Last week we looked at formal dresses for the lucky people who have glam parties ahead. I don’t know about you but my Christmas events tend to be more low key – popping out for a meal with friends, drinks at people’s houses, and a couple of trips to the theatre so I really don’t need an extravagant frock. Over the last year I’ve developed an easy shortcut for this kind of going out and I always feel casually glam. For me, this is the easy way to relax and enjoy yourself.
Step One – a great pair of trousers
I’ve tried to include a selection here but my top pick is always a pair of Boden’s high rise super skinny jeans. Depending on how bold you’re feeling you could go for the flamboyant metallics…
Metallic high rise super skinny jeans – 25% off until Sunday
… or the more low key waxed. These are more matte than coated jeans but still have a gleam to them and look more evening appropriate than ordinary black.
Waxed super skinny jeans – 25% off until Sunday
If you like coated jeans (my perennial favourite), these are the ones I wear.
Coated slim leg jeans
Taking it on a step further, these are my favourite faux leather jeans. Again they’re high rise so are very flattering, they do get a bit hot so think about your venue before you decide to wear them.
Faux leather jeans (currently in the sale and available in all sizes)
For something a little more forgiving, here are two different styles of tuxedo trousers. I know a lot of you were pleased with these when I featured them last….
Cropped tuxedo trousers
…or, for even more comfort these look great with their drawstring waist – a good choice for festive eating events. This isn’t a very good shot…
… so I’ve included the side detail. Loose tuxedo stripe trousers
Step Two – a jazzy top
Once you’ve chosen a pair of simple, well cut bottoms, it’s time to add some embellishment with a special top. This is my selection, I’ve tried not to include too much black because I know many of you find it draining.
Forgive me for the fact that I haven’t been able to caption these in order – I’ve been trying for ages but it’s defeating my technical skills to rearrange the import!
Navy sequin top – pretty, expensive but very forgiving
Black blouse with long sleeves and sequins, simple, understated chic
Black blouse – black again – the drape is flattering as well as being sexy
Satin front sweatshirt style – this would be a lovely choice for Christmas day
Sheer panel top this is sporty and could be dressed down with relaxed blue jeans too
Shimmering gold t-shirt – gold is on trend and very flattering to most skin tones
Cosmic beam top – this is referencing next winter’s cosmic trend so you know it will work for at least 2 seasons
Tunic top – figure defining in the most beautiful shade of blue
frenchconnection.com
Green sequin top – forest green is a new trend for this season, great for strong skin tones
High necked top – lots of you loved the high necked navy top I wore in the summer, they’re incredibly flattering and the red is a proper Christmas red
A couple of last minute additions include this one which is very chic and also available in bronze although it keeps going in and out of stock
And this one, also available in black.
I’ve tried to find something for every size, shape and budget so I really hope it’s solving some problems for you. The plan is to get our Christmas wardrobes sorted so that we can move on to the rest of Christmas and enjoy it. Plus people still seem to be holding off their gift shopping for Black Friday which I suspect is a good idea based on the planned discounts that I keep hearing from the retailers I visit.
Now, I had a shock yesterday when I realised that I had put completely the wrong date in my diary for our work Christmas party and have far less time to put an outfit together than I thought. The girls in the office are starting to talk about their dresses and look askance when I say I’m wearing jeans and a top but we’re going to be in a garden centre in a small Cumbrian village. I’m sure it will be decorated very nicely but at the moment it feels a bit more like the Archers than the Park Lane Christmas parties I used to go to (although I’m sure that after the second glass of wine it will feel just the same).
At the moment I’m planning to wear my coated jeans and these are two of the tops I’ve ordered to try. Now bear in mind that I had just been blown through the door from Pilates by storm Abigail which is battering our shores, definitely ‘a big gale’ – sorry, you’ve probably already heard that one. So my hair and make up aren’t done for a party, you’ll have to use your imagination.
Here’s the Boden Luxe Lace top. I quite like it but don’t think it’s worth the full price, luckily I got it on the last 25% offer and there’s another one on today. It’s a lovely shade of gold, slightly dark which stops it from looking cheap. Mr MC, with his designer’s eye, doesn’t like the shade of the camisole underneath that comes with it so that’s put me off a bit.
I like the black ribbon at the back but it also means it won’t look quite as nice with navy as it does with black which reduces the ‘opportunity to wear.’ I’m undecided – and this is probably why Boden still don’t invite me to their press days because my reviews are too honest!
This sold out within a week of the catalogue hitting the nation’s doormats but the odd return keeps coming back into stock. I know it needs ironing but I love the drape and the hammered texture to the fabric. It has been cut by a tailoring genius and I like the fact that it would look lovely with a tan in the summer. I’m just not sure how practical it is for Christmas here – everyone lives in old stone houses and they’re never warm so wherever we go I’ll be wearing it with a jacket.
I feel that it needs gold jewellery to go with it and nearly everything I have is silver. The problem with gold of course is that ‘gold coloured’ jewellery can look a bit brassy so it’s better to at least go for gold plated if you can which of course means you need to buy wisely. I’ve ordered this gold plated necklace from Eternal Collection.
I’m really hoping that the resulting effect will be like the model shot in the catalogue but I suspect I’d need to lose some weight and some years to even try to achieve that!
So, I’m leaving you with another ‘night out’ outfit that I wore recently, just before my hair disaster. These are the coated jeans again with boots and a loose blouse which worked well because we were going to our favourite restaurant with some friends and the intention of eating a lot.
The good news is that I’m hoping to write another post on Monday – at long last I have Monday off next week and there’s so much to cover before Christmas that I’m raring to go. Now as it’s freezing and the storm shows no sign of abating, I’m off to light our first real fire of the winter and snuggle up by it. I hope you’re all warm and safe wherever you are. Keep in touch.
Disclosure – this is not a sponsored post and no items featured have been gifted
Navy sequin top – pretty, expensive but very forgiving
Black blouse with long sleeves and sequins, simple, understated chic
Black blouse – black again – the drape is flattering as well as being sexy
Satin front sweatshirt style – this would be a lovely choice for Christmas day
Sheer panel top this is sporty and could be dressed down with relaxed blue jeans too
Shimmering gold t-shirt – gold is on trend and very flattering to most skin tones
Cosmic beam top – this is referencing next winter’s cosmic trend so you know it will work for at least 2 seasons
