17 Jan 2018
Julia Restoin-Roitfeld has fashion firmly in her DNA and she is a self confessed Christmas obsessive, “as soon as it hits December 1st I go out and buy the biggest tree I can find, even if it won’t fit in my apartment – I don’t care as long as it touches the ceiling.” So naturally she has all the credentials required to curate Warehouse’s Christmas party edit, which is practically a Chic-mas checklist with everything from sequin mini dresses to fabulous faux fur coats.
Tucked away in the sumptuous setting of Mark’s Club in London, Julia confesses that she is the ultimate Christmas party girl, “the first thing I do at any party is head to the bar, or head to dance floor – I hate people who sit around and just watch!”
All things considered who could be better placed to give us her opinions on how to refashion our festive favourites from sequins to the humble Christmas jumper. At the end of the day in the words of the lady herself, “it’s important to look fancy – if you aren’t going to dress up on Christmas day, when do you? Preach!
Re-Sexify The Christmas Jumper…
“Oh the Bridget Jones jumper! I would wear it oversized with stockings. Or maybe if you don’t want to go bare legs you could do leather leggings to create a sexy alpine look.”
Sassify Sequins…
“You have to tone them down. Pair them with leather trousers or jeans and of course you need high heels. But if you are wearing a sequin dress don’t add extra bling – so no ‘extra’ earrings – and just simple heels.”
Revamp Velvet…
“I love velvet - I usually wear black velvet. I would only wear it with silver or diamonds. I wouldn’t wear it with gold; I just don’t think that it works together. Wear a pair of black velvet open toe shoes and mix with a velvet jumpsuit.”
Tackle Tuxedo dressing…
“You have to dress suits down. I am wouldn’t really wear a total suit - I would just wear the pants with a sexy lingerie body suit. If I wear the full tuxedo I like to just wear a bra underneath. I have this leather bra I love to wear with suits, it’s like a secret dominatrix vibe – just maybe not at the Christmas table in front of the grandparents but for New Year it is the perfect option. Then if you want to dance you have you take off your jacket and you have a leather crop top!”
The Lusty LBD…
“It’s impossible to restyle the little black dress, it’s just so classic. But for me it has to be body conscious and I like it very short with long sleeves. Of course, again, you need high heels. I would never wear a trainer with an evening look for instance, but I would if I was taller, that’s my dream! When I was partying in Paris a couple of weeks ago I took some trainers and left them at the coat check so at 3am I was VERY happy and didn’t care how I looked any more - it changed the whole party.”
One final word of winter warming? “Always dress to your assets.” Amen.
