From a Balenciaga puffer jacket to Céline's elegant orb earrings, we present a collection of things we're dreaming of finding under our Christmas tree this Sunday
1. Miuccia Prada is renowned for her singular ability to transform footwear that ought be slightly repellent into something instinctively desirable. Case in point: these patent pink kitten heels embellished with lovehearts; by any other designer’s hand, they’d be too much, and yet here they’re perfect.
2. When Miu Miu first resurrected its S/S10 kitten print for Resort 2016, cat ladies around the world rejoiced. Babydoll insouciance and feline obsession all in one garment make for our dream dress.
3. If one must wear fur, then nobody does it quite like Fendi. This rainbow of gravitational waves makes for a hypnotically appealing stole, whose allure will extend long past Christmas to keep festive cheer alight in the gloomiest of winter months.
4. Christmas morning demands nothing less than the ultimate in laid-back luxury, preferably of the calibre of this silk-cashmere tracksuit by Olivia von Halle; there’s truly no chicer uniform for unwrapping gifts fireside.
5. There are dressing gowns and there are terry towelling robes, and then there are the likes of Agent Provocateur’s silk crepe kimonos, whose bead and embroidery detailing and flowing sleeves seem to demand a category all of their own. Worn, preferably, over nothing at all.
6. When Anthony Vaccarello employed Saint Laurent’s signature monogram as a recurrent motif in his debut collection for the house, we all put these earrings straight on our seasonal wishlist. Old-school YSL glamour revisited through a modern lens: the best stocking filler imaginable.
7. Givenchy’s cage-like studded stiletto heels are practically the dictionary definition of fetish-worthy footwear, balancing unabashed sensuality with a thin studded ankle strap and an elegant pointed toe. A perfectly suggestive Christmas gift.
8. Demna Gvasalia has transformed the puffer jacket from a utilitarian windbreaker into the fashion statement du jour by channelling Cristóbal Balenciaga’s sculptural approach to womenswear into his own singular brand of contemporary chic. Filled with down and duck feathers, this coat is warm as well as fabulous, making it every bit the justifiable winter necessity.
9. The perfect blend of patent severity with cosy shearling: if we find this Proenza Schouler trench under the tree, we won’t be taking it off come rain or shine (though we’d wager that it will make significantly more sense in the latter).
10. At this time of year, the retail world seems overrun with glittery dresses and sequined skirts, all emptily promising to turn New Year’s Eve into the most memorable night of your life. We’d usually revile such fantasy, but can’t help but believe that this slightly shimmery Maison Margiela blouse might make good on such a promise.
11. Where so many winter accessories promise only an extra defense against unfriendly winter weather, a cashmere scarf from Aquascutum offers, rather, a way of life – the key to a legacy of high-low luxury. Tuck into an open hood for a knowing nod to football hooligan history.
12. Gucci’s delightfully impractical turquoise pumps, first spotted in the Resort 2017 collection, are an irresistibly brazen signifier of a life well-lived – and deserve to spend not a second more than necessary in a less-than-tropical climate this winter. Alessandro Michele’s attention to detail – self-evident in the glittering jewel-embossed cherries and the house’s trademark bamboo stiletto – will come into its own poolside.
13. As creative director of Loewe, Jonathan Anderson has been responsible for designing some of the greatest handbags around in recent years – and this Flamenco Knot pouch is a prime example of his prowess. Trans-seasonally appropriate, but certainly festive in plush blue velvet.
14. Planning to see in the new year with a barndance? Us neither – and yet, there’s something irrepressibly attractive about Coach’s Western-inspired silk shirt, embroidered with garish blooms and cut to the line of the classic. Yee-ha indeed.
15. Nicolas Ghesquiere’s inaugural collection for Louis Vuitton womenswear came complete with some of the greatest jewellery in recent memory – and here his designs are reprised in BB size. A welcome resurrection indeed.
16. If, like us, you’ve spent your life unto this point absent-mindedly searching for soft furnishings which will upgrade evenings spent lounging in front of Netflix into an altogether more opulent affair, Ralph Lauren has duly provided the solution; this Brighton shearling throw says ‘cabin chic’ but also ‘turn the heating down’ making it a pragmatic as well as a fabulous purchase.
17. Fact: men of a certain age are notoiously difficult to buy for, which is why Paul Smith’s sock subscription, the gift which, quite literally, keeps on giving (a new pair in a bright polka dot or signature stripe every month, to be accurate) is an ideal solution.
18. If 90s era Kate Moss taught us anything, it is that there’s nothing so chic as underwear as party-wear. Case in point: this DKNY slip dress, which is the ultimate dress to throw on nonchalantly at 10pm on New Year’s Eve and dance in all night long.
19. The world of fine jewellery can be intimidatingly alien – but Repossi manages to unite refined craftsmanship with relatable glamour. It is easy to make a diamond look louche, but these creations always appear perfectly modern: here, understated elegance with a phenomenal gem.
20. If there is one brand we hope to feature heavily in our Christmas, it is Céline. Imagine unwrapping these on Christmas morning: it would certainly stand you in good stead for the year to come.
