Besides the food and spending time with loved ones, the best thing about Christmas is the fashion! Not only do I love dressing up for the parties but I also love dressing down for the casual side of the festive period. Winter walks, boxing day lunch, shopping in the sales – that kind of thing!
With that in mind, Fforestfach Retail Parc gave me a mission to put together two Christmas looks from their selection of stores on a budget of £200. One look for parties and one casual seasonal look. It sounded like a good mission to me!
Fforestfach Retail Parc has an excellent mix of stores covering fashion, beauty, home, food and drink. With H&M, New Look, River Island and Boots, it’s a great shopping destination for all the latest high street trends this Christmas. It’s also convenient to get to, close to Swansea city centre and there’s up to 4 hours free parking on site. So, you can shop until you drop and not worry about lugging your bags around!
The casual look
I started off shopping for the casual look because it’s the outfit I’ll probably get most wear out of. I just love wrapping up warm and feeling cosy! A good pair of jeans are the basis of any casual look and these River Island glitter ripped jeans (£38) caught my eye. The relaxed skinny fit is flattering (not too tight either so I don’t have to worry about that extra mince pie) and the glitter detailing is perfect for the festive season.
No winter look is complete without a cute jumper and this cable knit fringe style (£36) from River Island is ideal for those chilly, December days. It’s ideal for throwing on with my glitter jeans. For extra warmth, I chose a gorgeous purple scarf from H&M (£5.99) and couldn’t resist the coordinating handbag (£27.99).
The shoes were from New Look (£19.99) and I picked them as I liked the beautiful nude colour. I know heels aren’t considered casual but I rarely wear flats so heels are pretty casual to me! These boots are super comfortable and they’re easy to walk in. Well, I think so anyway!
Total: £127.97
The party look
Next, I found my party outfit. I always go for dresses so I fancied something a bit different and went for this black velvet jumpsuit instead (£22.99) from New Look. The wrap front design, tie waist and slim leg are super flattering and it’s easy to wear. I’m all about enjoying the party season and the last thing I want is to feel uncomfortable.
I also chose a black jumpsuit because I can update it with different accessories. Who needs five party looks when you have one versatile piece?! The shoes are also from New Look (£17.99). Gold and sparkly, what more could a girl want?
To accesorise, I went for a diamante cuff bracelet (£10) and a rose gold necklace diamante ‘Y’ necklace (£14), both from River Island. The glitzier, the better! To add some extra glam, I picked up some Eylure false eyelashes from Boots for £5.40.
Total: £70.38
Altogether, I spent £198.35 with most of the budget going on the casual outfit. However, I don’t mind because as I mentioned earlier, I’ll probably get more wear out of the jeans and jumper. Which outfit is your favourite?
To celebrate my partnership with the Fforestfach Retail Parc Guide to Christmas, they’re giving someone the chance to win £50 to spend on fashion! To enter visit the Fforestfach Retail Parc Facebook page. You can also follow the Twitter page for updates. Competition closes on Thursday 7 December at 12pm. Good luck!
