DVF tunic dress was £360, n0w £174 DVF party dress was £275 now £178
It seems to us that trying to look effortlessly gorgeous during Christmas is a task we could do without. When young and single, spending hours pouring over outfit combinations was essential in order to convince everyone you were fabulously successful/stylish/worth talking to.
Now time is short. We need to pull on something fabulous to glam up instantly between feeding the children, stacking the dishwasher and arguing with teenagers about what time to be home (them, not you)
The Women’s Room has two solutions. Firstly, the answer to instant glam is almost always a dress, which can be swiftly pulled on with glossy sheer tights (try coloured ones this year), high shoes and jewels. Invest in a beauty that fits you perfectly so you just put it on and fly.
The sale-of-the-century size reductions on the high street mean that once out of reach designer wear is now nearly reasonable. So check out Diane von Furstenberg dresses, because despite what you would expect from a woman married to one of the world’s richest men (Barry Diller) DVF really knows her stuff and wear-tests her own designs (we’ve met the lovely lady and can confidently say that she looks stunning whenever we see her and she’s turned 60).
Her dresses are real work horses and the jersey ones really can be worn straight from a suitcase, but it’s the cut –flattering and surprisingly easy to wear- that makes them stand out as wardrobe stars.
The green lace dress (pictured) was a 2007 buy but has been worn to death due to being close to perfect, there are other gems on the Matches website (it holds the DVF franchise in the UK) such as the off shoulder nipped in waist style (have we seen Nigella in this?)or the immensly practical but pretty colbalt blue cashmere tunic, all on sale.
Secondly, it’s the coat that counts. Gorgeous evening coats are a truly grown-up purchase and add glamour with gravitas. Hardly anyone buys great evening coats any more which is bonkers as they are perfect for creating instant style.
They are best for ‘going out’ evenings, obviously so you must waft around the restaurant/house/bar for a while (at least one drink) so everyone can appreciate your clever arrival. After that you can remove it and blend in with everyone, but it’s the entrance everyone will remember. The vintage fur trimmed lovely (pictured) has been on many an adventure on the Christmas party circuit. Enjoy!
