroidered with little red hearts, £20.99. Fancy sheer tights are perfect for Christmas: just kitsch enough, but still with a sophisticated, cocktail-bar vibe. Shall we get this party started? It’s time.
Model: Imogen May at Milk. Styling assistant: Charlotte Gornall. Hair and makeup: Sophie Higginson using Color Wow and Nars. Dress, £110, Albaray. Heels, £52, River Island. Socks, £6, Glassworks
