Joy to the world…

Manpriya Singh

Borrow the celebratory red from dear Santa, dense green from the decked-up tree and spotless white from the snow. Voila, it doesn’t get any cheerful than the three Christmas colours! Then, there is always celebrity-inspired Christmas looks to take cues from.

Like the Disney star Selena Gomez put together for Christmas day parade a couple of years ago. Or, the Kylie Minogue show stopping appearance last month at the unveiling of Dolce&Gabbana’s Christmas tree at Claridge’s in London. Dressed in a red and white Dolce&Gabanna dress she was perhaps the most photographed among the string of celebs making an appearance. Clad in white jeans and red pumps, she looked the part but not quite a costume character. Take active cues from the rich and famous or take the lazy way out with the characteristic Santa hat. Popping out some colourful outfit ideas for a visibly Merrier Christmas.

Red alert

The idea is to borrow and play on any one Christmas colour. A red coat or a red dress will instantly spell reindeer’s nose, Santa’s gown and the wrapped up gifts. “In any case, red is the new big colour. Play on it and you are raring to go during the entire Christmas week and even the winter,” opines Kirat Bahl, a fashion student from Panjab University.

Having said that, it is also the brightest on the colour spectrum. She adds, “Red is also a very dominating colour, so the trick with red is to play it down with other neutral colours.”

How about just a hint of red? “Either a red-lipper or red pumps or even both would be a good idea to adhere to the dress code. Rest of the things, for instance a sweater and pants can be white. That’s more than sufficient,” shares Chandigarh-based Pallavi L Kapoor, running a label, by the same name. Alternatively, she adds, “If one wants to be extra formal and dressy, then big white pearls for a necklace or a bracelet would be a great idea. Team them up with a red sweater or even red pants and once again it is a complete look.”

When there’s a deluge of red of white, there’s the forest green to fall back upon or immediately stand out. An all black outfit paired with red and green tie and dye headband can look relevant not just for the Christmas Eve but even for the after party. Gaganjot Kaur, a fashion design graduate from INIFD, lists out some of the casual options. “A basic cotton tee, paired with dark jeans and cardigan, in any of desired colours should do the trick. Jumpers in wool, paired with cardigans or blazers in any of the two colours is yet another of being both dressy and comfortable.” As for the colour palette, she adds, “All shades of red, especially crimson, carrot red, burgundy and American rose are in.”

Colour combo

The winter can be an accessories lover’s paradise since there’s so much more to play around with. Read mufflers, leg warmers, berets and even gloves. However, there’s a thin line between sticking to a dress code, or dressing for a costume drama. Warns Kirat, “Remember the ground rule of picking on only any two of the three colours. Either, have a red and white, white or green or green and red.” She laughs, “Moreover, putting all the three colours together will make you appear closer to an Indian tri-colour rather than festive best.” It’s both holidays and festival time, a cheerful look can spread the much needed warmth.

manpriya@tribunemail.com