Dressing Up and Dressing Down for Christmas

Have you trimmed up?  I'm not impertinently referring to your personal weight or fitness, I'm merely asking in the colloquial manner of my local area if you have decorated your Christmas tree yet?  In my family we range from those who put their decorations up at the end of November (my sisters) to those who only put their tree up on Christmas Eve (my Mum!).  We're somewhere in between in our household, though in recent years decorating has fallen later and later thanks to busy workloads and DIY.  Putting a tree up is a bit of a ritual, and I like to have Nat King Cole on the record player, mulled wine simmering on the stove, and to dress for the occasion.  This year I dressed down more than usual, wearing practical trousers for all of the hefting boxes and sitting on the floor that the task entails.  They're pretty fabulous trousers though, being my third pair of the House of Foxy's swing trousers, an absolute wardrobe staple for me, and this time in a cheery and festive red.  Paired with a pretty but cosy cardigan that I won in a contest from Voodoo Vixen, and my trusty 1950's reissued court shoes from Clarks, I felt very festive but was super comfortable.  The finishing touch was the lovely Poinsettia in my hair, that is actually one of a pair of shoe clips from Alternate Normality.

Cardigan: Voodoo Vixen

Hair flower (shoe clip): Alternate Normality

Trousers: House of Foxy

Shoes: Clarks

We dressed up to the nines then for our Christmas party, which this year was Downton Abbey themed.  It seemed particularly fitting after my trip to Highclere earlier this year.  The dress was bought from a closing-down boutique for a fiver, and the little beaded shrug was a possible wedding accessory bought in the sale in Debenhams and was never worn.  I accessorised further with some cream and gold vintage gloves from my collection, and a really gorgeous rhinestone necklace that belonged to my grandmother in the 1950s.  I already had the plastic tiara (doesn't everyone have one?).  Dressing up turned out to be very amusing as the majority of our guests didn't receive the message about the dress code, and so turned up in their normal attire.  We referred to them as "commoners" for the rest of the evening.  I was of course Lady Porcelina.

Shrug: Warehouse at Debenhams

Gloves: Vintage

Necklace: Vintage

Dress: closing-down boutique

We have a few more opportunities over the next few weeks for dressing up, which I am most excited about.  Now that I'm off work, I actually have time to stand and stare in front of the wardrobe, and take a bit more time pulling things together.  As for Christmas day, I will no doubt dress-up rather than dress down.  I know a lot of people take great pleasure on the day to lounge in their pyjamas - or a onesie, heaven forbid - but why pass up an opportunity to play dress up?

What about you - are you dressing up or dressing down for Christmas?

Linking up with: Share in Style, Visible Monday, Reasons to Dress,#IwillwearwhatIlike, Passion for Fashion, Hat Attack