Rise And Shine
5 minute read
For the next two weeks I’m taking my style inspiration from the overdressed Christmas tree in the corner of my living room. Big metaphorical rain clouds may be moving overhead as talk of curfews and further restrictions on the radio pepper our favourite festive tunes, but I refuse to let my sartorial ambitions for the season be dampened.
Over the past month I’ve been pulling out every sequinned skirt, shirt and shoe that’s been languishing in my wardrobe since Covid curbed my fashion aspirations almost two years ago, in preparation for a Christmas that will at least look, if not play out, how I imagined it would and should. This means dressing up to the nines even if the country is at sixes and sevens.
While sequins originated thousands of years ago in the form of gold coins attached to clothes intended as an ostentatious display of wealth, nowadays – given that most sequins are made from plastic rather than precious metals (more on this later) – they are an overt demonstration of optimism rather than affluence. As Lady Gaga once put it, “sequins represent a good time”.
Maybe it’s the release of House of Gucci or the return of the Sex And The City crew to our screens, but glamour feels very much back in vogue right now irrespective of the ominous presence of Omicron.
Watching the first two episodes of And Just Like That, in which Carrie paraded around a wardrobe comparable in size to a bijou boutique wearing a piece of cream loungewear that looked like something I’d feel lucky to wear to a festive knees-up, convinced me that, pandemic or no pandemic, I’m dressing up this Christmas.
Last year, I couldn’t face it. Long Covid had kicked me around every which way and I had just enough energy to throw on something with colour for Christmas Day. This was for the benefit of those family members I was celebrating with rather than for myself. Had I been staying at home, I would have indulged in my first ever festive pyjama day. That way, my clothes would have reflected my mood – exhausted. But this year, I feel differently, and I want to mark that sartorially. It’s important that I mark it.
This year, I was fortunate not to experience any personal losses. This year, my life had momentum – not as much as it could or probably should, but enough. This year, I felt lucky, not lost. This year, I looked forward not regretfully back. Having read Jennifer Stevens’ moving piece today, I realise even more so how blessed I am to feel even ‘okay’ this Christmas. And really, the days when we feel okay are the ones we need to celebrate, whether they fall during the festive period or not.
And clothes are a form of celebration, none more so than something like sequins which attract and reflect light. They have a kind of magic to them, transformative powers almost, just like Dorothy’s ruby slippers in The Wizard Of Oz. Of course, like air travel and bottled water, wearing sequins is another potential source of modern-day guilt. As I mentioned earlier, they’re mainly made of plastic, which we’re supposed to avoid as keenly as non-ventilated public spaces.
So I won’t be investing in anything new this Christmas as I’m lucky enough to have a selection of items I can pull out of my wardrobe and style up or down, but if I was, I’d look first to secondhand stores, such as Cobblers Wardrobe in Sandymount or No38 in Ranelagh. The most sustainable clothes are the ones that already exist after all. Thriftify.com, a platform from which you can buy charity shop stock, is also well worth a look. I recently bought a black top with a subtle metallic thread running through it for just €12.
The brilliant thing about sequins though (and this might surprise you) is that they go with everything. Denims? Definitely. Joggers? They’re the denims of this decade, so absolutely. Tulle skirts? Just dreamy. Black pants? A winner every time. While sequins are usually the After Eights of our wardrobes, at Christmas, it’s as acceptable to wear them to brunch as it is to eat mince pies for breakfast.
Just as animal print transitioned from statement fabric to new neutral a decade ago, sequins are experiencing a similar metamorphosis, and we probably have Covid to thank for it. In a world where pandemics are no longer the stuff of Hollywood disaster movies, but real-world scenarios; where lockdowns and curfews aren’t confined to prisons but to whole populations, it’s more important than ever that we dress simply for ourselves. There’s no point in waiting for that special occasion or catch-up because as we now know, plans can shift as quickly as variants. Dressing only to be seen in public seems futile all of a sudden.
An article in The New York Times earlier this year explained that, “Post-calamity, there’s often a turn to a celebration of exuberance. Deprivation and loss pushes you to want to celebrate life.” And while we may not be heading into the roaring 1920s-esque party predicted for Christmas 2021, there’s still an opportunity to celebrate, at the very least, that we’re not where we were last year. On a personal level, I want to celebrate that I’m not where I was last year. And I’ll do that wearing sequins.
Many people probably guffawed when Lady Gaga said ten years ago, “I’m just trying to change the world one sequin at a time.” But I think the Oscar winner may have had a point.
Marie Kelly, December, 2021
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