Fashion Reflections for the Holidays

Dear Fashion Friends:

I am looking forward to Christmas. As a youngster, I enjoyed going to buy the family tree and Christmas Eve decorating it. I also loved those familiar holiday smells – honey cookies, hot chocolate, and mistletoe come to mind. Mom, who received fashion catalogs like Laura Ashley, Spiegel,  JC Penny, and Talbots, always looked for commonsensical attire from their respective pages. I was impressed with the beauty of the models and the enchanting fashion relevant for this time of year. I cannot say I knew the names of most of the models appearing in the cited catalogs. Over the years, however, I was able to identify models like Elaine Irwin, Kathy Ireland, Stephanie Seymour, and Vendela Kirsebom from those now vintage pages. You can find posts of my favorite models on my Pinterest and Twitter pages.

What did I learn from those hours of looking at these various fashion catalogs? For one, Christmas attire should be cheery and joyful. This AZTEC PATTERN WITH GLITTER ACCENT SWEATER from the www.aleyacollections.com website is a great example. It comes with a round ribbed neckline and a beautiful blend of geometric shapes and color. The long-ribbed cuff and hem are attractive features to the overall design (see photo below).

Or how about this MULTI-COLOR THREAD STRIPED KNIT SWEATER from the AC website? The attire, which also comes with long sleeves and a round neck, has an enchanting blend of pink and yellow colors. It goes beautifully with jeans or a denim skirt.  Such an ensemble would be perfect with a necklace or pair of simple earrings (see photos below).

Secondly, Christmas ware should elicit happy thoughts.  This stunning photo of this FLORAL PRINT FLARED BLUE SKIRT is a great example. Our model reminds me of Kathleen Kelly, a character in the movie, You Got Mail. She loves words like “epeolatry” and “eunoia”; she frequents coffee shops and is a Jane Austin enthusiast.  Fashion model Lera Mijanu, who I befriended on Instagram, loves the clothing’s enchanting mixture of colors. I agree with her how the blue backdrop blends beautifully with the red and green floral pattern. The red tassels at the hem are a delight. The skirt goes well with the red top or – even better -- with a blouse and this VERTIGO BLAZER (see photos below). See? Happy thoughts!

I hope your visit to www.aleaycollections.com was an enchanting one.

Sincerely,

Gabe xoxo

P.S. I highlighted the title names of accessories and clothing found at www.aleyacollections.com  in italics.