Once its autumn already, to avoid thinking about the cold winter months, I try and focus on the silver lining – the festive season outfits! It is something to look forward to. This festive period is special – you can be as dressed up as possible and its ok. This is also the time of the year you can take out and wear the colourful traditional clothes or sparkly Christmas party dresses* which are ignored in the summer.
Outfit details: red maxi dress (similar), silver statement bib necklace, kiss lock purse and black strappy heels.
The Diwali Look
The challenge with Diwali in London is always about how to wear something traditional which is also warm enough for November in London. The other issue is that unless Diwali is on a weekend, wearing a sari becomes difficult although I do love the idea of wearing a sari. We barely get a chance to do that in London so I jump at it!
But this time I know I won’t be able to pull off a sari. Diwali is on a weekday and I just won’t have the time after coming back from work. I have also worn my kurtas and salwar kameez to death and cannot bear repeating the same one for another Diwali. My plan is to take inspiration from our previous Diwali posts keep the outfit a slightly ‘Indian with Western silhouette fusion look’. Let see how I manage that but the plan is to go all out on the accessories to up the bling!
I would have typically used a gold clutch but this one in a vintage-y style was so pretty. Remember Satarupa’s amazing post with the Indian work purses? This peach one is from the same brand.
Tip: I wear woollen leggings under the dress or kurta so keep warm. I know people do this even when wearing saris! You can see me wearing this my friend’s Diwali party.
The Birthday Girl
My birthday is bang in the middle of festive season. I cannot deny its childish but I make an extra effort to dress up. Since everyone around me is already in their festive wear I tend to go all out to stand out. And why not?
There is a dress that DJ got me I haven’t had a chance to wear yet but isn’t exactly winter friendly. I have been wondering how to style it for winter and this is what I came up with. Now I haven’t actually worn it and tried it out in real life yet. If you see it on the blog in sometime, then it was a success. If you don’t, well, I am just going to quietly change and not show you the pictures of me looking ridiculous in it!
But what better opportunity to try out a slightly dubious outfit than your birthday?
Outfit details: linen blazer maxi dress with slits, black turtleneck, thigh-high block heel boots and Boy Chanel bag.
Tip: I like wearing clothes out of season and out of place and getting more wear out of them. Wearing a summery dress in winter is a good plan – as long as you style it appropriately it works.
The Office Christmas Party
The office Christmas party is a tricky matter. You have to look festive but professional which is a bit of a challenging dress code. This is why this midi skirt is perfect. Its festive enough with the fringe and sequins but perfect for an office party thanks to the colour and length. For a Christmas party, in my rule book the colours gold, red or green have to be included in the outfit. So pairing the skirt with a red pussy bow blouse is a perfect match.
Outfit details: Fringed sequin midi skirt, red pussy bow blouse, mini trunk clutch bag, gold chain link long earrings and black strappy heels.
Tip: rewear the skirt for another Christmas party by taping up the fringe underneath the skirt for a different look. You can even tape it in such a way to make the skirt shorter.
The Androgynous New Years Eve Look
I have mentioned this before – the sharp suit or tux look is my outfit pick for a fancy New Years Eve look. I have made a policy decision on this – no skirts for new years eve. One new years eve a few years ago, the roads were blocked, the tube was overflowing and we had to walk a substantial way home. I was wearing a dress. It was cold. Enough said. I love fashion but there is no amount of fashion that justifies being cold.
Outfit details: Tuxedo jacket, skinny trousers or loose trousers, sequin gold bag, gold architectural earrings and black strappy heels.
I loved this tux jacket, its so sleek. Cara Delevingne has provided major inspiration on styling tuxes this year! The jacket styled with the loose fitted trousers is a little different because I would have instinctively paired these with either black leather leggings or trousers. I would suggest going with skinny trousers if you are shorter (like me) but if you can pull off the loose fit trousers it would be a great look.
And this will be paired with my heels and red lipstick. But of course.
Tip: wear the tux with blue mom jeans and sneakers for New Years Day brunch.
How many of you are crazy like me and already have your New Year outfit locked down? Would love to see some pictures or inspiration and also hear about your festive plans! Show us some love on Instagram or Twitter or leave us a comment on this post. The festive season is here so hopefully Monday blues are limited!
This post was a collaboration but of course, needless to say, all thoughts, opinions and styling deliberations are my own!
– Anisha
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