Vırginia Chadwyck-Healey Dressing for Britain
Don’t end up in an unloved Christmas outfit – and get ready to add colour to 2021
This week, on a call to a client, I was asked what I would be wearing on Christmas Day. I suppose it’s rather like me wanting to know what the chefs will be cooking this year; Sprouts or no sprouts? Goose fat or olive oil? Fashion should be a big deal for me on Christmas Day, but in fact I tend to stick to my favourites. No tottering heels for instance, certainly nothing too tight around the waist (why would you do that to yourself ?), and enough warmth, but not so much that I’ll overheat by the fire.
In reality, I’ll be on the floor playing with my children and then dashing upstairs to change a nappy – and who needs “wafty” fashion getting in the way? So often we fall into the Christmas outfit trap, snapping up a bargain beforehand or wearing something that just isn’t us. We buy a red jumper, or worse a nylon sparkly number – and by Boxing Day we are left wondering why we spent on an item that has such a short shelf life. If you want to know, I’ll be wearing a shirt by British brand Lisou, with a pair of simple trousers. I’ll wear block heels because I have so many great pairs that have had zero wear this year. I will even attempt to curl my hair and put on some fail-safe (Cosmetics à la Carte) make-up.
Lisou is owned by Rene Macdonald and like many entrepreneurs, the idea was born from endless ponderings at her kitchen table. “The final nudge came from my family,” Macdonald says. Originally from Tanzania, the soul of this brand is rooted in her upbringing. The bold, uplifting print designs reflect this and have been worn by the likes of Thandie Newton, Dame Helen Mirren and the Duchess of Cambridge.
This season, her designs include hearts, diamonds, flowers and the symbol of our times, the rainbow. But it’s the unexpected colour juxtapositions that make Lisou stand out.
This mango shirt ( main image) is adorned with a flower print made up of cream, royal blue and copper, yet the latter looks perfectly pink against its backdrop. A triumph of trompe l’oeil. It’s a piece that is as happy with these 1970s- inspired blue velvet trousers as it is with a pair of jeans and a navy jacket. I am not afraid of colour, but even I might have shied away from the fabric. Orange feels a gamble. Take note, this is mango – far more friendly and works all year round. I love it. Visiting Macdonald at her Westbourne Grove boutique, I ask whether customers ever shy away from Lisou because they assume, “Oh no colour isn’t my thing?”
“Yes, but we usually manage to convince them to try some colour! And we sell a few plain pieces too,” she replies. “It’s really a matter of adding tones gradually – no one goes from all black to technicolour overnight.”
I also ask about her sizing, as I’m often quizzed on which brands work on a bigger bust. “The Betty style and the Eliza are both great shapes – they suit everyone,” she says.
This has been the year of Covid, baking and loungewear. And if this year has done anything it has made us yearn for smarter days. Discussing 2021 with a friend who works in fashion, we both agreed that we will be smartening up when all this is over. We’ll differentiate between work and downtime in ways we would never have done pre- Covid. And a brand like Lisou would be a good way to start fine-tuning your “coming out of Covid” moment. In true Diana Ross style, we will walk tall in fabulous prints and bellow “I’m coming out, I want the world to know, Got to let it show…” Until then, you can impress your Christmas bubbles with your Diana Ross rendition as you drag the turkey from the oven. ( Just don’t get goose fat on your new silk shirt).
Happy Christmas to you all! @ginniech00
Lisou is offering Telegraph readers 20% off full price items until Christmas Eve. Use the code VCH20