The red Christmas party dress

Red is the colour of choice for this season anyway, so what better time of year than Christmas to embrace the fashion? I bought this red dress from the Jameela Jamil collection at Simply Be back in spring, but sadly the event I bought it for was cancelled, and I’ve been waiting for the opportune time to fetch it out of my wardrobe! Christmas is practically upon us, and I think this red dress could not be more perfect for the celebrations! Pillar-box red is a colour that suits everyone, so don’t be a wallflower in black this holiday – get out the dress you know you’ve been wanting to wear!….

I have to thank another fashion blogger for this particular dress find (I spent ages searching for who, but I couldn’t find them, sorry!). I was so lucky because it was already in a sale, and my size was sold out on the website. I looked again a couple of days later on the off-chance there’d been a return, and there it was – one in stock! So of course I had to nab it before anyone else did! I love this particular bold shade of red, but with no orangey tint to it. I didn’t want to look like a tomato! Also, mesh with little dots in the fabric is massively on trend at the moment, so although that sort of thing doesn’t really bother me too much, I suppose it’s a bit of a bonus! I like the change in the fabric though for the sleeves and the panel at the bottom of the skirt. I think it softens the look and makes it more classy.

If you’re buying a dress online, do remember to check the type of fabric. I dithered a bit about this dress because it was made from jersey, and without being able to feel the material in person, I wasn’t sure if it would be suitable for me. Jersey is usually very clingy and not at all flattering. However, I was very pleased to find that this dress was made from excellent quality thick jersey that hung really nicely. I have to admit, however, there were several photos in this shoot that I dismissed for my lumps and bumps being on show, but I decided to keep the dress anyway, just because it is so blimmin’ pretty! We don’t always need to make sure our natural shapes are completely hidden do we?

The fit and flare style of the dress is actually really flattering and with a bit of stretch in the fabric, it was very comfortable too and I was impressed with the quality. And yes, this dress really does make you feel like dancing, as you can see!

I know black is the safe choice for a Christmas party, and we don’t always feel like standing out in the crowd, but if you’ve secretly been wanting to wear red, but haven’t had the guts to do it yet, I really think this is your year. I predict more people than ever will be wearing red or other bright colours like royal blue or teal these holidays. I have been so busy filming and editing for Vlogmas on my YouTube channel this December, so I know that this blog post has come a little late in the day for this Christmas if you haven’t already got a red dress in your wardrobe. However, New Year parties are round the corner, so you’ve got a little more time to go shopping if you fancy finding one for that. Here are some of my favourites I found:

Red dress from Asos.

Elise Ryan dress from Asos

A note about the location for this fashion blog photo shoot, and my underwear(!): These photos were taken in the beautiful grounds of Stourhead National Trust house in Wiltshire. Chris and I decided to take a few outfits that day and make the most of it. Unfortunately I wore an ordinary black bra; not a skin-coloured strapless job that would obviously have been much more suitable, and while a quick swap of dresses behind the bushes is one thing; a fiddly change of bras is quite another! I am very annoyed about it though – I wish I’d thought ahead because the black showing through really does spoil it. (Angry face emoji).

Will you be wearing bright colours over Christmas this year?

Linking with #iwillwearwhatilike at Not Dressed as Lamb.