YES YOU CAN BE LOUD - JUST DO IT QUIETLY

FROM THE CATWALK TO YOUR WARDROBE… GRACE CAHILL ON THE FASHION FIXES THAT WORK IN THE REAL WORLD

People say pregnancy is hard and in many ways it is, but sartorially speaking it makes getting dressed at this time of year relatively simple and stress-free. For instance, I can no longer wear maternity jeans without the inevitable camel toe and constant tugging, and midi skirts look utterly ridiculous on me. So that pretty much rules out separates entirely. I need long, swooshy hemlines and big sleeves so that limits my dress choices to a few wafty shapes. I generally have a no sequins rule at Christmas (there’s enough sparkle to go around, thank you) which also dismisses a myriad of glitzy winter high street hits.

I don’t like looking too ‘done’ nor am I big on statement bling so searching for party season attire to suit my mood, current taste for super soft fabrics and a nine-month bump has been a less than colourful experience. It helps, of course, that I have very few places to go, with the exception of a hospital bed and labour ward, so pyjamas and slippers instead of jazzy heels and puffed out extravagant sleeves (my version of glitz) are de rigeur this Christmas. You know what they say about great style wisdoms and getting older - less really is more.

Sarcasm aside, I’m aware that most of you will have far more glamorous places to be than your bed this year so here I am on the brink of giving birth to a tiny human waxing lyrical on party dressing. Fashion never sleeps.

I blame my age (I’m 33) but admittedly I have always been a bah humbag and found loud, cliched party attire – that slew of sequins, feathers and beads smothered recklessly on tops, jackets and dresses – a little bit icky.

‘Tis, of course, the season for bells and whistles but there is a refined, grown-up way to pull off embellishment and it’s down to quiet-loud dressing. Take a soft structured knit with block heel boots and a skirt with a dense covering of sequins in a clever colourway so that it shimmers rather than glitters. Equally, a satin slip dress has the same effect worn layered with a silky ruffled blouse or lurex turtleneck. The textures make it feel special and occasion-worthy but not novelty.

I’m also a sucker for a blazer and usually enlist the help of a velvet or jacquard number to elevate trousers or skinny jeans with heels thrown in for good measure when I’m dashing from the office to after-work festivities.

Accessories-wise, I swear by embellished hair barrettes or a mounted satin, velvet hairband – both polish off the simplest of outfits without having to resort to painfully high heels or shoulder-tipping earrings you rarely last the night in. I know, for some, being able to pull sparkle and shine off a rail for a night on the tiles will always be an indelible part of dressing up fun but for others a big tick for them is simply feeling like a fancier version of themselves and buying clothes that they will wear again and again. Happy dressing.

THERE IS A REFINED, GROWN-UP WAY TO PULL OFF PARTY SEASON GLAMOUR