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Writer's pictureJames Hall

How to Dress for Christmas Gatherings on YOUR Terms

The holiday season is here, and you know what that means; everyone is about to start dressing like it! Are you tired of all the ugly Christmas sweaters and Santa cosplays? Your answer is probably yes, seeing as you clicked on this article. Well, waste no time and keep reading because I have a couple of outfit ideas that avoid the stereotypical Christmas looks (think of it as an early Christmas present from me). I have three styles, all are very different, so I'm sure you will find one that fits you.


Grunge Christmas Hybrids

For some of us, the perpetual upbeat Christmas vibe is as overbearingly unrelatable as THAT picture of Steve Buscemi. We would rather end up on the naughty list than be associated with the bright colours and fairytale imagery that often adorns Christmas clothes.


If this description fits you, then put some edge into your Christmas look by splicing Christmas fashion with some grunge aesthetics! It's a lot easier than it sounds too! Here's some inspo to get you started…


The Nightmare Before Christmas

If you love Halloween, spooky and grungy aesthetics, playing to this film's popularity might be the seasonal choice for you. I'm sure most readers will have seen this masterpiece, but for those few that haven't, The Nightmare Before Christmas is (technically) a Christmas film that features main characters from a Halloween world. This includes the protagonist, who wants to become Santa after seeing how happy Christmas makes people. Santa and the protagonist inevitably come into conflict as the latter wants the former's job, but I will stop my recap here before we get into spoiler territory. Long story short, the plot and aesthetics of this film, mixed with its popularity around Christmas time, give you a bulletproof excuse to blend spooky and seasonal. If you like the outfit listed below, you owe Tim Burton a Christmas present.


Outfit Idea

1) Nightmare Before Christmas Sweater.


(Image taken from Amazon.com)

I picked this item up for Christmas last year, and I won't be replacing it for some time! This jumper's design mimics 'ugly' Christmas sweater designs with rows of patterns, so it won't seem excessively out of place during the holiday season. Plus, its availability on Amazon makes it easy to get hold of.


2) Black (Ripped) Jeans

Not very Christmassy, I know but remember that this outfit is a hybrid, so some parts will be grungier than they will be Christmassy. If you want a bit more Grunge, stick to good ol' fashioned plain black ripped jeans. You can get these cheap from most fashion stores and websites like Asos in the guy's and girl's sections.



If you want to be more Christmassy, you can buy ripped jeans with Christmas patterns or add your designs with some fabric paint. Below is an exceptionally creative example by scatterbirdie On Etsy. However, these are leaning more towards the Christmas aesthetic.



3) Flannel Shirt

Christmas fashion is notorious for its use of seasonal colours. These colours include red and green. So you could tie a red or green flannel shirt around your waist (we wouldn't want to cover up that beautiful Christmas jumper). Flannel shirts are often used in grunge outfits, and incorporating one with seasonal colours into this look will tie it all together. You could also wear the flannel shirt underneath the jumper and roll up the jumper sleeves so that the collar and the sleeves of the flannel shirt are visible.


Alternatively, if you wanted, you could swap this and the jeans out for a flannel skirt and some Christmas tights like those pictured below.



4) Optional: Beanie/Santa hat


The Funny Approach

Christmas sweaters have a terrible reputation as 'ugly', so why not have some fun with yours? Many clothes retailers stock 'funny' Christmas wear that can make your jumper and jeans family gathering fit a bit more entertaining. Here are two examples from grindstore.com.



I didn't see the need to make an entire outfit list for this one because it's pretty simple to pick a funny jumper and some smart/casual jeans or trousers, and I'm sure most of you can dress yourselves competently enough to fill in the blanks. Etsy is a great website to check for similar funny jumpers.


Subtle Colour Co-ordination

I already briefly touched on colour coordination; however, that was in conjunction with other Christmas themed clothes. Some of you may not be partial to dressing ostentatiously at all; in short, perhaps you don't like to stand out. If that sounds like you, this is your section because I will put together a subtle and casual outfit that relies solely on colour coordination to signal to the world that you do indeed know it's Christmas time (thanks, Band-Aid). For this example, we will focus on Red and White as the base for the colour scheme. If Santa can make it look good, so can you.


1) A Maroon Jumper


It wouldn't belong on my Christmas outfit list if it didn't include a jumper. Maroon is close enough to red to be a 'seasonal' colour while lacking the bright and ostentatious look of the traditional Christmas reds and goes with the subtle theme for this outfit.


2) A White Jacket


White is another seasonal colour that provides a nice contrast to the maroon jumper underneath. Really, it's the same colour scheme as Santa, and potentially it will fit in with the weather.


3) Blue Jeans


You could wear whatever you like for this part of the outfit. However, I've found that standard blue jeans are very subtle and compliment the smart casual look of this outfit. You could swap to black jeans if you want, but brighter colours feel that bit more Christmassy and go with the other colours in this outfit. We also need to separate casual Christmas you from Grunge Christmas you; trust me, those two will not play nice together.


I hope you found some of these ideas helpful. Even if you didn't, I hope you look amazing, and Santa fills your stockings this Christmas.


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