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How to accessorise for the festive party season
By Emily Huxtable - 13th December 2023
Accessories have been used by us for centuries, and still, they are at the forefront of fashion and personal identity.
How people dress and accessorise has become an identifier for like-minded people. A way to talk to those who think similarly to you without saying a word. So, when the festive season approaches and parties are all the rage, how do we stay true to ourselves whilst embracing the Christmas spirit?
Considering the cultural significance of various accessories, and the ones we love to wear ourselves, we can explore the importance of choosing the right accessories in our party outfits to portray who we truly are.
Coco Chanel introduced a fashion staple in the 1920s, the Little Black Dress, otherwise known as the LBD. The LBD became adored for a whole host of reasons. Chic and refined, this essential in every woman’s wardrobe is at its core, utterly simple. With a variety of forms, flowy skirts, fishtails, open-chested or completely covered, one thing reigned true for the LBD - it's the perfect base for accessories to shine.
The perfect dress day to night, if you know how to accessorise well, that Little Black Dress can go from simple to sleek, elegant to relaxed. Audrey Hepburn popularised this iconic dress in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Pairing an LBD with black satin gloves and statement pearls, this image became a statement of the 60s.
In the modern era, the Little Black Dress is as popular as ever. But now, it is styled in a variety of ways. Show some personality by pairing your LBD with your favourite coloured accessories to create a coordinated look. Use the dress as a template and layer a mix of red jewellery, accessories and finishing touches to create a bold, contemporary look. Or, wear it on the casual and pair it with a denim jacket and a neutral-coloured bag.
You see, the Little Black Dress is the perfect demonstration of how the way we accessorise has changed. Now, we are less likely to embrace trends (but who doesn't love a trend-led look?) and more likely to use accessories to show how different pieces can portray completely different aesthetics.
Festive Jewellery Trends
We may not think it, but jewellery plays a huge part in our accessorising, and we may even think that trends go out the window when it comes to Christmastime. But, we believe you can utilise them in a variety of ways to get the most out of your festive accessorising.
If you find yourself shying away from trying new things, now is the perfect time for something new. Christmas is about going all out, right? When you’re looking for something to wear to your work Christmas party, you can experiment with trends you’ve had your eye on and no one will bat an eye. Been thinking of going bold with your earrings? Stack them in style and let people embrace your new-found look!
We’ve collated some of the best accessory trends that we think would elevate your festive look this season so you can rest assured that your outfit is party-ready.
Maximalism
Our favourite festive trend, this ‘go big or go home’ approach to styling is well-loved over the Christmas season. With oversized everything, from earrings to clothes, a mismatch of colours and sparkles everywhere, this trend is the perfect way to get into the festive spirit.
Feel free to go bold and have fun this Christmastime, that’s what it’s all about, right?
Mismatched earrings
If you have multiple ear piercings, or even just one, mismatched earrings are a great way to embrace several themes all in one look.
A lot of retailers are now creating mismatched sets of earrings, so you don’t need to do the thinking. Take our Mismatched Moon and Star Studs, with two unique earrings with a complementary vibe, they’re ideal for adding to a gold festive look. With the addition of stars and glimmering green crystals, you can wear these alone or stack them in a curated ear look for a truly asymmetrical vibe.
Staple silvers
Silver might be the love of your life, or it might just not be your vibe. But one thing we can say for certain is that silver is coming back, and it's coming back better than ever. A great affordable choice, shining silver is loved for its cool-toned hue and it would be the ideal accompaniment to a festive party look, especially when paired with other cool tones. Our Hammered Teardrop Hoop Earrings are the perfect way to add some silver into your look, and their textured finish makes for a great addition to a party look.
If you want to experiment with trends and silver is not for you, mixed metals might just suit. Play with introducing a silver chain like our Herringbone Chain in Silver along with your gold ensemble, you’ll mirror the sparkling lights and look like a Christmas dream.
Layer it up
If you want to take your festive styling to the next level, layering is an easy way to do just that. Pair your favourite chains and stack them together along with a selection of statement bracelets for a Christmas party outfit you’re guaranteed to love. It’s simply the perfect way to stand out from the crowd. Play around with textures and mixed tones so you can bring some different elements to your look. We make layering extra simple using double-chain necklaces and bracelets. Our double-layer beaded bracelets come in three complementing colourways and are the perfect mix of textures.
Keeping things playful
Who’s to say kids have all the fun? Vibrant jewellery paired with quirky motifs is making a comeback. So, as we embrace our child-like curiosity, we get to enjoy a touch of nostalgia when we involve some of these fun pieces in our festive looks. Christmas has a whole host of interesting symbols that make up a lot of festive jewellery. Our Christmas jewellery range includes a selection of novelty earrings to add some festive fun to any look. Check out our quirky Enamel Holly Stud Earrings, complete with silly smiley faces.
Festive Accessorising
In all of Christmas' glory, the festivities tend to call for a maximalist approach - ‘the more the merrier’ ring any bells? With flashing lights, sparkling decor and over-the-top gifts, Christmas is not a low-key occasion. And, of course, as the cold draws in and the nights get shorter, our excitement for the festive season and all its trimmings grows. The celebrations get closer and celebrations mean outfit planning.
As the outdoors becomes decked in all that glitters, we often feel like our party outfits should mimic the vibe of Christmas. But, this doesn’t have to be the case. Just like how we can dress up and down the Little Black Dress, you can go big with your festive party look or keep it on the subtler side.
It’s easy to accessorise with a simple nod to our go-to style. But, when the festive season is here, we usually try to bring some seasonal motifs into our outfits. I think this can easily be done no matter your style preference - whether you like to go all-out or keep things understated.
So, let’s consider what really shouts Christmas:
- Red, green and gold. A mix of these colours, or simply one alone, will add a festive feel to anything this time of year. If you prefer to keep things simple, adding some bold reds and greens to your look is guaranteed to add to that Christmas spirit
- If you have an inkling of that child-like excitement for Christmas, all-things North Pole is the perfect way to get the festivities in full swing for you. Think Santa, elves, candy canes and reindeer. These colours tend to involve reds, pinks, whites and greens
- What we adorn our trees with, such as tinsel, baubles and all the glittering add-ons, make a great addition to the festivities year after year. They feel exclusive to Christmastime, and what’s to say they’re exclusive to just our trees?
- We love to make the long nights shine with the use of sparkles, sparkles everywhere! As the days get shorter and darker, Christmas calls for an increase in glitter, sequins and everything in between
- The overall icon of Christmas is the evergreen firs we decorate in our homes yearly. Seeing them in our homes, in shops and town centres, this symbol of the festivities well and truly shouts ‘Christmas’, it is in the name, of course
- During December, we see a rise in iconic Christmas motifs including holly leaves, mistletoe, stars, angels and wreaths, amongst many others. These popular symbols adorn our homes and make a big appearance in our accessories
When celebrating an event as big as Christmas, sometimes we might like to nod to these symbols in our outfits, or more tastefully, our accessories. It helps to create a playful feel that only increases the communal excitement for Christmas Day. Read on to find out more about how we can incorporate some of these iconic symbols into our outfits in a way that is fun, but charming. So, maybe you can save the Santa hats for a little later on in the night…
There’s no need to not be yourself when Christmas rolls around, and if sparkles aren’t your thing, you shouldn’t feel compelled to wear them. With so many ways to make your look shout ‘Christmas!’, it is guaranteed that you’ll find a way to get into the festive spirit without decking yourself in glitter, even if it means simply wearing the colour red.
Tip 1 - Embrace the colours of the season
We aren’t joking! Wearing red is a great way to subtly nod to the festivities whilst not going out of your comfort zone. Pair an all-black look with a bold red jumper and some gold jewellery and you’ll feel like you’ve made an effort but kept true to yourself. We love emerald green and think it makes a great addition to a festive look. Our Green Vegan Leather Crossbody Handbag makes the perfect pick. Complete with a golden buckle, this bag combines all the festive feels into one accessory.
Using complementing colours in your look is an easy way to create a cohesive outfit that feels festive. Why not pair this colourful bag with some matching green and gold earrings? We love these Big Metal London Emerald Green Drop Studs. Their big and bold finish is ideal for elevating your Christmas party look.
Tip 2 - Mindful accessorising
Choosing the right accessories for your look is important. We often don’t want to go overboard, or not do enough. A perfect balance can be hard to achieve and in reality, it’s completely subjective. A good rule of thumb is to not overcrowd one area. If you’re wearing a large, oversized necklace, keep your earrings more on the minimal side so your face is balanced. If your bag is sparkling to the stars, maybe keep anything close to it, like your belt, plain. If you want to include more sparkles, use a belt with a shimmering buckle instead of the entire band to not distract from your out-there bag. If you’re going for an all-black look, perhaps some patterned tights will add a flair you didn’t know you could add!
Tip 3 - Statement styling
If you love to stand out from the crowd, embracing statement styling is a great way to accentuate your look. Use big, bold silhouettes to level up your outfit with gold jewellery studded with sparkling details. If you want your festive party look to be on the sleeker side, you can take Christmas motifs that are found outside of the festive season, such as stars, and include them in your look. This My Doris signet ring is the perfect statement piece. With a crystal-encrusted star in the centre of a large ring, this ring is guaranteed to get you into the festive spirit.
Tip 4 - Make the most of trends
If you want to embrace the trends of the season, we think the most exciting one of this year is mismatched jewellery. It’s a great way to include a bunch of earrings you adore, and you can include tonnes of nods to the festivities amongst them.
Use different types of earrings to create an asymmetrical silhouette. Wear hoops all on one side and studs with drop earrings on the other. This unique pairing creates a trend-led finish that is going to draw attention. But, make sure to keep the vibe of the jewellery the same to create a cohesive look. For example, wearing different earrings in shades of gold with crystal details.
If you want to mix and match your metals, we recommend that you have complementing metals on both ears. Try to avoid going for all one colour on one ear and another colour on the other. Why not stack our Crystal Triple Star Huggies with our Antiqued Effect Star Charm Huggies to create a truly star-studded look?
Tip 5 - Have fun!
Most importantly, Christmas is a time to let loose and enjoy yourself. With so many Christmas-exclusive symbols, there’s truly no better time than now to include some novelty motifs in your party looks.
Take a few of the festive symbols listed above and explore a range of Christmas jewellery that holds your chosen icon at the forefront. The best part about Christmas jewellery is that you can still be subtle, or go as bold as you like! We have a wonderful selection of accessories with festive motifs including holly, mistletoe, stars, Santa hats and more. For those who want some playful jewellery on the sleeker side, our Candy Cane-Inspired Hoops are the sweetest blend of colours and will elevate your look with ease. We think they go great with other gold jewellery and a monochrome look.
If you’re looking for a one-stop shop for your Christmas party needs, you can explore a range of accessories guaranteed to make your festive outfit shine here.
