In the last century, Dressing for Christmas was Sunday’s Best in Europe. I even remembered my late mom being very upset about my wearing a small Christmas bulb as an earring in high school during the holiday season. No wonder that when I saw holiday jewelry for the first time in one of the thrift stores in Albany during a New York summer thunderstorm, I asked my friend Brita “Who on Earth would wear that?” She explained that after Thanksgiving, old women would wear Christmas-sweaters, Christmas-jewelry, Christmas-everything. This post is about not to look Old Lady in Christmas outfits at any age and in any setting.
- How to Pick the Best Christmas Outfit
- Ageless Style Outfit Ideas for Christmas
- Let the Season’s Spirit Inspire You
- Can You Wear Christmas Fashion over 40?
- Family Christmas Breakfast and Church Visit Outfit
- Christmas Brunch
- Casual Get-Together with Family and/or Friends to Watch Christmas Movies
- Christmas Dance Outfit Ideas
- Outfits for Other Types of Christmas Parties
- Christmas Outfit Ideas in a Nutshell
Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post.
How to Pick the Best Christmas Outfit?
In my style book, How to Dress for Success in Midlife, I point out that
what to wear always depends on the circumstances. To come up with a successful outfit you have to ask yourself a couple of questions:
- What are your plans?
- Are you the guest or hostess?
- Will you be indoors or outdoors?
- If outdoors, what is the weather likely to be?
- Where are you going?
- Does the place have a dress code?
- Was there a dress code in the invitation?
- With whom are you going?
- Who else will attend the party?
Depending on the answers to the above questions you will plan your outfit. This means there is not just one possible outfit for the holidays, but you can create a perfect one for the holiday situation you want to dress for.
What Else to Consider When Picking Your Outfit
Go for an easy to clean outfit when kids are around. They may have chocolate, grease, ketchup or whatever on their hands and face and hug you. This means go for a fabric that allows to wash out a spot with water and soap or some cleansing stick. The fabric should be fast drying too. Dark is better than light as spots are less visible if they occur and can’t be fixed on the go.
When a family reunion is involved stay away from kitschy Christmas sweaters or trendy outfits because a lot of photos will end up in the family album. You don’t want to look like a fashion victim when the album comes up at a family reunion in a decade from now. What today was the It outfit, may be considered as one of the most ridiculous fashion trends ever.
Ageless Style Outfit Ideas for Christmas
When you go for ageless style, it means you stay with the classics. An up-dressed little black dress or little red dress fit the bill. These options are sort of an equivalent to Sunday’s Best of the last century.
Let the Season’s Spirit Inspire You
When you brainstorm about the holiday, red and green, plaid, black, white, red pop up in your mind. So why not going with the vibe?
Tip: Try slightly off colors like teal or burgundy instead of green and red.
Plaid is a typical pattern for the season as well. A black-white hound tooth blazer with a black skirt and red sweater pick up Santa Claus’ colors. The Christmas outfit ideas with plaid shown below illustrate that the plaid can have any colors.
Another twist is to use just two of the holiday colors. Style a red skirt or pair of pants with a green sweater or vice versa also look very “christmassy” without looking messy. What about red and white?
Can You Wear Christmas Fashion Over 40
Of course, there are some designer Christmas sweaters that are pieces of art. Not in the sense that they are so kitschy that they become art. They are statement pieces in a world of Christmas sweaters. However,
No budget fashionista in her best mind would spend a paycheck on a designer item that she can only wear about one or two times a year in a window of a month!
Can You Look Great in Cheap Seasonal Attire?
Cheap Christmas clothes often look like what they are: Cheap. Looking cheap, however, is never stylish. Therefore, you should avoid them like the plague.
If you like ugly Christmas sweaters, wear them at the family party and on weekends, but not at the office or anywhere in public. Just imagine the embarrassment when you run into your boss wearing an ugly Christmas sweater!
If you want to look like the cute funny granny – there is nothing wrong with doing this for the amusement of the own grand-kids – go for it. But make sure the sweater is so genius-kitschy that it is cute again. For example think of the Rudolph sweater with the lighted red nose that Carrie presented at Curly Crafty Mom in her post on ugly Christmas sweaters.
Be aware: Such sweaters identify everyone over 12 either as a mother or grandmother!
Teenager won’t wear that mommy stuff. It’s not cool! They go for a Santa Claus bra – under a white shirt, of course, so everybody knows.
Holiday Attire to Try
When you don’t want to be the cute grandma but love love Christmas attire, invest in a silk Christmas scarf or retro holiday dress. The scarf works for many holiday events and can be even worn at the office during the holiday season.
A retro-dress is ageless and can be worn with a trendy accessory for years to come. Therefore, invest in a high quality wool or wool-blend piece in red, green or plaid. Stir away from dresses in synthetics or other cheap fabric. Don’t fall for prints with reindeers, sleds, snow-persons, Santa Clauses, Christmas trees, etc.
Go for modest cleavage so the dress works for church too and not only for a social Christmas dance.
What to Wear for Family Christmas Breakfast and Church Visit
When there is a Christmas breakfast at a family members’ house and the plan is to go to church afterwards, dress classic with only one trendy item at most.
Tip: Make sure not to out-dress the hostess. It is a question of good manners and courtesy.
Going to church afterwards asks for high cleavage for modesty, but also for insulation as it is often cold in churches. Style your outerwear with a scarf in plaid, Christmas motives, red, green or white. Photos may be taken outside. The stairs of a church are a perfect stage for family photos.
What to Wear to a Christmas Brunch
When you go for a brunch on Christmas Day, go with the dress code of the restaurant for their Sunday brunches. However, pick items in season-inspired colors like red, green, black and white. When wearing red, white and black in one outfit, make sure you don’t look like Ms. Santa Claus. Read fashion victim alert!
Casual Get-Together with Family and/or Friends to Watch Christmas Movies
Such an invitation is casual and asks for casual clothes with a bit of Christmas spirit. It also suggests that overeating may be involved. Therefore, anything tight or body conscious is not a good idea. You will feel uncomfortable in the former and look pregnant on the photos in the latter case. Instead, go for leggings with a long loose sweater or or top and a scarf or statement necklace. A Fair Isle like sweater with snow flakes knit pattern can add holiday spirit as can the choice of the colors of your outfit. A nice plaid shirt or scarf in red, green and white are timeless casual options. Add cute flat shoes or booties. Jeans with a relaxed fit are an option too, but stay out of mommy jeans territory.
Christmas Dance Outfit Ideas
It is best to call for the dress-code when you never had been at the place. Otherwise, the usual dress-code styled up a notch is a good bet. When these options are not possible, pick a cocktail dress in red, emerald or black that has a wide skirt when the dance is at a bar in a hotel. Go for a fit-and-flare dress when the venue is at a casual place like a sports bar, country bar or roadhouse.
Outfits for Other Types of Christmas Parties
You will have to stay within the work dress code at a holiday party at work. Sounds easy, right? But it gets pretty complicated depending on the time and venue.
Christmas Outfit Ideas in a Nutshell
What to wear to a Christmas party is not a one word answer. The best Christmas outfit is always the one that looks stylish and is appropriate for the venue and planned activities.
Tip: To avoid gaining weight wear something loose doesn’t work in your favor.
Photos of me: G. Kramm
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