FashBlog.com

By Christina VanGinkel

If you are anything like me, choosing a holiday outfit, or an outfit for a party where dressing up a bit more than in the traditional sense, in a fun, festive way is called for, is not always the easiest thing to do. We automatically grab for something from the depths of our closets that is relatively safe as far as color and fabric choice goes. Moreover, details are another thing completely, as in anyone who would see us asking what details!

The holidays are really the perfect time to break out of a ho hum shell of plain, unadorned fashions though. They are the perfect time to try a fabric such as velour, velvet, or silk, or to reach for that color that at any other time of the year would scream a big fat no. Try a bright red or green, or a stunning gold, silver, magenta, any color that is festive, or combination of colors. Try a mixture of a color and fabric, that otherwise would not be something you would wear, such as a red velvet, or silks that shine and catch the glittery glow of holiday lights, just think of something that would be a good choice for a holiday get together, something that makes you think of a celebration. The holidays are truly the one time of year that you can get away with wearing just about any fashion you could imagine, as long as it is somehow tied into the theme of the holidays.

If the occasion calls for a fun outfit, I automatically think of some of the wild and crazy fashions that I have witnessed through the years, fashions that include earrings that looked like Christmas lights and actually lit up, a sweatshirt with a reindeer whose nose glowed bright red, and a sweater decorated with tiny crystal ornaments. Visit any holiday bazaar, and you will be sure to come away with at least one fun for the holiday's accessory. Better yet, visit any discount store and you will be provided with rack after rack of glitzy, funny, cute, and oh so holiday themed sweaters, that you will start to think there really is a North Pole with a room full of tiny fashion designer elves working all year long just to come up with all the choices you will be assailed with at this time of year.

If you are thinking that, there is no way, even during the holidays, that you would wear any of the traditional holiday fashions that are abundant this time of year. That every single one of those elves should be sporting pink slips for the fashions they came up with, then consider some of the fun accessories that you could wear in place of those garishly decorated sweaters and sweatshirts. Not as blatant as a sweatshirt proclaiming Rudolf's shiny nose, but still just as fun. Go for something stylish, yet fun, such as a purse that shines from top to bottom, with a strap that glitters its complete length, or maybe a pair of shoes with a fun bow stitched on the toe. How about a pair of earrings and a necklace that hangs just a bit longer, a bit more dangly than your usual style. No one is telling you to wear something that makes you feel awkward, yet if you show up at a holiday party without any festive trimmings whatsoever, you are just as likely to stick out from the crowd as if you walked in wearing a pair of antlers to rival Santa's number one reindeer!

Shop a more refined store than the local five and dime if you want to find a holiday outfit or a few fashion accessories that whisper class more than scream fun. Look for fabrics that catch your eye, but do not shriek aloud. Again, if you are even a bit like me, you hate to purchase anything that you cannot wear more than a single time, and that is where the accessories once again come into play. Go ahead and buy that soft black sweater that you can wear on New Years too, or even just for a nice evening out to dinner, but plan to dress it up with shoes, purse, and jewelry so the finished outfit is still festive when put all together.