Festive fashion; the devil in the detail... | AD

Has this year's Christmas party crept up on you again? Or is the lure of last year's Christmas party outfit too hard to resist? If you fall into either of these categories, the key to nailing your festive fashion this year, could well be the accessories. The devil is, as they say, in the detail..

Dressing appropriately for the festive season can be a minefield at the best of times. It's often freezing cold, raining, and the memo is smart casual - does anyone actually know what smart casual means, definitively? I personally love getting dressed up at Christmas, because pretty much anything goes, even if the memo is smart casual. You like sequins? Wear them. A big fan of glitter? Chuck it on. Red lipstick your long lost love? Wear it morning, noon and night. Anything goes, and the perfect lipstick, statement earrings or bag can make the world of difference to an outfit, and completely redefine the vibe of your look.

Intu Chapelfield got in touch with me a couple of weeks ago and asked me to head into the city and #GetChristmassing at their centre. So I thought, what better excuse, than to meet a friend for a festive hot chocolate, and go on the search for some gorgeous accessories to help you update last year's Christmas party outfits!





The bag; a very important decision when it comes to outfit planning. 

The very first thing I picked up was this beautiful bag from Zara. Priced at only £19.99, I feel like this is the perfect accompaniment to the classic LBD and an easy and affordable way to spice up last year's Christmas party outfit. There is absolutely no doubt that red is still having a moment, and to put such a vivid accessory with black makes a clear statement, and draws the eye from the rest of the outfit.

Whilst red may be one of the main colours of the season, this bag is also incredibly versatile beyond December. I myself have already styled it with a faux fur leopard print coat and coated skinny jeans, but the possibilities are endless. There is a handy drawstring compartment within the bag itself for valuable items, and although it isn't huge, it can hold a surprisingly large amount; a Mary Poppins bag, of sorts.

If bright red isn't for you, there are also some other amazing options available at Chapelfield this winter. Why not check out this gorgeous bag from Accessorize? Or if your budget is slightly larger, House of Fraser is always a safe bet for beautiful bags.



Statement Earrings

Statement earrings are a firm favourite of mine, and just like the colour red, they too are having a bit of a moment. The phrase 'statement earring' can, I accept, instil fear into the hearts of many, having connotations of Pat Butcher-esque designs, shoulder length and more garish than you could ever have imagined. That assumption, thankfully, couldn't be farther from the truth.

To be a statement, an earring need not be overly large, or overly bright. In fact some of the best options are very classic, and can be dressed up or down by your choice of hairstyle. My personal preference is to pull my hair back into a slick bun/ponytail and really show off the earrings, but if you're not feeling quite so brave, poker straight hair can look very sharp and chic, and loose waves can really help to soften the impact of the jewellery.

I picked up the above tassel fan earrings from Accessorize, but here are some of my other favourites:

1. Lisa Angel Round Khaki Tassel Earrings in Rose Gold (£18.00), 2. Accessorise Beaded Tassel Statement Earrings (£12.00), 3. PANDORA Shimmering Feathers Earrings (£95.00), 4. Claire's Accessories Spiral Christmas Tree Drop Earrings (£4.50), 5. River Island Black Teardrop Jewel Tassel Drop Earrings (£12.00), 6. H&M Earrings with Tassels (£8.99), 7. ZARA Metal Mesh Earrings (£9.99), 8. Mint Velvet Sparkle Stud Tassel Earring (£25.00)(sold by House of Fraser).

If you're feeling particularly brave, you could also try wearing odd earrings too. Although probably best to keep one statement and the other smaller - it might look a little odd to have two entirely different statement earrings at the same time!



LUSCIOUS LIP COLOUR

If the classic red lip isn't for you, or doesn't match your outfit, why not try a festive metallic lip instead this year? I've noticed that a lot of brands are starting to bring out metallic lip colours for the festive period, both high street and high end.

I knew this was something I was keen to try out this season, so I popped into Boots for a peruse of the makeup aisles. I am a self-confessed lover of red lipstick, but I've walked around with red lipstick on my chin one too many times so I thought I'd give something different a go.

I picked up the Sleek Matte Me Metallic liquid lipstick in the shade Anodized Ruby, for the bargain price of £4.99. I've actually used this formula before, so I know that it is one which will not budge once it's set, but won't dry my lips out too much. It's a slightly pink/purple toned metallic red so it's going to be very versatile over the festive period, and whilst I doubt I'll be wearing it much in the New Year, I know I will be getting a lot of wear out of it until then.

If you're in the market for a more high end version of this, Dior have a Liquid Metal range in a variety of colours, and in between the two sits the Urban Decay Metalllized Vice Lipstick range (both available from House of Fraser).

So there we have it; 3 affordable ways to spice up last year's Christmas outfits or add some excitement to your new purchases! If you've made it this far, I hope you enjoyed the post and suggestions - let me know if you have any other recommendations?

Oh, and Merry Christmas!

LAURA

This post was written in collaboration with Intu Chapelfield, who very kindly gifted me a voucher to spend in their centre however I wanted. As always, opinions are honest and my own.