Festive fashion: Elevate your holiday wardrobe with ease

Not sure about you gorgeous ladies but I’m a tad overwhelmed as the holidays arrived sooner than expected. So, before we start saying we’ve grown older too fast this year, I recently saw a quote from the incredible Dame Judi Dench, who refuses to utter or hear the word ‘old’ in her house. She has chosen for the word to be substituted with ‘enthusiasm.’

I love her even more now and whilst I do feel our year-end has arrived with a sudden blast, I’m harnessing this overwhelmed feeling with enthusiasm, hie! It’s a positive word, right? Thanks to the former boss of Mr Bond!

As for the gazillion commercials, promoting holiday sales and promotions of every product known, or not yet known, to man, woman, child, or beast, I’m not addressing those with enthusiasm at all. Over it!

I’m on a budget and before I invest in any new items, I’m addressing my existing closet with enthusiasm and my oh my, one of the greatest parts of reaching this age of enthusiasm is to revive items I’ve not worn for years as I grew tired of them, or they were really out of style, which are now back on trend and perfect for my holiday wardrobe! Don’t you love it when great styles return and we get to dig them out of their sabbatical after several years? Another perk of reaching the age of enthusiasm, chuckles…

Of course, I’m not suggesting we never buy anything new as that would be an act of cruelty. Adding some newly acquired attitude to a grand old faithful is like giving it a nip, tuck, and rejuvenating lift.

Shimmer, sequins, or glitz, call it what we wish, it is back for festive dressing and I am embracing it with all of my fashion heart. However, there is now a slight difference. Instead of going all glittery from head to toe as I did before this age of enthusiasm in the early Nineties, I now prefer to have one glittery garment to focus on at a time, then I build an outfit around it.

Less is more and, in my view… but I would never judge anyone embracing the full glittering look either. Rules are made to be broken and we wear what we like, paying homage to our inner diva by expressing our mood in the way we dress for any occasion. After all, it is the Season to shine!

I discovered some glitter pants, which I do admit I bought for a glitzy event last year, and I’m pairing these with cotton shirts, then adding accessories to pull the look together. I often go for black as it’s never out of style but as summer has finally revealed her sunny disposition, I’m going for white as well as it feels so summery. Add silver or gold accessories, and one feels as if you’re on the Riviera!

Not in the mood for a white cotton shirt with a glittery skirt or pants? Add a tunic in silk, or even linen, which gives it a nonchalant I-do-this-with-ease-all-the-time vibe!

Found that perfect little shimmery top or sexy camisole you wore years ago but perhaps it’s a bit too revealing or tight now? Wear it under a button-down shirt or jacket instead. I call it my teaser… it’s a bit like wearing glamorous underwear but you don’t show all of it, just a tiny glimpse. We are women, we own whichever era we’ve reached and celebrate the years the world has been lucky enough to savour every nuance we represent!

Wardrobe items I cherish for summer as they are easy to wear, classy classics, include: tunic tops and dresses as they slip on effortlessly and are loose and comfortable when we feel the heat; caftans are long and floaty or even shorter, and always elegant for casual or smarter events; wraps are the ideal summer cover up when there’s a cool breeze or simply to complete an outfit; and sarongs are handy to wear as skirts as well as cover-ups over our swimmers. Ideal resort-style items, even if we are home for the Holidays!

Fabrics I prefer during the warmer season are linen, cotton, and silk. These organic materials allow our skin to breathe and are always a pleasure to travel with too.

So, here are some ideas in pictures to play around with. Express yourself, have fun, and get creative to explore your individual style. Playing with colour is an added luxury and with the current colour palette ranging from neutral hues to bright and breezy, we have free rein to create whatever suits our style and mood for any occasion!

Merry Christmas and Hanukkah, lovelies, and if you don’t celebrate the Holidays, enjoy this special month of December anyway, as it is a great time to reward ourselves for being fortunate enough to have made it through another year. I say three cheers to that!

I’m opting for gift cards to support our local businesses, and my enthusiastic wish to Santa! Make the nasty people better, or make them move elsewhere, out of our happy space… and, of course, to receive plenty fashion gift cards as our Australian designers are absolutely fabulous. Cheers to that too!