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Tis ‘the season, deck the halls, etcetera, etcetera. With holiday parties looming and pies already baking in the oven—who’s already busted out the Michael Bublé?—we’re here to bring you styles inspired by some iconic holiday movies and episodes.
They’re not all red and green, no. We’ve got a high-strung producer on a housing swap to snowy England. Sneaky robbers escaping the hijinks of a schemy kid on the loose in New York City. And who could forget a doorstep surprise for Sexy Christmas, martini in hand? Channel your favorite characters with these looks, curated with picks from some direct-to-consumer brands we love. Don ye now our gay apparel!
GEORGIA BYRD in Last Holiday
If you’re unfamiliar with my (current) favorite holiday movie, Last Holiday follows Queen Latifah as Georgia Byrd, a shy, practical sales clerk from New Orleans who heads to Europe to blow all her money on a final vacation — and finally indulge in some much-deserved revelry — after she receives a terminal diagnosis. Seeing Georgia live out her wildest fantasies, and become a much bolder version of herself, is pure escapism. The outfits — especially when she waltzes into a high-end boutique and tells them to “make her international” — are even more so, set against the snowy backdrop of the Czech Republic at Christmastime and the elaborate luxury of a five-star resort.
She’d try to teeter in these Jessica Rich Wrap Tie Ankle Stiletto Sandals ($275) and decide they’re not the shoe that’ll kill her. Add in some fabulous feathers with the Davis Dress ($339) from Hutch or some sequins with the Saydee Dress ($308) from Saylor (and she’d love it because these sequined designs are actually comfy). She might go on another accidental snowboarding adventure with a fun one-piece snowsuit like this all-in-one statement item ($498) from Sweaty Betty. She’d wear a stunning red gown ($124) from the Fame and Partners outlet to dinner, just because she could.
KEELEY JONES in Ted Lasso
Ted Lasso isn’t a Christmas show per se, but the one-off Christmas episode is worthy of tribute, embodying its wholesome humor with a spunky cast thrown into spot-on situations. Like Keeley, the model-turned-PR-whiz who’s now dating grumpy footballer Roy Kent. They’ve decided to do Sexy Christmas, and she’s gone all out with a mesh nightie over lacy red lingerie, a sparkly hair scrunchie, a chocolate fountain, martinis, and more—decadent to the max.
For imitation, let’s go with this ruffled red bra ($130) and these matching teardrop briefs ($64) from Journelle. For all items red and lacy, Majorelle is really the go-to brand—like with this printed ruffled bodysuit ($164). The bow is an important detail of the outfit. Her look is Roy’s present, and an oversized bow-tie dress like this ($198) from Eva Franco would go nicely with the occasion. Finally, sky-high satin platform heels ($98) have been all the rage this year, and Keeley would definitely wear them with confidence.
THE WET BANDITS in Home Alone
Haven’t you heard? According to Gen Z, grunge is in—just look at the aughts-inspired style (shudder) resurfacing on TikTok. So it’s no surprise that dressing like the villains from Home Alone is easier than ever: muted colored coats, scarves, the whole shebang. Start with dark, muted browns and greens. Corduroy, for some texture.
Try the vintage-inspired Eastcoast Flare in Brown Cord ($119) from Rolla’s. Although this Briella Boucle Blazer ($180) from FRENCHMAUVE has a high-fashion puff-sleeve that evokes great tailoring, it has that coloring à la Oliver Twist that’d be ideal for the bandits. A durable pair of Frye boots ($278) would get them through just about anything—including the booby traps. Obviously, you’ll need a pair of fingerless gloves ($9) too.
AMANDA WOODS in The Holiday
The Holiday starts with two women, unlucky in love, who stumble upon each other on a housing-swap site right before Christmas. The high-powered L.A. exec flies first-class to a tiny cottage in the U.K., to a village with “no men” in the hopes of finally relaxing; the self-admittedly pathetic newspaper writer heads out for some sun in the hopes of forgetting her narcissistic ex—who’s just gotten engaged.
For this edit, we’ll focus on Amanda, the luxurious and high-powered businesswoman. Since England is colder than her usual California, she’s drinking wine alone in her Silk Boucle Turtleneck Raglan Pullover ($428) and Silk Boucle Wide Leg Pant ($498) — a silk, cashmere, and wool-blend sweater set. Money is zero object for her. As she ventures beyond the confines of the cottage, she’ll reach for the Soho Coat ($285) from GLÚMUR, a Scandinavian brand which sources leftover fabrics from Louis Vuitton. And in keeping with her ivory color scheme and need for refined fabrics, she’d likely wear this Ribbed Cashmere Poncho Dress ($299) from GOBI Cashmere.
THE KRANKS in Christmas with the Kranks
If you’re unfamiliar, Christmas with the Kranks is a family classic of ours. Two empty-nesters decide that, this first Christmas alone, they’re going to “skip Christmas” and take a Caribbean cruise instead—to the dismay of their friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Naturally, hijinks ensue. So the couple doubles down on all things tropical.
To dress like them, try the Short Sleeve Retro Hawaiian Printed Shirt ($39) from Flint and Tinder. A retro young-feeling bikini ($39) from Quiksilver — the one with full coverage, because the skimpier bikini did not go so well in the tanning salon. We’d add in a sarong ($124) just for safety.
But before any of that happens, miss Jamie Lee Curtis was all-in on the festive wear. She would totally wear a cheerily patterned holiday sweater ($137) from NAADAM with these Christmas Tree Tassel Earrings ($30) from Tipsy Elves as she got tipsy on her eggnog.
EVERYBODY in Love Actually
There are so many characters in Love Actually deserving of a fashion tribute.
Like the feathered wedding gown worn by the bride who immediately forgets about her husband. (Whomst?) Shop white feather gloves ($258) from Cult Gaia for a similar embellishment.
Let’s try the business-casual wear of a prime minister intending to unwind — with a solo dance party unfortunately witnessed by his staff. While he would normally be all buttoned up for political gatherings, we can imitate his exact *performance* with some performance-focused fabrics — a button-up ($125) from renowned golf apparel brand Travis Mathew and some deceptively comfortable work-ready pants ($128) from lululemon to take him from meetings to lip-syncing.
Or we could dress like the fur-laden American women from that Wisconsin bar, cowboy hats and all. For them, let’s go with some high-rise bootcut jeans ($148) from Pistola and the Chandler Western Boot ($160) from Ariat. Add in a vegan fur-trimmed parka ($260) from Noize and we’re likely good to go.
And let’s chat about the octopus costume…(Okay, fine, we won’t come up with a dupe for that one.)
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