Christmas and Hanukkah roll in as the second holidays of the season. Another opportunity to spend time with family or fun times with friends. Unless you are attending office parties or fancy events, gathering with family and friends is generally casual to slightly dressy depending on the time of day and your family tradition.
CHRISTMAS
Casual Christmas, Festive Christmas or Dressy Christmas.
Like Thanksgiving, you want your Christmas outfits to be comfy enough to enjoy the richness of a Christmas meal, but you also want to look stylish. Some people celebrate both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, which means two outfits. If that’s your schedule, it’s a perfect time to explore mix and match options so you don’t need two holiday outfits that you might not wear again until the following year. Get creative with a color theme, a holiday print or your unique style! When we celebrated the holidays as a family before my parents died, we always dolled up for the holidays, pulling out the heirloom jewelry and velvet coats from Grammy.
THE HOLIDAY CLOTHING CATEGORIES
These categories can help you focus on how you want to dress for the holidays and what to look for when shopping. They are timeless (can wear for years because not trendy) which makes them ideal for holiday wear.
- TARTAN PLAID is a favorite traditional holiday fabric. Wear casually in a scarf, sweater or jacket.
- VELVET fabric alone gives a garment the holiday feel, especially in traditional colors of red and green.
- SEQUINS can create quite an effect. Can go all out in a sequin dress, pantsuit or subtle bits like earrings or a small handbag.
- SHINE can be shimmer, sparkle or a fabric that catches the light. You will be “reflective” in a shine outfit. Ensure the shine is in the right place within your outfit and body shape. It can be leather pants, or a dress in a shiny fabric. Jewelry is probably the best way to use shine in an outfit with crystals and rhinestones.
- FESTIVE is the category where your personality can come forth with a holiday sweater, red jeans, and reindeer earrings. This is where the fun comes in wearing as much festive clothing as you like!
Soft Shades of Red and Grey. Lovely for a daytime luncheon or event. 
Blues, and Golds. The two colors together resemble shimmery stars in the beautiful night sky, which are especially magical on Christmas night.
Blue, white and sometimes Silver are traditional for Hanukkah.
COLOR
The color of Winter White isn’t the crisp, clean, stark white of Summer (worn best by those with sparkling white teeth and eye whites). Instead, the Winter shade is more of an ivory or a slightly greyed out white, like ecru.
FABRIC
This winter color is usually found in fall and winter fabrications, like wool, flannel, heavy tweeds, cashmere, and fabrics with more heft. Summer fabrics like linen and lightweight cotton don’t work in the winter unless you live in a warm climate.
SILHOUETTE
Winter White silhouettes include tailored pieces, pants, skirts dresses and sweaters, whereas a white sundress isn’t. This color comes with the same body challenges that summer white does. If you don’t like white pants in the summer it isn’t likely that you will like them in the winter either.
KEEPING IT CLEAN
If you are accident-prone (think Turkey gravy, red wine or cranberry sauce), avoiding this color is a good idea. The dry cleaning bill can be hefty. Winter weather can also create dirtier, rainy and slushy streets in some parts of the country, which means you might have to traverse messy sidewalks. If you live in these areas and walk a lot, beware of stains on the hems of your pants. Consider Winter White skirt and dress ensembles. Permanently staining a pair of Winter White pants can be maddening.
SWEATER WEATHER
Bring out your sweaters and pair them with casual jeans, slacks, skirts, or fancy them up with sequins and sparkle!
Make sure the sweater works for your body — not too bulky or boxy making you appear heavier than you are. The texture or size of the sweater doesn’t overwhelm you. The color is flattering on you. The sweater matches your personality and style.
FESTIVE CHRISTMAS SYLE OPTIONS
Bring out the feeling of the season with prints and patterns.
DRESSY CHRISTMAS STYLE ATTIRE
For the event that requires a more refined outfit. Adding a statement earring, a lace, satin, velvet fabric, or a special shoe elevates your outfit.
NEW YEAR’S EVE STYLE OPTIONS
New Year’s Eve is the final holiday of the season and the big exhale with a year-end celebration. And a great time to bring out your best, celebratory outfit. If you are stepping out to a fancy party, the dress code is fun, sparkly, daring, backless, dangling, strappy, chic, and statement making!
Or this night can be staying at home watching the ball drop from NYC and counting down the New Year in your PJs cuddling with your dog.
Where will you be and how will you ring in the New Year? Plan now.
CASUAL NEW YEAR’S EVE STYLE OPTIONS
NEW YEAR’S EVE FESTIVE STYLE OPTIONS
Bringing that festive vibe into your outfit.
NEW YEAR’S EVE DRESSY STYLE OPTIONS
Sequins are everywhere this season. And New Year’s Eve is an ideal time to sparkle and shine.
10 TIPS FOR PLANNING YOUR HOLIDAY WARDROBE REMINDER
- Make notes of each holiday event you are attending.
- Decide what you want to wear that feels right for you and the event. Casual, stepped up casual, more refined or something else. What colors, styles, fabrics, shoes, etc. excite you the most for each event?
- Give yourself plenty of lead time, should you need to shop for any missing pieces.
- Pull out each garment and try it on for condition, fit, comfort and appropriateness for the holiday event. Is anything missing? Do you have the right bra, lipstick shade, shape wear, shoes, jewelry, hosiery, purse? Does anything need repair, cleaning, scuff marks removed? Note: Start with shoes first, if you don’t have the kicks, the outfit isn’t going to happen.
- If weather is a factor, ensure you have the right outer wear and shoes/boots.
- Once you’ve narrowed down each outfit, take photos, for easy dressing before the event.
- Remember, repeating an outfit is okay.
- After each event, evaluate the outfit. Did it work and why? If it didn’t work, and why? Make notes for future reference.
- Happy Dance that your outfits are ready for the holidays.
- Have a fabulous time knowing you are looking and feeling great in your holiday wear!
SHOES
I refer to shoes above in #2. But they require special mention during the holiday season. You’re looking terrific in your outfit, wearing what sends your holiday message. Remember to think about your shoes. Nothing ruins an outfit quicker than inappropriate shoes for an outfit, as well as their condition.
HOLIDAY INSPIRATION
“Love the giver more than the gift.”
~ Brigham Young
This is the first Christmas in two years that I will spend with my beloved. He relieved his brother of “mother duty” in 2020 and 2021 in another city. I’m thrilled he will be joining me for our annual Christmas party with friends. I have 4 holiday events to attend, so far. I will strike an outfit balance somewhere between festive and dressy. I’m starting with my shoes and determined to include a Kate Spade necklace I found on Poshmark 2 years ago that’s been waiting for its moment to shine.
I think I could show up in my
nightgown and still look dressy
wearing this necklace!
New Year’s Day is our celebration choice with a casual afternoon meal with friends. Jeans are not my best friend, so it’s generally a comfy pair of slacks paired with a cashmere sweater.
2022 felt like a year of responsibility, family, obligations, service, caring for elderly parents, and the welfare of others. My hope is that we all created some sustainable solutions to what we experienced this year.
Because I can only take another person in their color and style journey as far as I’ve taken myself, I continue to study and put myself through the paces of discovering more and more about my personal color and style. I’ve taken three continuing education courses this year — Finding Your Client in Nature (a splendid way to explore an individual’s season), Color Quality (identifying the quality of color that best determines a person’s seasonal reference) and Wardrobe Foundations: Shoes. (I’m down to 28 pair of shoes from 48 after I did this shoe course. Still too much, but I’m slowing editing them). I also took a course with Courtney Carver on Less is More. I’m learning much on sustainability as it relates to fashion, the power of buying secondhand, and the peace of living simply and clutter free.
Each course has taken me further down this wonderful, crazy and deeply satisfying passion of color and style.
I’m also studying Human Design (thank you Bobbie Casalino Lewis) which has provided confirmation and understanding of Who I am: A 70-year-young creative alchemist! I like how that sounds, and let’s see how it reveals itself.
Thank you for the time we spent together this year on all matters colors, clothes and closets. May we continue the journey together in 2023 and expand into an even deeper awareness of who we are and how we want to be living.
Wishing you a holiday season that aligns with your desire. Along with a healthy dose of self-care and self-love thrown in between the planning, cooking, parties and family gatherings. I look forward to working with you in the New Year! Abundance and Blessings.
To Your Mature Beauty and Style,
Denise