by You might be thinking about Christmas, but everyone knows that a tailoring show break comes when grandma isn’t sitting across from the dining room table.
New Year’s Eve is your last look this year and marks the beginning of a wonderful year 2023 (God loves optimists!). Whether you’re sitting in the pub or getting ready to party at the club, serving up a lot of New Year’s Eve energy is a must. As designer Charles Jeffrey put it, “We have so many opportunities to be sane, happy, healthy, and do our nine to five jobs. Sometimes we have to go wild and do our thing, break the rules and kiss a stranger.”
But first you need to look at the part. Here, experts tell you how to perfect any kind of night and spend the whole year in style.
Dinner party
Chic, sophisticated and safe place to put on the most ridiculous dress and the highest heels. Dinner is an opportunity to give your best – I suggest renting something fabulous. You only want to wear it once and still take a picture of yourself, while avoiding the risk of someone spilling Red Bull on you at the club. “Why buy something that will trigger January pangs with a credit card when you can rent something spectacular for the price of the average street purchase?” asks co-founder of My Cabinet HQ, Sacha Newell. Quite. Hurr CEO Victoria Prew says the hits are The Vampire’s Wife, Saloni and Self Portrait – the latter making for a great line of crystal stud dresses as seen on Gigi Hadid. “For dinner, we’d go for something bold but classic – we love anything with subtle glitter, feathers or dramatic silhouettes,” says Prew. And don’t forget the jewels – the Revolve collection, which was created in collaboration with Dundas, is now on sale and features cascading, colorful chandelier earrings.
self portrait
Crystal embellished dress, rent from £64, hurrcollective.com
Saloni
Camille Crystal Velvet Dress, On Hire From £93, hurrcollective.com
Dundas x Revolve
Crystal earrings, £45, revolver.com
Bottega Veneta
Gold Purse, £2,060, matchfashion.com
Pub
Ah, this relaxation option – a pub, beer and fireworks on the big screen. Don’t confuse this with an old ski jacket and jeans excuse, though. “For the pub, I’d pick a chunky faux fur coat from Stella McCartney or Magda Butrym to keep me warm and fabulous during the inevitable cigarette breaks and outdoor rants,” says Betty Bachz, model and regular red carpet statement maker. It’s about the volume on NYE. “You should aim to look like a yeti, not like an arctic fox in that coat – go all out or go home.” On weekdays, make a wallet-friendly alternative to the high streets. Glittering accessories provide a fun look while still being well packaged. Prada’s crystal eraser is perfect, but no one can justify the triple-figure price – Oliver Bonas and Claudie Pierlot make similar ones for around £30 (find them here). “Also add bling in the form of a Paco Rabanne handbag or London girl’s favorite Octavia Rose,” says Bachz. Beady-eyed viewers will recognize Rose’s green crystal clutch bag from the final season of The White Lotus. When it comes to feet, be sensible: “Make sure they don’t send you home early,” she says. “I would go for solid boogie-proof platforms from Nodaleto.”
Weekday
Faux fur coat, £119, weekday.com
Prada
Prada, crystal eraser, 680 pounds, prada.com
Octavia Rose
Cocktail Clutch, £395, octavia-rose.com
nodaleta
Gold platform heels, £600, koibird.com
Club
Brave thing, you. clubbing! in NYE! Dressing warm enough to survive the queue but with enough pizza to turn heads inside is a dark art. Designer Charles Jeffrey, whose Loverboy brand was born out of a club night, has mastered it to perfection. “Don’t rely on one solid outfit to get you through the night, you need something that’s easy to layer, with the ability to transform.” His graphic print mesh tops are a great base layer, and the strappy corsets by Miaou are perfect for the ultimate reveal. “For dancing, choose colors that absorb moisture and don’t change drastically with sweat – unless you want to attract a partner that way. So be a hot mess baby! Model Jordan Grant says go ahead and go into the night. “Sequins, feathers, mesh and silhouette are essential. Look to Miu Miu for high-end dresses and Ester Manas, Remain Birger Christensen and Fanci Club for more mid-range dresses. Her best tip for getting through the night? “Shoes! My greatest savior. The higher up the leg the better because I definitely don’t have tanned legs this time of year. My favorite style is Jimmy Choo’s Dreece 95 style.” Psst, Mango has a very similar pair too.
Meow
Corset Top, £250, selfridges.com
Charles Jeffrey
Long sleeve blouse, £87, charlesjeffreyloverboy.com
Jimmy Choo
Dreece Shoes £95,999, flannels.com
Mango
Leather boots, £169.99, mango.com
House party
They come in a spectrum: from uber luxe to casual alcohol festival. Either way, NYE means anything goes. “Start as you intend to continue, if you can’t push your tailoring boundaries on New Year’s Day – when will you?” says Flora MacDonald Johnston, fashion director at Koibird boutique in London. “The iconic London label Poster Girl, Lapointe, Rhode, Rodarte and Santa Brands never fail to make a statement. Try a pair of fabulous sequined pants or a cool suit made of fabric that won’t crease – think sumptuous velvets.”
And some great advice: “Avoid TS (too short), there’s nothing worse than taking your dress or skirt off all the time,” she says. Designer Silvia Astore agrees: “The perfect outfit for a New Year’s Eve house party is about finding the look you feel best in.” From her latest collection, the winner was Silvi’s fuchsia off-shoulder dress, which recommends sequins and fringes to those “who are not afraid to stand out”. 16Arlington’s most fashionable long-sleeved Solaris dress is the undisputed party dress of the season. From Adwoa Aboah to Hailey Bieber, every It girl is a fan.
Rhodes
Jemima silk dress, £760, koibird.com
Sylvia Astore
Silvi Dress, £575, anniesibiza.com
Reiss
Velvet jacket, £278, selfridges.com
16 Arlington
Solaris dress for rent from £173, hurrcollective.com
