Ask Kim France: A Holiday-Party Outfit That’s Not Tweed Pants and a Sweater?
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Kim France has joined the Strategist with a monthly column to answer the highly specific style questions of “girls of a certain age.” She’ll cover going-out outfits for Gen-Xers who don’t like getting dressed up, what to wear when spiritually you feel 27 but physically you’re about to turn 40, and solutions for anyone generally confused about pants. Send your questions for Kim to strategist@nymag.com.
What do I wear to holiday parties to look put together other than tweed pants and a sweater??? Please help.
Many years ago, during a particularly freneticholiday season,I had a realization: At crowded parties, all anyone pays attention to is what you’re wearing from the waist up. So all that you have to do is locate what I like to call a Party in a Top — that is, a top that’s just slightly more edgy, festive, loud, or sexy than you might typically go. Style your bottom half for however formal the party is — anything from jeans to skinny pants to skirts might apply — and you’re set. So much easier than sweating over a head-to-toe “look.”
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I’m not afraid of sequins, and maybe you shouldn’t be either; they can add a nice dose of glam. The trick is to find them on a good, clean shape so they don’t come off cheesy, and this oversize T-shirt silhouette is just great.
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Sézane Rym Shirt
I love a lace top but do not love when they skew frilly or prissy, which, sadly, so many of them do. This button-down shape gets it exactly right.
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A good, sheer button-down is never a bad choice, and the closer they look in shape to classic menswear button-downs, the happier I am. Make it more wearable with a silk cami.
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You could have a lot of fun with this excellently slouchy sheer tee, and it comes equipped with its own camisole.
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And to round out our sheer trifecta: this nicely light but still quite sophisticated choice.
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Polka dots and lace together really should be too much, but on this pretty top, they somehow aren’t. Again, a silk cami makes it wearable.
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I wish you could see and feel this excellent top up close and in person because the photo doesn’t begin to do it justice. Yes, it’s velvet, which can be tough, and burnout velvet, which can be even tougher, but it is just the prettiest and most elegant thing, and I can’t wait to wear it out.
I’m in one of those very old uptown buildings with no temperature control, and I struggle with getting dressed. When it’s tropical inside and freezing outside, how does one put together an outfit?
In the obstacle course that is dressing for New York winters, overheated buildings are no small hurdle. The best way to proceed here, I’m pretty sure, is to dress as though you might for hot flashes — in light, easily removable layers. You absolutely want whatever’s close to your skin to be made of natural fibers, like cotton, linen, or bamboo. And remember: The lighter the layer, the happier you’ll be.
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I am a huge fan of silk tops, especially this time of year, and this one has such an easy, slightly louche appeal. A lot of people avoid silk because of the attendant dry-cleaning bills, but more and more silk is washable these days, and after wearing a silk top that’snotwashable, I’ll hang it in the shower and give it a good steam, and that revives it enough to skip the dry cleaner. I’ll do that two or three times before getting it cleaned, which might sound gross to you, but for me, it works.
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Kule makes a great cotton tee — not too heavy but also not insubstantial and cut for ease of wear. I’m really liking this navy–royal-blue striped number, but it comes in a ton of other good colorways too.
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A merino cardigan like this is nice and lightweight but still appropriately warm. And don’t be turned off by the fact that it’s wool: It’s not too itchy next to the skin, which is key.
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Here’s an even more lightweight cardigan that is just as soft as it could possibly be. It also comes in a nice number of other, mostly neutral, colors.
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I own and love this one — it is soft inside and out and looks so much more put together than your average sweatshirt.
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A slightly oversize zipper hoodie is a good layer to throw on before your jacket.
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This hoodie option works well too, and is less bulky and a little more elegant.
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The shirttail hem and slightly cropped fit make this jacket a bit more chic than your average puffer.
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I love a chunky scarf, but for our purposes here, a super-lightweight one like this is better: It’s warmer than you might think but not stuffily so. Even when I’m traveling somewhere hot, I bring a Chan Luu scarf for the plane, because you just never know.
I’m in my 50s and I’m looking for a good blazer I can wear with jeans that’s not too snug in the shoulders, drapes well, and can be dressed up or down.
Here’s what I would do and have in fact done: Go for sweater blazers — and other blazers that are soft and a bit stretchy, made of jersey or cotton ponte. Blazers in these materials often get maligned as uncool, and I think that’s both very unfair and untrue. I find that at this stage in the game, body-shape–wise, they’re more flattering, and they’re for sure more comfortable.
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My absolute favorite in this category; I wore this jacket endlessly these past few months. It has a lot of stretch but doesn’t read like it does, which is so crucial.
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Coming in a very close second place is this cute option from Alex Mill. If a blazer can be characterized as sexy — and why not? — then this one is.
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This endlessly popular jacket comes in a variety of fabrics, but this textured knit one is easily the most becoming.
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Why not something collarless? It’s also pinstriped, which you can’t quite see here.
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An under-$100 option with handy patch pockets.
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This is definitely on the more casual side, but it’d really dress up a travel outfit.
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A really rich-looking camel option, which would be perfect and graphic with an outfit that’s otherwise head-to-toe black.
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Another blazer made of sweatshirt material that really doesn’t look like it’s made of sweatshirt material.
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