From sequin tops to silver skirts: what to wear this festive season

The holiday countdown is on, opening the door to a colorful, glittering wardrobe. The time has come to decide which dresses, tops, coats, accessories and shoes you'll be wearing for this year's celebrations, where glamour and elegance are the order of the day. Here's a look at some of the pieces that are trending this party season.

This year, some will follow the fashion trends of the moment, while others will seek to stand out from the crowd. For the latter, there's only one solution to consider: Christmas pajamas, which are having a moment as a relaxed and cozy look for the festive season. For everyone else, various reports shed light on the most popular fashion pieces and accessories for the festive season, from sequin tops and backless dresses to bows and silver boots. All of which makes for a wardrobe that won't go unnoticed this holiday season.

It's no secret that dresses are among the most sought-after pieces for the holidays, but certain cuts stand out in particular this year. According to LTK, which analyzed the most sought-after outfit ideas on its platform by French users, it's red dresses that seem to be getting all the love this year, with an impressive +1,900% increase in searches over the month of November. These are closely followed by knitted dresses (+1,300%) and backless evening dresses (+1,200%).

When it comes to accessories, comfort seems to be the watchword, with a +4,900% increase in searches for flat boots, although heeled boots are also on the agenda (+1,000%). Plus, white coats (+900%) are proving very popular. More generally, white—like red—stands out this year, with a 1,100% increase in interest in white winter outfits on the platform. But are people looking to dress up for Christmas or for New Year's Eve? New Year's wins in this case, with a +3,200% increase in searches for New Year's Eve outfits, compared to +1,600% for Christmas dresses.

Also read: Hot pants and ballet flats captivated the fashion crowd's attention in 2023

Often singled out for their environmental impact, sequins are considered highly polluting, but they're nonetheless proving to be a must-have for a holiday season that's going all out on shimmer and shine. Worldwide, searches for silver maxi skirts rose by +82% on Google during November, according to the latest insights report by the fashion search engine Stylight. The same is true for sequin tops (+20% of clicks on Stylight during November), as well as for silver knee-high boots (+43% Google searches).

There's also a certain craze for bows, always very popular for the festive season (+56% on Google), and for red tights (+77% of clicks on Stylight), which are increasingly popular.

*For this report, Stylight analyzed the search behavior of its 120 million users on a weekly basis for the month of November 2023, comparing the first two weeks of November with the last two weeks. The same process was used for the Google Trends figures.