The four styles of the festive period

[JMAngel1]

I know some of you already read/follow midlife chic but she’s just done a really good blog post on the four styles of festive dressing which is really quite good.

1. Formal black tie events
2. Smart day wear - e.g Christmas Day, pantos, nice lunches
3. Casual day/ family events - e.g Christmas Markets, Santa visits, shopping, walks, tree buying.
4. Night out - but lower key than formal events.

Some of her choices are a little too twee for me “Fairy tale of New York” jumper, but the premise of her concepts is good and can be tweaked to individual style.

I may just like it because she mentions Sylvie from Emily in Paris who is my absolute style crush.

Anyway, it’s just helped me to focus my mind on what I really need. I have a tendency to panic buy Xmas outfits and this is helping me to take a breath and think about what I already have. Well worth a read.

www.midlifechic.com/updating-your-festive-wardrobe-for-2024/

Hmm - I find her blog interesting and she writes very well but her lifestyle is so different to mine and tbh her style (and budget!) are as well. I don't think most people have that number of occasions to attend over the festive season that warrant so many outfit changes and I'm certainly not planning anything specific for going to buy my Xmas tree!

I will follow this thread, I’m busy planning all my Christmas outfits.

Are there really people who have a specific "Christmas time" dress style for the year round/all winter season activities of walking and buying items? After some time on this board, I shouldn't be surprised at the rampant consumerism but I'm still boggling.

Well I definitely have some clothes that I only wear at Xmas time.
Draped emerald green velvet midi dress
Royal blue velvet mini dress
A cropped faux fur jacket
Tulle maxi skirt

I would never wear these outside of Christmas time.

I do have quite a few events this year - nothing major that would be formal black tie but quite a few nice bar and restaurant nights out in the city, a house party, panto night, works do, Xmas Eve dinner.

I would like to know at this point what I’m wearing to each night - makes me feel more organised and less likely to throw on a boring safe outfit.

Her suggestions are dull. There's almost nothing I would buy except possibly the silver ankle boots but the fact she recommended them puts me off buying them.

The quote below puts me off paying attention to her.

I was reading a interview with a stylist recently who said that she can always judge a woman’s sex life by the way she dresses. I dismissed it initially but then I was watching Emily In Paris and you can’t help looking at Sylvie and knowing that her midlife character still has a throbbing pulse. It’s in her attitude but it’s also in her clothes and when I look at her, one word springs to mind – allure.

I'll put on a fancy frock for the opening of an envelope but I don't have special Christmas clothes.

I'm not sure about the sex life thing either - I find her style curiously unsexy even though she's an attractive woman. It's not about dressing for the male gaze though - I think it's the fact it all looks quite forced and over-thought.

Not sure Id ever really considered if my christmas outfits would be sexy, honestly Id prefer 'festive and warm'.

Out of everything I like the cosy jumper/posh skirt combo. That is def more my vibe!

What shoes do you wear with the tulle?

Combat boots usually with the tulle skirt. It needs something to contrast against it to look more cool.

I also have a new pair of suede knee high boots that could work - will have to have a play.

Combat boots and a tulle skirt sounds so cool - I wish I could pull that off but I look like the Sugar Plum Fairy in a tulle skirt 😫

Jazzy bottoms 😂

The latest post is better than the White Stuff one previously which was clearly done purely for money as she just didn’t look right in any of the stuff and her style is classier. She must spend a fortune on her hair.

I like her style generally which is why I keep reading despite nothing about her lifestyle resonating with me and never buying anything shown. She is also very good on retail intelligence which I find interesting.

As for this post, I guess I find it surprising as to who is buying all the Xmas clothes which come out each year because the stuff everyone bought last year, or the one before that, has probably had very little wear and it’s the same sort of stuff: snowflake jumpers, sequin tops and dresses, and velvet. Is it just weight fluctuating.

I think it’s blogs/social media/shops making you feel like you’re missing out if you don’t have something new and special for ‘the party season’.

I’ve decided to wear the same as I did last year for my work party instead of buying anything new, I’ve fallen for some new trainers and I can’t afford both ☺️

I do have stuff just for Christmas time but I don’t often buy much new. It’s hardly worn & the shops don’t exactly offer that much newness in terms of stuff for Christmas each year. It’s literally sequins, suits, metallics, fur, velvet etc every year.

I only have 2 categories though as I would dress the same for my work party & NYEs, I only wear black tie if it’s stated on the invite eg like a wedding.

And what I wear to a panto would be the same for a visit Santa but I’m quite a casual dresser.

The links aren’t really my style but I’m probably not the target market.

I found it funny! A tulle skirt for a daytime event? glittery boots to pick a christmas tree! Omg my teenagers would disown me

the gold boots are hideous -

and what's with the granny glittery blouses - my 75 year old mom wouldn't wear them!

Tbh I’ve been put off her posts a bit recently because she’s been banging on about sex so much, in the context of the “mid-life” stuff. It’s weirdly inappropriate coming from someone whose life I know about a bit, but I’ve never met. As if a medium-close colleague started doing it. If I wanted to read a sex blog I’m sure there are plenty out there.

I do find her interesting on retail and the fashion industry, though.

I like the concept of the four outfits, but don’t quite relate to them. It’s decades since I’ve been to a black tie event. I think my categories would be -

1. Christmas party - glitzy, sparkling outfit
2. Christmas lunch/day
3. Other - smart/casual. - Christmas lunch with friends, pub, etc

Gotta love an algorithm, when this ad appears directly below your post @CheeseandMarmiteToastie - which I completely agree with btw!

Surely you wear wellies or walking boots to buy a Xmas tree???

Everyone looks like the Sugar Plum Fairy. The trick is to not care - or think "yes I do look like the sugar plum fairy- whoopee! "
The clompy boots/ Doc style boots is a bit of a cliché now. I'd wear something like Moonstar or actual flat pumps or Mary Janes.

Moonstar
Moonstar Lite

This from her blog is just nonsense

Bare legs are key, even in winter – your natural skintone is the best way of adding balance to any outfit.

My categories would be:

Black leather jacket and whatever basically black clothing goes with that. The jacket does all my dress up heavy lifting for me.

I can't get past the drawn on eyebrows tbh. Quite like the Reiss dress though.

Wish I had that much time in December to be wearing so many outfits!

God she sounds insufferable .
And those clothes are real midlife cliches and naff. Not edgy at all no matter how much she seems to think she is.

the sex comments are really odd. Clearly she’s not actually having any but trying to convince everyone she’s swinging from the chandeliers.

I don't rate her and think most of those outfits are horrible. I don't know anybody in real life who would go anywhere in a gold maxi dress, for example, and the gold boots are bloody awful. She reminds me of an American magazine shoot in around 1985.

The only outfit I'd be seen dead in is the silver mini skirt with black tights and black top.