Happy Beetwixmas! 

You may be all partied out & enjoying your elasticated waistbands & slippers or you may be keeping your festive dressing going by wearing sequins or a sparkly knit from morning to night & everyday to NYE.

I have done my second Christmas of mostly buying preloved, so even if it’s gifts from my family, I will ask for vintage or preloved first. Some of the gorgeous things that I received this year are a vintage Laura Ashley velvet dress, a boho style preloved Monsoon top, a preloved pink cashmere jumper & a vintage St Michael tank top.

If you are not fully convinced about buying preloved & you have a huge NYE party to go to & you want to shop high street, then there are some amazing partywear pieces out there from lace to fringe to sequins! A serious note about sequins though, here are the not so shiny facts about sequins…

Sequins are not biodegradable, they are made of plastic, they take thousands of years to break down, they are not good for the workers that make them, they produce lots of waste & they are often discarded after wearing them & end up in landfill & in our waterways, which marine life will ingest. High street stores do not need to make any more sequins, we have enough in circulation already, so firstly, it is always better to buy vintage or preloved sequins & secondly if you do buy new sequins, really think about your purchase. Ask yourself these questions…

Is it such a statement piece you fall in love & will wear it year after year? Or something that you could pass on? 

Is it a classic piece, which you could style differently, so you get lots of wear out of it? For example, a sequin vest could be worn in winter or summer, just add a faux fur or a velvet jacket for winter or pair with palazzo linen pants & sandals for summer. 

So if you are looking for party outfits or NYE inspiration, read on…

Pic 1 Silver Dress M&S X SIENNA MILLER £60, John Lewis Shoes Silver £85.00, Tights John Lewis, Silver Bag HUSH £105. Pic 2 White Shirt Nobodys Child, Shoes Mint Velvet. Pic 3 Dress M&S X SIENNA MILLER £90, Tights M&S, Sandals Dune £90.00. Pic 4 Dress Mint Velvet, Tights John Lewis, Shoes (as above) Bag (as above) Pic 5, Top Fat Face Ebb & Flow, Jeans Nobodys Child £79, Cardigan French Connection £75, Shoes M&S (was £39.50) Pic 6 Top Mint Velvet, Jeans The Wide Leg Jean M&S £35.00, Bag (as before) Silver boots John Lewis. Pic 7 Top Mint Velvet, Jeans The Wide Leg Jean M&S £35.00, Shoes Dune Choices Snaffle Slingback £35. Pic 8 And Or Dress £109, (Boots & Bag as before)

Happy New Year!