Suzanne Blons (“The Beauty Shaman” one of my wonderful guests on “31 Days of Self Care”) and I just recorded our holiday fashion rundown on YouTube. Although this video was tailored for older women to show how they can incorporate some of the flashier elements of the holiday season, I wanted to expand on that idea for all my readers.
Here are tons of options regardless of your age, weight, coloring, budget, or style facets. And I have to say, this was one of my very favorite posts to write. It just filled me with holiday joy and cheer.
Now I have to add a tiny caveat here. A lot of these items and textiles are Romantic or Dramatic in nature. If you don’t have a lot – or any – of those style facets, just wear them in a color that works for you. (We can all cheat a little for the holidays.)
A lot of these are on sale now. I’ve linked every item and included coupon codes for several. They tend to sell out pretty quickly so if you see something you like I encourage you to jump on it now as it may not be available in your size soon.
SEQUINED JACKETS
Let’s start with something that just screams “holiday!” Sequins! Sequined jackets are everywhere now and from the ridiculously affordable to the lifetime elegant higher end. Sequins will definitely make you show up. If you don’t want to be that visible, keep scrolling. There is more for you in some of the other textiles.
One of my favorite Australian fashion influencers is the indominable Faye Brown. Faye has a Dramatic and High Spirited Style with a good punch of Romantic thrown in for fun. Sequined pieces are one of her go-to fashion elements at many times of year.
If you have any of those fashion elements in your own style archetype mix, this can be a delightful way to up your game for the holidays. And they are available at every price point right now.
Macy’s INC label is always sure to have a traditional blazer style in sequins this time of year. If you know they carry items and brands that suit your size and frame, they are a good place to shop for this type of item.
INC Women’s Sequined Blazer $99
Just to prove that all color harmonies are represented in sequins, this is a beautiful rich brown from Express.
Express Open Front Sequined Blazer $118.80
Anthropologie adds a lovely element with pearls to this sequined jacket. This is another one of the items that could go the distance for years to come – wear it to weddings, cocktail parties, dinners, date night, any special occasion.
Anthropologie Pearl and Sequin mix blazer $118 at Anthropologie Pearl and Sequin Blazer $118
This one is more tailored and dressed up with black or even white pants, but as shown here, could be a perfect elevating piece for casual jeans. Wear it with sling backs, flats, or booties..
Loft sequined short jacket $170 50% off with code: CYBER
This is one you could wear for many other special occasions as well. It has an almost 1940’s drape-y feeling. It’s a nice combination of Dramatic, Romantic, and Natural.
Light in the box Long Sleeve Silver Sequined wrap $45
And of course, Amazon never disappoints. This sequined bomber jacket would make a playful and bright addition to your casual outfit. It comes in 11 colors and would be perfect for someone with High Spirited or Natural style.
Kancy Kole Sequined Bomber Jacket $36 on
Target has another version of the same.
As does Target: Allegra K Sequined Bomber Jacket $49.99 (comes in 13
SEQUINED TOPS
If you don’t want to go head-to-toe sequined you can simply wear a sequined top with a great pair of slacks or a midi skirt.
Macy’s is showing this lovely DKNY combination along with several other possible combinations for wearing the individual pieces (scroll down on the linked page to see all of them.)
SKNY Open front shawl collared blazer $100.99 (limited time special) Scoop neck sequined tank $46.99 limited time special) Stretch crepe stretch pants $89
Chico’s usually has a nice selection of sequined tops this time of year. They even have some pretty sweaters with strategically placed sequins.
Chico’s Ombre Sequined pullover sweater $83.30 (30% off now)
Chico’s Gray Sequined Sweater $84.40 on sale
Talbot’s has this blue one that would be a lovely way to bring in some color to your outfit. Wear this with winter white pants for a fresh and celebratory look.
Talbot’s sequined front tank
Or combine one of the showier colorful tops with jeans. That’s a very nice dressed down outfit for a more casual event.
Chico’s Deal of the Day Sequined velvet blouson top $49
Surplice tops, which are great for hiding a larger tummy and bringing attention to the face, are very flattering for many different types of bodies.
White House Black Market surplice sequined blouse on sale $59
And of course, you can’t go wrong with a ruby tank. Wear it with black or white pants, or a midi skirt with sling back heels or sandals.
J. Crew red sequined tank (also in silver, ivory and black) $128
Macy’s carries a wide variety of sequined tops. This one is from Lucky Brand and also comes in Wine and Rust. It’s also very versatile.
Lucky Brand sequined pullover: $79.50
Sequined Skirts
And of course, there are the skirts. These can be dressed up or down. Adding a simple white cotton blouse to a sequined skirt is a very hip and fashion-forward way to do this. Note that all these are shown with sandals. you can also wear them with many different styles of the ballet-type flats that are very popular this year.
Madewell sequined midi skirt: $138
Nordstrom Black Sequined skirt $188
Amazon The Drop Women’s Bianca Sequined Skirt (also in black) $59.90
And of course, GAP always has the latest “thing” at a great price. I like how they styled it with a striped sweater and simple sandals. For colder weather, you can also wear white mid-calf or tall boots.
GAP Sequined A-line Maxi Skirt: This one is $39.99
A softer more feminine look would be to wear your sequined skirt with a cashmere sweater. Nordstrom always has a huge selection of these this time of year. (I’m just showing a few of the more colorful ones to make the point.)
Vince Boiled Cashmere sweater $425 plus 30% off selected items
Vinyard Vines Cashmere Polo $268-$298
Nordstrom Cashmere Crew now $99.90
VELVET
Now, if that much sparkle and shine is still just too much for you (it is a pretty Dramatic statement after all) you can take it all down a notch by wearing velvet. Cotton velvet textiles tend to be less reflective, and they will keep you warmer than velvet made from silk or polyester blends. Cotton velvet also tends to be a flatter weave. So, it is a bit less “Dramatic” in that it doesn’t reflect light as much as shinier, glowing kinds of velvets.
This year we are seeing so many fabulous velvet pieces. A velvet blazer will serve you for many holidays to come. Wear it with a simple tank, satin, or silk blouse, but make sure the collar doesn’t compete with the lapels of the jacket.
Velvet jackets and Blazers can also be dressed up or down. And you’ll get a lot of mileage out of this item long after the holidays as well.
Chico’s Velvet Blazer $159
Amazon Allegra K Velvet jacket $53.99
Macy’s has a lot of these in different styles.
Adriana Pappell at Macy’s Deal of the Day $68.99
Bloomingdale’s AQUA brand velvet jacket $118
Velvet pants can be worn with satin or silk, but you can certainly add a sequined top if you have some Dramatic or Spirited qualities in your style mix.
Express Editor Mid-Rise velvet pants $52.80 Also comes in black and teal.
Nordstrom carries this one from Mango in purple. Mango tends to offer some great fashion-forward takes on current styles.
Mango purple wide leg velvet pants for $49.99
And an elegant pair of black velvet wide leg pants will add class to any holiday outfit. It is quintessentially Classic and a perennial piece.
Nordstrom – COS wide leg velvet pants $175
Chico’s has them in black and this wine color.
Chico’s Velvet No Tummy pants on sale now for $59
Lastly, Loft carries this five-pocket jeans-type flare velvet pant in this green, black and raisin.
Loft velvet five pocket pant $79.95 50% off with code CYBER
Now if even velvet is a bit too much for you, or if you have more Natural style essence, consider “velvet” pinwale corduroy. Everlane has a great one and they never disappoint for high quality, reasonably priced pieces. This one comes in black as well and it’s on sale right now. (I wish I had seen it when it was still available in my size.)
Everlane Corduroy Way High Drape Pant $90 on sale now.
Madewell also features a similar fine wale corduroy pant in four colors: Garnet, Expedition Green, Fresh Cider and Antique Cream
Madewell Emmett Wide Leg Corduroy Pant $108
Satin
Lastly, let’s look at satin. I consider it a three, possibly a four season textile. But because of its shine it’s a perfect textile for the holiday season. We’ve been seeing it everywhere for about the past two years. But I truly believe it’s now become a classic, just like a great blazer or trench coat. The only versions I find iffy are the long slip dresses with lace on the bodice that are just too similar to boudoir wear.
The bias cut slip skirts come in knee length to floor length. And they are available in just about any color you can imagine. Any of them will work beautifully with cashmere sweaters, sequined tops, or satin blouses.
Lands’ End sip skirt now 50% off $52.47 (also in ivory and black)
It looks like Nordstrom styled this one with brown boots. I’d love to see it with white or burgundy boots.
River Island bias cut maxi skirt $57
Amazon Keasmto skip skirt 25.99 (also in black, blue teal and leopard)
Outoshee Store on Amazon $34.99 (comes in 18 colors)
And of course, satin blouses will elevate any look. I wear mine all four seasons, even though I have zero Dramatic. As I’ve reported in earlier posts, when you find something in the perfect color for your color harmonies, you can get away with fudging on your style a bit. Wear them with everything from jeans to tailored pants, to pencil or midi skirts.
Lily Silk Minimalist silk top $215 Use coupon code BDF15 for 25% off
Lily Silk Tailored Shirt $149 Use coupon code BDF15 for 25% off
Banana Republic Satin Classic Shirt Seven colors, $35 to $54.97, extra 20% off at checkout
Macy’s Endless Rose Classic Satin Shirt (also in black) on sale $56
Accessories
Lastly, you can jazz up the simplest, most subdued outfit by adding embellished flats and/or dangly earrings. Just make these stand alone items. They shouldn’t compete with whatever they are worn closest to. That means keep your skirt or pant color simple so that these speak for the outfit a little more. And avoid colorful sequined tops with dangling colorful earrings. That will make you look a little bit to much like a Christmas tree (unless of course you are more than 50% High Spirited and Lively Bright in your coloring, in which case – glow on!)
Anthropologie Bibi Lou chartreuse sling back flats $119
Lauren Conrad Nathalia velvet bow flats at Kohls: $29.99 with code Shop25
J. Crew Factory Crystal Embellished Flats $102.99 (20% off) Extra 60% off with code SALE60 (Note: This is a final sale item – no returns)
Macy’s Journey Collection Rebel $47.80 with code GIVE Also in black, rose, pink, green, blue
Nordstrom Badgley Mischka collection GIGI Crystal Pointed toe flat also in white $138.60 on sale
Earrings
Sparkle up your more simple, unadorned outfits with a pair of drop earrings. And let them be the main event. If you are wearing neutral colors, this is a nice way to bring in some color.
Max and Stone faux gemstone drop earrings (also in Ruby and Emerald) $45
Ross Simmons Emerald Drop Earrings $96.75 on sale
Ross Simmons Amethyst Drop earrings on sale $99
Thokuna Emerald Green Faux Drop earrings $59.99 on Amazon
So there are a whole bunch of ideas for how to make your holiday wear sparkle. One point I mentioned in the video with Suzanne. There is no need to go to great expense to buy a lot of new things this time of year. If you just “shop your own closet” and pull out your high quality old reliable items, you can pick up one new thing, one accessory, and be holiday party ready.
I’d love to see any of your holiday party outfits. Feel free to drop me a message here with a photo!
[None of the items listed here are sponsored. But I might earn a small commission if you purchase anything. And as an Amazon Associate I may also earn a small commission on any item you purchase through my links. Thanks for helping me keep this site going. I sincerely appreciate it.]
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