Coco Chanel is supposed to have given the following advice on choosing accessories. ‘Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.’
Quite right, too, 11 months of the year. But for party season you can afford to give your inner Coco some time off.
Throw on huge earrings and put a sparkly barrette in your hair; pair a massive choker chain with a statement cuff; mix up sequins and diamonds and pearls with metals of all hues. Part of the point, of course, is purely practical. Your Christmas lunch dress may well be doing double duty at the New Year’s Eve party, and what better way to make it look like an entirely different outfit than to simply adorn it with accessories? Black silk or velvet dresses and jumpsuits (everywhere this winter) will be given an injection of instant glamour simply by adding some sparkle.
Anna Pursglove shared advice for effortless style this season Pictured left: Hair clip, £12.99 pack of three, earrings, £12.99, bracelet, £9.99, and necklace in glass, £15.99, zara.com. Rings £22.95, seolgold.com, £18, butlerandwilson. co.uk, and £125, pandora.net. Dress, £95, frenchconnection.com. Bag, £125, reiss.com Pictured right: Headband, £15.99, and earrings, £12.99, zara.com. Bangle, £75, and rings, £65, shop-daphine.com, thin ring, £68, branchjewellery.co.uk. Dress, £150, topshop.com. Bag, £195, russellandbromley.co.uk. Necklace in bag, £15.99, zara.com, necklace on table, £325, merola.co.uk
We’re also shopping more carefully now, conscious of recycling. One outfit needs to do lots of jobs over years rather than just last a season. And there’s no better way to get maximum wear from your dress than to freshen it up with new accessories.
So, what are you looking for this party season? Well, size-wise, the bigger the better on necklaces. Chains, in particular, have got so big that on some of the catwalks they looked as though they had been liberated from a shipyard. We’re not suggesting you go industrial-scale (leave that to the supermodels), but do have a look at Butler & Wilson and Giovanni Raspini, and Zara and Mango on the High Street.
Earrings, too, have gone super-size this season. Rhinestones are a thing, as are bright colours.
Also, look out for pearls. On anything: hair accessories, bags, brooches, cuffs, necklaces and earrings. You’ve probably got movies such as The Favourite to thank for this trend, so think ‘historical drama’ pearls rather than ‘twinset and…’. We particularly like Merola and Soru’s pearl collections, or for something more delicate look to new label Salome.
In winter accessories, it was the rise and rise of the headband. Satin, leather, velvet, studded, embellished, padded — everyone had one on the catwalk.
Pictured left: Earrings £12.99 and top £49.99 zara.com. Ring, £165, merola.co.uk. Bag, £25, marksandspencer.com. On table (left to right), ear cuff, £90, Kenneth Jay lane at net-aporter.com; cuff, £345, and earrings, £275, merola.co.uk; earrings, £12.99, zara.com Pictured right: Headband £17.99 and dress £59.99, zara.com. Earrings, £38, and necklace, £178, butlerandwilson.co.uk. Bag, £355, gedebe at Fenwick (in store only)
My advice is to be brave. My go-to for headbands is Zara; but if you can afford to spend a little more, look at the designers stocked in Fenwick.
A bejewelled headband or sparkling hair slide also means you can get away with a pared-down hairstyle, saving you hours of blow-drying, curling, spraying and backcombing. A sleek low ponytail or a bun at the nape of the neck is all that’s needed.
Now while jewellery-on-steroids is very much the thing this winter, bags have gone dinky. Small, yes, but not apologetic.
Pictured left: Hair clip £12.99 for two, zara.com Earrings, £120, carouseljewels.com. Necklace, £325, merola.co.uk. Bracelet, £290, sorujewellery.com. Rings, £125 each, pandora.net. Dress, £35, topshop. com. Bag, £29.99, Zara (in store only). Bracelets on table (left to right) £490 and £275, giovanniraspini.com Pictured right: Earrings £195 Soru at fenwick.co.uk. Rings, £100, pandora.net, and £18 each, butlerandwilson.co.uk. Dress, £65, topshop.com. Bag, £29.99, zara.com. Necklaces on table, £178 each, butlerandwilson.co.uk
Again, rhinestones rule, but the most prominent trend of the season is mock croc (and mock snakeskin). Go for a vibrantly dyed shade or adorned with crystals. We particularly like the Zara rainbow embellished clutch (£29.99).
There is also a top-handle thing going on with handbags right now. Think 1950s shapes such the M&S snake-effect hexagon handle bag (£25).
Another tip is to repurpose your party bag with a long strap post-Christmas, thus transforming it into a 1970s-style mini cross-body (a big trend for this winter).
So, the only rule this party season is to throw out the rule book. If someone tells you that you look like a Christmas tree, then thank that person — and throw on another sparkly bauble. ’Tis the season to shine, after all.
Shane Watson returns next week