I love a party outfit.
I do not love feeling like an ornament.
Every holiday season, the same things come marching back into our closets while sugar plum fairies dance in our heads: sequins, velvet, maybe a bow, something vaguely metallic that looked cute online. Time and place. Festive does not have to mean shiny. Colored denim is perfect for this. Especially a deep wine shade. It has enough richness to feel appropriate for winter, but you can still treat it like jeans. A cream knit. Wine denim. Statement earrings. Done. Or black cashmere, a heel, maybe a tailored coat. Colored denim can trip people up. They see the color first and assume the rest of the outfit must somehow match that same intensity. News flash: it doesn’t.
A richer denim shade already has more presence than blue jeans, which is exactly why I like it for a party. It gives a familiar silhouette a little tension. And frankly, I would much rather buy a pair of pants I can wear to dinner again in January than a sparkly top that gets one heroic outing before disappearing into the back of my closet. The best holiday pieces should have a life after the holiday. You do not need every part of the look to scream, “party!” Once anchoring piece can set the mood. Then build around it with pieces you already love. And sometimes that starts with wine-colored jeans.
XX Jen