Holiday Style
By Leah J Chutko

Fall is here and what better way to embrace the cooler weather than bundling up in your favourites:  sweaters and jeans; boots and hats; gloves and vests.  But come Holiday season, a time that comes more quickly every year, you’ll want to make those favourites fabulous by decking them with extraordinary extras.  This Holiday season, give yourself the gift of fashion.

That jacket you fell in love with for Fall has taken a leap toward glamour for Holiday.  Velvet has become the fabric of choice for jackets juxtaposed with lace, taffeta, satin and chiffon.  Mix textures and colour and most of all, mix decadent with denim.  Pair up your jeans with a special jacket: embroidered, military, Russian or embellished with sequins, feathers or marabou. 

The search for the perfect holiday pant need not be limited.  The options are endless!  Try the new and elegant wide leg or a fun and flirty gaucho worn with boots or strappy platform shoes.  Pants can be velvet or satin, long or cropped or even denim.  Jeans adorned with stones, hand painting, embroidery and appliqués are making their way into the season, paired up with daring bustiers and funky jackets.

Give the gift of glamour and style.  The scarf, once merely a winter essential, has morphed into an elegant accessory.  From delicate beaded chiffon to bold-coloured knits, make sure a scarf is on your gift-giving list.  And don’t stop at one!  Wearing two or even three little scarves is sure to pump up the volume on style and comfort.

Accessories are always the perfect way to finish any outfit.  Necklaces are multi-layered, long and textured.  You’ll find mixes of pearls and stone, chains and beads.  Gold tones take the stage next to bold stones of red, purple and green.  Wood bangles adorn the wrist and the classic and beautiful cameo shows her face.

While black makes a strong comeback as a classic, punch-out any outfit with a bold colour accent.  Jewel tones are the most exciting and include purple, aubergine, navy, teal, raspberry, claret, mustard, burnt orange and forest green.  Peaty earth tones make a holiday appearance in moss, avocado, creamy champagne and flesh tones.  Experiment with contrasting colours like mauve with red or fuchsia with green.