What To Wear On christmas Day

Christmas is the only single time that parents and children alike are okay with letting and old [stranger of a] man come into your house while you are asleep. 364 other days of the year you would be screaming for your Dad to grab a golf club (or the bedside lamp in confusion) but not this day, no.

As of 9pm on Christmas Eve I am fast asleep. Not for any mis-foretold thought that I'll wake up on the naughty list but preferably that I'd rather not be awake when this malevolent and equally misrepresented man comes into my house.

“Shall we get Santa to leave a present at the end of your bed Luke?”

“No bloody thank you!”

But despite my own opinions I still expect you to dress accordingly and make an effort for the big guy's big day! But never fear, in a superhero form of fashion benevolence I am here to guide you right the way through the day from waking up, opening presents, Christmas bird and beyond.

Christmas Morning

Firstly, creep downstairs and check every cupboard. No not for presents; he could be passed out somewhere… He has access to every house in the world, ya' think he doesn’t know where your booze cupboard is?

Now that we can relax it's time to start the festive ball rolling.

Trust me when I say; it's Christmas, no one is going to give you a ticket for dressing like Hugh Hefner so make the most of it! Here is look 1 Christmas Morning:

Now listen very carefully because my words of wisdom have not failed you yet. Just because it is Christmas morning does not mean you get to throw on the first thing you find and rush downstairs like the big kid we all deny to be on Christmas.

My style template for Christmas morning as I said above it Hugh Hefner but you do not have to follow mine. Having a style template is not copying but simply taking inspiration and that is what fashion is all about!

Hugh's style is one so rare because it can be defined simply by its name. But what the Hefner look employs is very basic and effective. Luxury & comfort are key, and you can see from the pictures above which ones are which. The Scroll Stripe pyjamas from Paul Smith are both of these and have all the perfect detailing you would expect. From the cuffs to the buttons, everything screams “pass me a present playboy”.

With pyjamas that carry such an intricate print you run the risk of becoming moving wallpaper. This is why I've broken it up with a great short robe from Armani. Emulating the style of Hef's smoker jacket this is a staple item for the look!

And finally, my favourite part of the look. If you haven't already checked it out; Topman LTD, available through the Topman website is the collection of concept pieces from the in house design team. They describe it as “Sophisticated, luxe collections with an emphasis on design, detail, fabric and finish” -everything we are striving for in this look.

I have chosen the LTD purple velvet slippers. They are available in black also but I feel the more aristocratic colours work better with this look. They offer that vintage look with a sleek design and are the perfect reason to dismiss the Homer Simpson ones you've just unwrapped and gasped at in [Oscar winning] “joy”.

As far as accessories go – they are not necessary. Just as you would if you were aiming for a simplistic, clean cut look on a night out; you don't want to overpower or shadow any of the other materials.

Christmas Lounge

The title says it all. Christmas lounge is the time after Christmas morning when the whole family is relaxing (having a drink), reading a book (having a drink), playing board games (having a drink), watching Christmas movies (having a drink) or if there is nothing else to do you could have a drink (having another drink!).

The obvious thing for look 2 would have been to implement a fairisle or chunky knit cardigan. Both are really hot on trend right now but have been discussed and featured so much I wanted to offer an alternative. Despite being called 'lounge pants' your outfit still needs to have an air of presence around it so they are off the list. Equally comfortable are Oki Ni's Humour Pants. Slim legged and drop crotched, these go great with the (albeit controversial</

strong>) UGG Boots.

Shawl necks are dominating the fashion rails at the moment but funnel necks are a great substitute. All saints have one of the best knitwear ranges of anywhere so there is plenty of choice should you want to switch it up.

The only thing you must maintain in this look is the soft detailing (take note from the distinctive white covered rivets on the humour pants & the long toggles of the Banquo cardigan). It is advisable that you do not use too many different colour palettes; it is very hard to keep an outfit looking casual and relaxed if you start with sand colours and end up adding large bright colours!

I won't go into the irony I've just noticed in the T-shirt I have used but instead skip ahead to the part that will potentially spawn 30 disgruntled and confused comments.

No I am not drunk, no I am not pulling your leg, no I am not a less fashion-savvy impersonator of Luke and no it is not a typo. You may have seen the 'debate rages on' article a few weeks back discussing men & UGG's. I think it is fair to say that no common ground was found. They are the fashion marmite which is why I've built this look around the flexibility to change key features; the boots being one of them.

Regardless of their gender stereotypes, believe it or not UGG boots were originally men's footwear [don't run away I'm not going to give you a history lesson in UGGology]. But I cannot see a single reason, when these boots compliment this look so well, why they shouldn't be worn. They epitomise comfort and that is exactly what we are going for. However, if you are not quite ready for them a simple pair of natural colour deck shoes would also look great too!

The Big Bird

Contrary to belief, this paragraph does not discuss that “see title” you pulled at the office party. Instead it refers to the ancient ritual and often mis-dressed for Christmas dinner. No matter whom you're a dining with, this is (bar wooing your latest lady) the most important dinner of the year and should be attired for sufficiently.

Now if your house is anything like my house, and may god have mercy on you if it is…“You're wearing the hat…you're wearing the bloody hat…put…put the hat on…put the bloody hat on!”

So I'm sorry, little or none can be done to avoid the paper hat that just fell out of the cracker (and believe me when I say that accidentally ripping it doesn't work either, they're like rats; you're never more than 5 metres away from another one). However, that doesn't stop you from following my one piece of my [amongst the other 59 pieces] advice: find a hat in a colour that matches your ensemble. It may sound silly, but exchanging that yellow hat for the silver or blue one can help you avoid any unfortunate colour faux pas.

Now, on to the clothes for look 3:

This shirt from All Saints is not only my featured product for this look; but in fact my pick of the month! The chambray detailing with internal bleaching gives an ‘oober’ (yes I used that word) retro rustic effect. Also the Granddad collar gives it a completely unique look and allows it to be matched with a host of accessories! One of these being a neck scarf. With any neck accessories in this look it is important not to cover up the obvious Granddad cut. That is why I have chosen ASOS’s skinny knit scarf to be worn loosely around the neck to frame the detailed collar.

Attempting to keep it smart to avoid a 'clip round the ear' from Nana and still trying to look on trend is another from Topman LTD. I'm slowly gaining an unhealthy obsession for chinos and these are no exception. The mid blue colour picks out from the worker style of the shirt and the pleats make you look like the nice young chappy Nana says you are.

The reason most miss-dress for Christmas dinner is their attitude. Despite it being a special sentiment (to housewives) most still see it as a fancy dinner in their house instead of restaurant. This is also where it makes shoes a tricky subject; nevertheless I have found the perfect choice. Deck shoes are contemporary and whether they look formal or casual depends on what they are worn with. These navy sorts from French Connection & stocked by Kurt Geiger are a perfect pick. If you've had a peek outside you'll notice that no one is going to be wanting to be on a boat but that doesn't mean these shoes aren't as hot on trend as ever!

Wrap it up…

There are two main trends coming through this fashion window. The obvious English countrymen and the American preppy look. But with the festive season upon us there is no doubt that people want to show that warm, cosy look in their outfits. Layering with knits is the obvious way to do this. All of what i've shown you today has the potential to be 'knit worthy' (a completely nonexistent fashion terminology that I just made up). I hope you can take what I've shown you today and build from it, like I said having a style template is not copying another person's image. Haven't you ever heard someone describe a look as James Bond or Tom Ford or even Kanye. I would be proud for someone to say they are donning the Luke look (please let me know if you do say that to someone because I will personally send you a Christmas card).

All that is left for me to say is that I hope you all have a wonderfully (fashionable) merry Christmas!

I wanted to also mention the other fashionbeans writers for their amazing articles over the past months and of course Ben who dedicates a lot of his time into making this great site even better; a Merry Christmas to all of you. I can’t wait for you all too see what the site will be offering in the near year and to continue working on such a great site with great readers and great writers.

Ho Ho Ho from your fashion savvy Elf,
Luke Todd.