They’re coming….and sooner than you think. The Holidays! And what are the Holidays without a party? Or a festive get-together with friends and family? Or a night out to a fancy restaurant?
Before you know it, there will be a tree in many of our homes! Or a Menorah!
It’s the one time of year when we kind of enjoy dressing up. A bit of glitz. Some bling. It’s all good.
We’l be dressing up and having a good ol’ time!
And this is also the time when we may be somewhat stumped on what to wear.
Hmmmm…what to wear? What. To. Wear?
An office-to-after-work Holiday celebration? A New Year’s Eve Party? A pre-Christmas Dinner?
You don’t want to overdress but you don’t want to look like you just stepped in from running weekend errands.
Excuse me–but I was running errands before coming to the party and I hadn’t any idea of what to wear!!
The solution? Fancy Pants! Shiny Pants! Velvet Pants! Fun Pants!
Call me a Charlatan but I love me some fancy pants!
As I’ve aged, the pants have been my friend—especially when it comes time to dressing up. I’m just more comfortable in them. With pants you don’t have to shave your legs. You save money on fake tanning. You can sit whichever way you want. If you have too much to drink at a party (and at one time or another in our lives—who hasn’t had a bit too much of the holiday cheer?), and you lose your footing and fall, you don’t have to worry about falling and the bottom of your dress or skirt riding up over your bum!
That’s right–momma loves her fancy, shiny pants! I feel like a girl version of Freddie Mercury!
Let me show you some looks—and trust me, these are looks that are incredibly “Mature woman” friendly! And YES!! You CAN wear shiny, glittery, blingy pants at a mature age–it’s what you wear with them that’ll make ’em look timeless and elegant!
Let’s take a look!
The Shiny Houndstooth pants. OMG. I ordered these from Old Navy. I fell in love with them the second I saw them on the website. And—being that I know my exact sizes from ON, I felt confident the pants would fit the moment clicked the order button. Currently $35 on the Old Navy website, I believe I got them for $29.99. Old Navy has sales every day so my best advice is to keep checking out their website!
Photos don’t do justice to showcase how beautiful these pants truly are. The blue is so sparky and shiny. I couldn’t wait for the holidays. I had to wear these to work last Friday and received a ton of compliments. Everyone loved them!
Paired with a black Tippi sweater from J. Crew and simple black pumps, this is a great office-to-office party look. The pants are the main attraction so you don’t need much more.
These pants by ON are a perfect fit and have just the right amount of stretch. And the brand knows how to do holiday pants right. The length is gorgeous. A true ankle pant. And given that money will be spent on gifts and food and entertaining, it feels good to save a bit and not have to spend a fortune on holiday dressing.
Black velvet is next–also from Old Navy. I paid less than $30 on these pants. They are actually Rockstar Super Skinny Jeans. But the velvet adds such a luxe holiday feel to them. And they are versatile as all get out!
Got a house party to go to? Or going out for a fancier dinner? These black velvet jeans go so well with this rosy pink/nude sweater. I picked the sweater up at Primark last year for eight bucks and have stil to wear it. I paired it with Badgley Mischka kitten heels for an elegantly casual look…
The bling is in the shoes. To keep it on an elegant vibe, keep it to one blingy element. Here it’s the shoes…
And I love the detailing in this sweater. It’s a tunic length and the sleeves have a bit of an edge with the slit!
It’s a ladylike but fun look–and who doesn’t love velvet? Got a velvet blazer? Turn it into a fancier version of suiting!
And look at this great shoe look–suede shoes with velvet pants! These shoes have been with me since 2011 when my niece was married. I haven’t worn them much since but they always get worn around Christmas!
These are shoes you don’t drink in–unless you are in your home. They are too high. One too many and the heels will teeter over!
The next look is, hands down, my favorite holiday pants look. If you recall, I purchased these gold and black brocade pants last year at Old Navy. The pants were $19.99! And I wore them all holiday season! I was afraid they might not fit when I took them out of storage due to a ten-pound weight gain. (Don’t judge–I’ve been stressed) But they fit beautifully!
These pants! How I love them! And look–the same shoes and sweater that I wore with the blue houndstooth pants. For me, casual elegance works–but a silk shirt would also work with this look!
Honestly, when you have pants this fancy and shiny, less is more with the other items of clothing. A solid sweater works very wel with this. And the pointy shoes. And the money saved by using what you have!
The cut of these pants is also flattering to all body types. There are no side pockets to stick out if you have curves. The pockets are in front and you can barely notice them. There are also no pleats which means no added bulk. They fit like a charm!
It’s also about dressing comfortably. I don’t know about you, but if I’m overdressed, I just never feel comfortable. Fussy dressing just isn’t for me. I’m not about over-accessorizing–I like to keep it simple!
Are you a Ms. Fancy Pants too?
If you would like to see more styling options, I filmed a YouTube video on these three looks and more. Here’s the video! Let me know what you think.
How do you like to fancy it up for the holidays? Let’s talk about this!
You are prepared looking awesome!
Yo Debe!! Thank you darlin’! I’m ready!!! Bling it on!!! XOXOXOXO
Dear Catherine, I have been an avid fan of yours forc as long as you have been blogging. I am sad that you did not mention the horror we experienced in Pittsburgh on Saturday. We cannot ignore nor can we overlook this devastation.
Irene, she did – check her Instagram (you can access it from the atypical60 website.) Truly a tragic day for us all.
Thanks Kewl. I appreciate that XOXOXOXOXO
Hi Irene. First of all I want to thank you for commenting. Secondly, I did, immediately head to my Instagram account to post about the heinous act and then reached out to one of my friends. This is a trying time for my husband because it brought back memories of his family during occupied France. His grandmother called Ravensbruck her home for a while. I’ve also been going through some personal demons of stress and anxiety lately and that’s why I haven’t been blogging as regularly.
In addition, I HAVE been working on a post but it’s difficult to find the words. It should be up late .r this evening.
The tragedy in Pittsburgh has been adding to my anxiety and you do not even want to know what I’ve written on FB because I’m surprised I haven’t been kicked off yet.
Love,
Cathe
I’m sorry, Catherine. I didn’t check out your other sites. I’ve been pretty devastated. Thank you for addressing this. I love your blog! I.
I am so jealous that you get to shop at Old Navy. I love that brand!!! Unfortunately we don’t have access to their clothes. I have many items of theirs in my closet, bought over the years during our visits to the US and Canada.
I love your pants; so stylish and easy to spruce up an outfit without going over the top. I have to see if I can find something similar over here.
On a more somber note, I am appalled at what happened in Pittsburgh. What is happening to our world and to our values? What is happening to American values? Democracy, the lesser of all evils concerning form of government, is broken.
Hey B! Yeah–for affordable clothing, Old Navy has some great stuff. I’ve been lucky with the holiday clothing!!! And the quality is just fine!!
You know, I just cannnot wrap my head around what’s going on in this country. It’s been a boiling pot since that damned Tea Party inflitrated the Republican party and now, with the self-christened “Nationalist” president (so was HItler), we’re in a downward spiral. I’m truly ashamed…………….. XOXOXOXOXO
I’m not a great fan of print trousers however I loved those brocade trews last year (and still do!) Recently you inspired me to buy a tartan pair, haven’t worn them yet but the weather has finally turned, so hope to get a lot of wear from them this winter.
Hey Fiona! Are those Brocade pants not the greatest? I may wear them to see Bohemian Rapshody because they remind me of Freddie Mercury!!! Wear the tartan pair soon! I wore Black Watch plaid today!!!! XOXOXOXO
As I mentioned to you before, Catherine, I stepped out of my comfort zone last year and bought a pair of black and gold fancy pants. And I love them! Even my husband commented on the pants and likes them on me. And I bought them all because of seeing you wearing fancy pants! Thanks so much for the inspiration. I am now 5’4″ (have shrunk 2″) and overweight at 205 lbs. However, even on my big body the pants look great on me. I will surely be bringing out my fancy pants this holiday season. My family wears nothing but jeans any more (though my one daughter does wear leggings and tunic tops from Lularu now.). And I wear jeans all winter. However,I am going to step it up this Christmas and wear my fancy pants! Thanks again Catherine to making me a convert!
Anne
Hi Anne! OMG–your comment makes me so happy!!!!!!!!!! I’m thrilled that you are a convert to Fancy Pants!!!! Get some more too! Isn’t it fun to step out of the jeans world and into the blingy one for a change!! XOXOXOXOXOXOX
Boy, those are sure some fancy pants! I know what you mean with skirt and a glass of wine to many!😂😂😂
Hi Nancy–LOL! I had a chipped tooth to prove the skirt and the glass too–only it was Bourbon and heels and the NYC Subway system!! I was 23! Tee Hee!
Super chic my dear!!
Thank you Carol! Thank you so much!! XOXOXOXO
I love these outfits – your style is very inspiring, as always. Lise
Love, Love your fancy pants and fabulous shoes! Holiday fashion breaks my legs year after year after… I’m 5’2″, 107 lbs., but cannot wear petite pants, they are painfully short in the rise, y’know? Finding misses pants in a 2 short or 4 short is akin to hunting for zebras. Last Christmas, I paid $90.00 for a pair of pants to wear to holiday and Christmas parties and dinners and almost $70.00 for alterations. My small frame is accented by size 8 or 8.5 WIDE feet. My precious hubs refers to my feet as “canned hams”, that’s why I married him… Fashionable, comfortable wide width shoes for women are virtually non-existent. Not certain, but I believe shoe manufacturers associate women with wide feet as sorry mistakes in the world footwear fashion. So, I’m ever envious of your gorgeous pants and lovely shoes but happy because they look so damn good on you.
Hi Judith! OMG. I would love to be 107 pounds again and if I keep eating this raw cookie dough, I’ll be out of my size 8 pants very soon! But I am happy you love my pants!!!!! Have you tried getting pants at Nordstrom? They have free alterations and………………………………………..so does J. Crew. They will alter pants for nothing!!!!!
My feet are the ONLY part of my body that’s narrow!!! LOL!!! XOXOXOXO
Oops! How do I fancy up for the holidays? I avoid all social gatherings except those where jeans or leggings with sneakers would be considered acceptable attire.
LOL. Judith. My daughter and her fiance are going to be spending a quiet evening at home this New Year’s Eve–they’ll be driving back to Cincinnati from here and have a wedding so they decided to have a “Sweats and Steak” party for New Year’s Eve. Everyone has to wear sloppy, comfy sweats and they will be cooking up steaks. Isn’t that a great idea? I think you should go!! XOXOXOXO