As well as cheese boards, mulled wine and listening to Last Christmas by Wham on repeat, my other love around Christmas time is, of course, the excuse to wear festive outfits for literally any occasion. Panto launch? Meal out? Christmas Markets? Get me all of the glitter, velvet and sequins you can find and decorate me like a Christmas tree.
Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been putting together some Christmassy looks, created from a mix of new purchases and older wardrobe pieces, some of which are being ‘recycled’ from my summer wardrobe, being made more winter-ready.
We’ve got green and green, velvet and sequins, glitter and stars, statement bows and stunning silhouettes – everything you need to get ready for the Christmas and party season.
Whether you’re getting glammed up for Christmas day or having a more relaxed Twixmas period, I hope this round up will spark some festive spirit and get you rummaging through the wardrobe to piece together your own party look.
Disco Inferno
I’ve been after a good black velvet blazer for about six years and had never come across one I really loved until I found this Stradivarius number at the Trafford Centre a few weeks ago. It was £45.99 and has the best shoulder pads for a structured look, and deep V neckline that – on a brave day – could see it be worn with a bralet. For this festive look, I paried the blazer with a glittery high-neck top purchased in a H&M sale, and some H&M glitter flared trousers that I got secondhand on Instagram.
The little crossbody bag was around £8 from Primark this AW22 season, styled with vintage leather Wrangler boots from Sparrowhawk, in Newcastle, a velvet hairband from Amazon, and discoball earrings from Sour Cherry in Afflecks Palace, in Manchester. I’m a big fan of the 70s vibe and silhouette this fit is giving.
Velvet tailoring
Prior to buying the Stadivarious blazer, I purchased a black velvet co-ord from Primark consisting of wide leg trousers and a corset style top, which both came in around £25. I love velvet for winter, and with the addition of the blazer, I had a three piece suit that I could mix and match to create multiple outfits. This outfit for the Pantomime press night was styled with some old Primark silver chelsea boots which are very Bowie-esque, and a £9 Primark bag.
Santa, baby
As soon as I saw this Girls of Film dress on the Little Mistress website, I knew it would be my ‘Christmas Day dress’, so I took it for a trial run at the Manchester Christmas Markets just to confirm comfort and practicality. I got it for the bargain price of £13 in the Black Friday sale, and it’s since been reduced further to £6, but is only available in very limited sizes. This velvet skater number is a dress that was made for Christmas, with a beautiful bust detailing and big velvet bow that ties at the neck.
I wore the dress with some gold glittered tights that cost £9 from Accessorize, black Dr Marten boots, a red ruched headband from Manchester brand Rommy, and a pair of earrings from Staffordshire independent Cloud and Clay.
Jewel tones
As well as ruby red hues, emerald green is another shade synonymous with Christmas, and now, of course, also matches my engagement ring. I bought this PrettyLittleThing bodysuit from the Bernardo’s charity shop in Manchester for £3 – and it was brand new with tags. At first I struggled to style it because it’s not my usual go-to kind of look, but I was really pleased with how this look turned out. I wore the bodysuit over a five-year-old mesh glitter top from Topshop which has the cutest lettuce cuff detailing, as well as a Miss Selfridge skirt I bought brand new with tags from a Dougie Mac charity shop in Stoke for £8.
Of course, the Dr Martens were back out, as well as a Missguided bag I was bought a couple of Christmasses ago by my brother and his partner, Mel. Now I’ve successfully styled this jewel-toned piece for Christmas, I’m excited to see how I can style it to make it work year-round.
There’d Better Be A Mirrorball
Some of you may remember this sequined dress from Tramlines festival in summer, so I’m thrilled that the leopard print Stradivarius midi doubles as a festive fit that was worthy of my work Christmas do. I had previously found it a bit uncomfortable under the arms, but worn with this Mint Velvet high neck top, it caused no bother at all.
I really loved the double animal print look, and the dress offered a silber sequin with subtle gold leopard print, which lended itself well to a mixed metal jewellery look. As such, I wore a black belt with silver hardwear with a gold Adexe watch and the Sienna necklace from Jessica and James. I finished the look with Dr Martens and another statement headband which had both silver and gold gems, bringing the whole look together.
Wrap me up
Back for another outing were the Primark velvet wide leg trousers, paired once more with the silver pointed chelsea boots, but this time, with a fresh top and a hat for a completely different feel. This top was a last minute December purchase from Everything5Pounds, and has a faux wrap design with silver line and star details. The knotted element is entirely detachable, so can be tied anywhere, including worn as a scarf or hair accessory.
The Primark bag returned, alongside a black Primark fedora purchased last year, some very old silver hoop earrings which I think were from Boots, and a choker necklace I’d originally put in a pile to car boot only the day before, until I realised it was the perfect accessory to finish off this outfit.
Quality Street
Finally, there’s these glitter flares which remind me of a tin of Quality Street – the purple, green and orange just feels like that festive family variety tin. I wore the £15 charity shop trousers (British Heart Foundation, Manchester) with a high neck top from Lula Boutique, in Leek, with my Wrangler boots and Sour Cherry earrings, finished off with a green glitter headband from River Island.
These trousers don’t photograph well enough to truly do them justice, but they are SO sparkly and the colours are stunning. I definitely need to go on the hunt for a green glittery bag to round this look off, though.
