In an unexpected turn of events, the most fabulous outfits waiting to be worn this Christmas day would not look out of place on the cover of Tatler — circa December 1986.
Indeed, mink shawls (Granny’s, from the Eighties) and taffeta ball gowns are go. The decade has succeeded in gripping popular culture by its fuchsia hemline — from the return of Rupert-Campbell Black and the whole Rivals entourage, through to Alessandro Michele’s new vision of Valentino which, during his debut catwalk show in Paris this September, showed a handful of gowns torn straight out of Jilly Cooper’s playbook. You can’t miss the mood which has been stamped on Oxford Street: his designs currently line the windows of Selfridges.
Playing their part as leaders of the renaissance are Gen Z cool girls Apple Martin, 20, nepo-royalty as daughter of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, who wore one of Michele’s sapphire, strapless creations to drift into Le Bal des Débutantes in Paris this November, and Angelica Kendall, 19, the Brazilian model crowned by British Vogue as the next great supermodel in their January 2025 issue. She is pictured on cover, in front of a roundabout, wearing a similar jewel-hued number from the Valentino Spring 2025 runway, complete with an ermine-esque stole.
While over the summer months it was Bonfire of the Vanities-appropriate puffball mini skirts which flew off Abercrombie and Fitch’s shelves and stampeded through town, the fashion fluent now are looking to go the full Upper East side gala supper, and invest in blow-out ball gowns for the big day.
Harriet Elton, a stylist and the former Fashion and Jewellery Editor at Harper’s Bazaar, is one. “I have just bought myself a taffeta dress for Christmas day — I love to dress up for it,” she says. “I used to wear mini ones, but now I’ve gone bigger.”
“Christmas is the ultimate moment to get spruced up in your finery — fiercely and fabulously,” echoes Chandler Tregaskes, Tatler’s Style Editor. “Shine brighter than the tinsel on the tree, twinkle with as much frou-frou splendour as the angel sat atop it: if you can’t embrace the outré during the festive season, when can you?” By way of inspiration, Tregaskes suggests heading to Tatler’s archive, which under the editorship of Tina Brown (1979 to 1983) and Mark Boxer (1983 to 1988) documented the excesses of the decade. “It has a wealth of dreamy Michael Roberts' fantasies and heaven-sent Herb Ritts scenes leaping from the pages. Tina Turner turning heads at Eton, debutantes going wild after dark at Cambridge, Dame Vivienne Westwood playing dress-up as Margaret Thatcher: a day spent flicking through Tina Brown’s triumphs is a day well spent.”
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“There's something about taffeta; the sheen, the throwback to the Eighties, but there’s also something about the combination of Princessy and naughty that lends itself to party. It gives you the volume, but it also gives you a bit of a bell swing,” thinks Hannah Teare, Tatler’s Editor-at-Large. “It feels expensive, but there’s something a bit tacky about it. There’s that gorgeous high low. You can get it very expensively, but you can also get the cheap panto dame version. Both deliver absolutely epic propositions in shine and gloss.”
As for where to source one in London, stylist Karen Clarkson’s Portobello Road vintage shop, Found & Vision, is a one stop shop. “We have plenty in store — Antony Price, Belleville Sassoon and Bruce Oldfield are amongst my favourites, and they're always worth searching for in charity shops, vintage stores and online. If you don't want to go full dressy then a vintage mink stole or faux fur is also a great way to jolly up a trouser suit or simple dress,” she says.
“My top tip if you want to go for the full modern retro Alessandro Michele look is to buy some cheap and cheerful tights in bright red or lace,” she says. And as for the dress: “Go for an exaggerated shoulder, overblown fishtail, or giant bow embellishments. These dresses always serve.”
Dreaming of a maximalist Christmas?
