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FASHION INSPIRATION, TRENDS & ADVICE
 

WOMEN   |   MEN   |   CHILDREN   |   HOME   |   LABEL/MIX

STYLE OPINION

How to survive Christmas in style

28 November 2018


There aren’t many publications that journalist Laura Craik hasn’t written for. Grazia, The Pool, The Times, The Guardian, The Evening Standard – to name but a few. Here, she graces Style Stories with her charming wit and expertise on how to get through the festive season without having a meltdown. Notepads (and online wish lists) at the ready.


I mean, you don’t actually want to survive Christmas. You survive a war. You survive surgery. You survive a particularly gruesome blind date. During Christmas, your aspirations ideally should be higher than the basic act of survival. Yet the s word can often feel quite apposite: like a gruesome blind date, Christmas can quite easily drift off course, and end up being an endurance test. How to avoid this? Simple: by dint of some judicious planning. And when I say planning, I mean party planning: not the throwing of one, but the ensuring that you and your wardrobe are fully prepared for the attending of however many parties the festive season brings.


Let’s start with your lingerie. You know what they say: happy boobs, happy woman. OK, they don’t, but they should do. Since it would be hard to survive the festive season without a decent black bra, then I’m nominating this longline lace one, (below) which is so pretty that you could wear it underneath a tux and it would still look fabulous.

Talking of tuxedos, this black version (above) is as classic as it gets. Yes, it’s from the menswear department, but it comes in a skinny fit that will lend you those insouciant, what, this? Oh, I borrowed it from my boyfriend vibes that feel so right in this era of androgyny. I love wearing a tux jacket and black trousers to Christmas parties, and these tapered cigarette pants complete the look. I’d probably wear mine with black patent brogues, but if you want to dress yours up a tad, you could unleash your inner Charlotte Rampling with these strappy sandals by Lipsy. In fuchsia pink velvet, they have the requisite slender heel to lend your tux an edge.


No party season is complete without a dress that makes you feel fifty shades of fabulous when you slip it on. I have a weird aversion to red dresses at Christmas - maybe because they’re too predictable and like to wear a colour that isn’t automatically linked to the season. This rainbow wrap dress by Warehouse isn’t for the fainthearted, but the wearer will have no issues standing out from the crowd. You could tamp it down by shoulder-robing your black tux over it, or you could wear it loud and proud. It will also coordinate with the fuchsia sandals.


Finally, a lipstick. I love By Terry products, and this pink Click Stick really does it all, delivering intense pigment in a rich balm via a precision pencil (always handy after a few proseccos). What’s not to love about a colour called Pink Pong? It’ll match your sandals, too.

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