The holiday season is fast approaching and some wardrobe planning will go a long way toward making the most of your holiday experience.  Once you know your holiday plans, the next thing you should get in order is what you’ll wear for your various holiday occasions.  If you’re looking for ideas on what to wear for the holidays, I offer these helpful suggestions to take you from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve.

Thanksgiving
Eating early and abundantly calls for an outfit rooted in comfort.  Worn at an informal gathering with family and friends, a cozy sweater is a sure thing.  There’s a sweater style and weight for every taste.  If you’re thinking of buying a new one for the season, I highly recommend cashmere for its timeless style, or a Fair Isle style for its hand knit quality.  Both are steeped in tradition, yet fresh styles offer fun and exciting wearing options.

Don’t settle for less than a high quality grade of cashmere so you enjoy your sweater for many years.  A fine gauge crewneck, mock neck, or turtleneck – even blended with silk or merino wool – could be worn under a sport coat or suit for a dressier affair that may not involve football and a TV.  One of the updates of the season is colorblocking.  Dolce & Gabbana is doing it, and so is Michael Kors.  A luxurious direction is to mix leather or suede detailing with cashmere.  High-end makers Loro Piana, Brunello Cucinelli, and Ermenegildo Zegna bring it on with flair.

The Fair Isle sweater is hardly a new style either.  But when you find a whimsical style with colors that are personally flattering, you’re making a more sophisticated statement with something that might otherwise be an old fashioned idea.  This idea is what our current times really seem to call for: taking classic traditions and turning them on their side, seeing them in a whole new way.

Christmas
A show of reverence is sure to make Christmas mass more special than your average worship service.  So mark the occasion with something appropriate.  Incorporating a tailored jacket is a step in the right direction.  I’m seeing a lot of rustic tweeds for late fall.  If you like texture, adding it to a jacket makes the piece special.

I like textured jackets because they seemingly can be worn as outerwear and innerwear.  Maybe the only piece you need to add in order to wear it outside is a scarf.  Of course, this depends on your particular climate, though in Northern California this would be perfect.  It’s also very European to dress this way.  Trés chic!

What you wear under a textured jacket depends on its style.  Patch pockets with buttons may be too heavy to pull off a dressy shirt and tie combination.  But that doesn’t mean the look can’t have it’s own high style.  Look for a heavy brushed cotton shirt.  If it’s a solid color playing back to your jacket and your personal coloring it will be dressier.  If it’s patterned, like a plaid or a check, it’s going to carry a more country feel.  Choose what’s right for you and for the occasion.  A smoother jacket will naturally work more like a suit and a typical shirt and tie combination will be the flattering choice.

Take my word for it.  I celebrate Hanukkah!

New Year’s Eve
If Thanksgiving and Christmas [and Hanukkah for us other celebrants] are about comfort, New Year’s Eve is all about joy.  Hopeful and forward-looking, this New Year’s Eve will be an austere moment, even for those with an opportunity to show off their own success.  A classy party-goer is sure to pull himself together with subtle, yet timeless finery.

A suited look with a solid tie with subtle texture adds a dash of flair.  A French cuff shirt gives a guy a great opportunity to wear great cufflinks, a dashing accessory by which a man gets to feel his own sense of personal polish and accomplishment.  A wide variety of cufflinks are available, ranging from gorgeously enameled styles to glitzy diamond gems.  I’m recommending the whimsical approach because this is a time to have a little playful fun without making a big scene or being obscene.

Yes it’s true Stefano Ricci has a $2350 tie embedded with Swarovski crystals, but that doesn’t mean anyone should really wear it, except for maybe one overindulgent person.  The rest of us should use our accessories to demonstrate that we celebrate as responsibly as we should drink and spend money: responsibly; certainly a sobering reminder for the end of the year, but a good message whether partying with work colleagues or with friends who are still struggling through two tough years.

Designing and managing your image is the secret science to your success.

Joseph Rosenfeld helps professional men and corporate workgroups create effective visual brands. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.

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