Holiday Time with Nothing to Wear

December 8, 2023

OK so the party season has started, or at least the invites have gone out, or maybe you just want to look nice for midnight mass on the 24th or for the family gathering.  Whatever, this is the time of year most people dress up or a little dressier than normal.  

But you've nothing to wear.  And furthermore, you're not sure a formal dress or garment would be all that useful.  

In the age of Met Gala gowns...

This is what comes to mind when we think about how the wealthy dress for the holidays.

Remember the wealthy are much more likely to be quiet about their wealth because they don't like bringing a lot of attention to their wealth, otherwise people from all over will be wanting to ask them for it.  

So this is what you are much more likely to see them in something like this.  A classic red dress, a holiday Stuart (family) plaid, with a nice classic sweater top - probably cashmere and probably handed down a couple of generations, a classic pair of pants with a red holiday scarf, and classic black pants and boots with a holiday red shirt.  

What's more, although red is a great color for Christmas, you don't necessarily have to have that red.

And again, this is what most people think that will look like.  The LAST thing in the world wealthy people wear is something that "doesn't cover the subject."  It draws way too much attention to them. 

Something like this SCREAMS wealth and more than that, but screams old money.  This is particularly the style of Carolina Herrera.

I swear I'm going to make that second to the left blouse one day.  It's been eating a hole in my brain to do.  

Another thing to remember is jewelry.  The wealthy may have a lot of it, but they don't wear a lot of it.  Think of the former Queen of England who was incredibly circumspect about her jewelry which was gobs of it.

These are just the crowns.  

She had necklaces, earrings, bracelets, pins and all that stuff, but she hardly wore these huge pieces out daily.  Instead she wore pearls.

Pearls are the untold secret to looking wealthy and besides that, they are easy to find and not that hard to own.  These are totally classic and, above all, are so deeply old-money that they are the perfect thing to wear.  One fine distinction between the "new" pearls and the old ones handed down, is that after decades of wearing pearls, they gain a patina or a slightly pink tinge to them.  That's what makes them different.  Theoretically, experts can tell the difference, but it takes a jeweler's loop and a practiced eye to tell the difference.    

So get your white blouse, black pants or skirt and maybe a dot of red color - a scarf or a wrap, and go for it.  Remember, this isn't the Met Gala, where the purpose is to see how outrageously showy you can be.  It's all about classic and very, very quiet quality.  

So this fabric was in the store in the morning and on my back that evening for a casual Christmas party at a very chic home.  

I can tell already I'm going to wear the stinking daylights out of those pants.  I've got that houndstooth that is calling me

I was working on matching/toning this with the oxblood red pants I'm working on, but dang with those black pants above.  Wowza!

So I really had one problem with the red jacket.  I put some brushed brass buttons on the jacket.  They sorta look like old Roman coins and they are really cool buttons.  But they aren't exactly as dressy as I would like for the party.  No problem, just change out the buttons from my collection.

The difference here may be subtle, but this is the individualization we can add to our clothing.  From everyday, to cocktail just by sewing on new buttons.  These buttons are enamel with a brass griffin design in the middle and "LowLand" written on the bottom. The Kennedys are Scotch-Irish from the lowlands of Scotland that imigrated to Ireland.  Pretty cool buttons.  

And after all, isn't that the real purpose of the season - see friends and family and enjoy the holiday?    What's better than wearing something classic, appropriate, and comfy for the holidays

The SewingArtistry Resource Library is designed to contain information to not only make your sewing better, but to aid in you fitting and flattering your shape, size and style.  Check it out. 

Look for future classes coming in 2024
The Core Pattern Shirt, (one of my favorites for woven core pattern that you can make into a myriad of different garments), 
Basic Knit Top (core pattern class for knit basic tops, shells, tees, dresses, and tunics)
 

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