The Ultimate Holiday Style Guide: Expert Fashion & Jewelry Tips for Every Festive Occasion

The Ultimate Holiday Style Guide: Expert Fashion & Jewelry Tips for Every Festive Occasion

The time for celebration is here! The buzz of excitement in the air is palpable as the holiday season swiftly approaches. As holiday gatherings begin to populate our calendars, we thought it wise to check in with a professional stylist for advice on how to strike the perfect chord during the holiday season, whether attending the office Christmas party, a first night of Hanukkah (Chanukah) celebration, or a New Year’s Eve bash.

“I love the holidays!” says Giuseppe. “Not only because I cherish quality time with my family and friends, but also because it is a time of elevated style. I love when my clients bring out their very best PICCHIOTTI jewelry and sparkle like the stars above. The more, the merrier, as far as I am concerned. I hope these styling tips prove helpful, as everyone deserves to look and feel their best during the most festive time of the year.”

The Holiday Office Party

The office holiday party is one that many people worry about when it comes to styling – how can we conveniently transition from office to evening wear, how can we shine bright without overdoing it or attracting derision from co-workers, etc.  So, we talked to a professional stylist who regularly styles executives for business travels, holiday parties, boardroom presentations and more. Shaye Strager, Atlanta-based stylist and owner of Strager Style, says, “Most of my clients like to bring a separate outfit for their holiday Christmas party. It helps to ritually end the workday and begin a new festive evening. If the company party calls for Business Festive, consider wearing a solid color dress or separates that can be easily ‘elevated’ with a metallic layering piece—i.e., scarf, capelet, blazer, or sweater. Remember, accessorizing is an artform. The best things in life are real, so I always encourage clients to wear their best jewelry and stack/layer accordingly. With any party look, I ask clients to find the one part of their outfit that is the focal point and keep the attention on that. For instance, an open neckline, let the necklace own the night. Or if the dress is sleeveless, stack an armful of bangles and/or gemstone bracelets.”

If you own rubies, emeralds, or sapphires, now is the time to wear them. The jewels’ tones are holiday appropriate colors and can spruce up your blazer or business suit or a vibrant red blouse. A great pair of diamond earrings adds that seasonal touch of sparkle to turtlenecks or sequined fabrics. One way to stand out from the crowd is to accessorize with gemstones in other colors. A shimmering pink fabric, for example, can pair beautifully with pink sapphires and diamonds.

The Holiday Hostess

Many people struggle with how to dress when the party is at their own home. How to keep it comfortable but still special or how not to overdo it. Sharon (“Sam”) McKee, fashion expert (formerly at Mademoiselle, Redbook) notes, “One question that comes up over and over is the question ‘how dressy should I be?’ Or what qualifies as holiday dressing? There are so many choices every year, everything from a glittery headband on an all-black ensemble to full-on sequined fabrics, spangles, and fringe. My standard reply is – if you cannot dress UP for a Christmas or New Year’s party, when can you? I say go for it!”

Vogue recently reported what their editors would be wearing for holiday parties, and Chloe Malle, head of editorial content, suggested keeping it comfortable with a pajama-inspired slip dress. Our styling expert Shaye agrees – “I style a lot of holiday hostesses—and our key ensemble elements include washable silks, dresses that flow and allow for hugging and multi-tasking with ease, comfortable shoes (fur slippers & mules have never been so appropriate) and memorable colors or prints.” This winter season, burgundy hues are trending (see our Fall/Winter trends report). Wine colored fabrics are close enough to red to work for holiday but more sophisticated as a less obvious choice.

Of course, holiday hosting is also the perfect time to open the safe and bring out your stellar jewels. Strager notes, “Looking good in pictures is one thing, but I always want my hosts to have an inner and outer glow. With hosting, there is no need for a clutch or handbag, so I insist we ‘up’ the jewelry: bangles or a cuff, a dangling earring and a statement ring. Be appropriately bejeweled.”

Luckily, precious gemstones are perfect for the holiday season – rubies and emeralds are already Christmas colors, and sapphires are perfect for Hanukkah and winter. Diamonds are also a terrific addition to heighten your look, whether it be comfy sweater sets with mules or brightly hued dresses. PICCHIOTTI’s newest Xpandable For the Love of Color bracelets add the perfect level of elegance in diamond, sapphire, ruby, emerald, or a wrist full of favorite bracelets.

The Ralph Lauren Christmas

Social media has been abuzz lately with the “Ralph Lauren Christmas” trend, featuring a staggering number of posts on how to style your holiday party or table with this cozy aesthetic. We love the look as it is full of deep red, green, and gold hues, so we wondered how to style the RL look in fashion and fine jewelry. Stylist Shaye was happy to oblige. She notes, “To achieve that classic ‘Americana’ look, tartan plaids are a must. But, if you are not a pattern person, then shades of evergreen, black, red, and gold will do the trick. Texture is key, and for me, I love mixing and matching finishes of gold and gemstones. I feel like heavy accessorizing is important for this type of look, as we wear a darker color palette, the jewelry brightens the look. Time to SHINE bright, literally, this holiday.”

PICCHIOTTI has a number of jewelry styles that fit the aesthetic, as well. Tartan plaids like those from the F/W 2025-26 runways at Louis Vuitton, Vivienne Westwood, and Isabel Marant can be cleverly paired with diamond and gemstone geometric patterns such as the new PICCHIOTTI Ruby Lace bracelet and ring or the classic Xpandable styles of rings and earrings featuring repetitive emerald cut gemstones and diamonds.

Bows are also a big part of the look. PICCHIOTTI’s Fiocco (bow) collection features a variety of styles. The Fiocco earrings offer the genuine warmth of yellow gold, while the diamond drop Fiocco earrings in 18K white gold add an undulating sense of sparkle for a more relaxed vibe. Yellow gold bangles and cuffs also complement the iconic style in an understated way. When serving appetizers at home or clinking to holiday toasts at the bar, consider a sensational ruby and diamond bow ring to add the perfect highlight to your favorite hand poses for Instagram stories and reels.

NYE or Black-Tie Gala

New Year’s Eve and black-tie gala events during the holiday season can also be perfect excuses to shine bright. Spruce up your favorite LBD (little black dress) or bring out bold bejeweled colors to make a stunning entrance.

Strager advises, “The New Year’s Eve black tie or gala belongs to the accessories. I feel like metallic ensembles feel fresh and festive, and jewelry can have a real moment to SHINE. My clients are realists, they believe in comfortable shoes – even for black tie events—so we go for longer lengths in dresses and tuxedo options. (Nothing better than a tux on a lady!) Because these silhouettes elongate the frame visually, I like to style them with drop earrings, longer statement necklaces, or oval and ‘Art Deco’ inspired cocktail rings.”

When opting for a colorful shiny dress or ensemble, diamonds suit the look nicely. But also, for an added sense of holiday joy, feel free to be ‘matchy matchy’ with your gemstones – ruby for red dresses, sapphires for blue, and emeralds for green gowns. And if you prefer putting the black in black-tie attire, nothing beats a diamond bib necklace to fill the decolletage and reflect the light upwards towards the face.

The recurring theme in many of these tips is bold, fun choices. Meaningful celebrations call for more than the average or the everyday. Vogue’s Florence O’Connor, associate content manager, said it best, “this year I’ve decided that life is too short, and I am going to use the month of December as an excuse to wear everything in my closet that I have saved for a ‘special occasion!’  You can catch me wearing sheer sequin skirts, red satin kitten heels, embellished purses, and beaded silk blouses all month long.”

Just as you bring out your tableware finery, you can also reach for the very best clothing and accessories in your closet. Indulge. Have fun. And let the jewelry enhance your inner glow this year! You deserve it.  As Guiseppe always says, “Nothing brings a smile to the face like woman who knows what she is worth.”

From the entire PICCHIOTTI family to yours, happy holidays. May all your celebrations sparkle with delight!

 

Feature image at top:

Clockwise form upper left – PICCHIOTTI emerald Xpandable cocktail ring, Alaïa S/S 2026 (Spotlight Launchmetrics), Model wearing PICCHIOTI bombe diamond necklace and earrings, PICCHIOTTI Masterpieces Flower necklace, model wearing PICCHIOTTI diamond cascading flower necklace and earrings, PICCHIOTTI chandelier ruby earrings, chandelier diamond earrings

 

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