I saw a meme recently that read: “I never understood why we get so dressed up for Christmas Day and don’t really go anywhere, just walking around my nan’s kitchen looking fly as hell.” And what a fashion melting pot this time can be. From the 20-something cousins who are hungover but still looking chic in their ribbed tanks and cut-offs to the parents of the young kids who made an effort with a festive necklace and a “good shirt” despite the sleepless nights. Oh, and don’t forget the uncle and aunt everyone only sees once a year dressed in the exact same khaki get-up they had on last year, or the Fun Dad who wears a Christmas-themed shirt, most likely purchased from Lowes. This style salad culminates in one annual table photo featuring torn bonbons, heads covered in paper crowns, awkward lean-ins (“I can’t see everyone!”), and someone (me) with their eyes closed.
With so many personalities, it’s no wonder this time of year carved out its own film and television genre. For those who celebrate it, the festivities make for perfect, relatable entertainment fodder. But beyond the cheesy plots and gratitude-inducing allegory, fashion has always been a pillar of the season.
So what will you wear this year? And if you’re still unsure, why not take your 2024 Christmas Day style cues from some of the notable icons of our favourite festive flicks? Below, our edit of the most fashion-forward characters of Christmas’ past.
Keira Knightley in Love Actually
She’s copped flack over the years for the weird hat she wore to visit Mark (Andrew Lincoln) in search of her wedding video in Love Actually, but as it turns out, poor Keira Knightley had a sizeable forehead zit on the day of filming, and this was actually the stylist’s solution. So back off, everyone! Anyway, aside from the conductor hat, the white, off-shoulder knit she was wearing around the house when Mark came knocking in that scene was immortalised. Creamy short-sleeved knitwear forever!
Cameron Diaz in The Holiday
This cult rom-com seems only to be snowballing in popularity each year. In The Holiday, Diaz is a chic Hollywood boss in this movie who embarks on a house swap to a small English town after a romantic setback. Like Knightley in Love Actually, she rocks her fair share of winter-white knitwear, but it’s the chocolate shearling coat that inspires ideas. While not ideal for the Aussie summer, granted, take cues from the earthy tones. Try a cream tee and chocolate-coloured layer vest instead.
Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex And The City: The Movie
Okay, okay, we know this is really New Year’s Eve, but this scene is still so crazily festive we’re adding it to the list.
When Miranda calls from her lonely Brooklyn apartment, Carrie gets out of bed and hightails it to spend the evening with her friend in the middle of a snowy night. In proper Patricia Field form, her “just out of bed look” was fantastically chic. That vintage faux fur over trackies with a camisole and a sequinned beanie (why not?) is all kinds of Christmas goals. Don’t forget the heels!
Diane Keaton in The Family Stone
Another super-favourite, if slightly darker, rom-com; all the styling here is pretty great. SJP is perfectly suited up to reflect her unwelcome, up-tight persona, while the contrasting characters of Claire Danes and Rachel McAdams are all homely turtlenecks and cable-knit sweaters. But it’s Keaton who’s wardrobe steals the spotlight. We’re never over the full skirt and crisp white shirt cinched by a wide belt. These are Christmas matriarch goals.
Cate Blanchett in Carol
Set in 1952, Carol takes the propriety of mid-century fashion tropes to a whole new level through Cate Blanchett‘s intriguing titular character. Instead of prim and vibrant silhouettes and tones, Blanchett is dressed by costume designer Sandy Powell in earthy, everyday tones, all marked by a 50s sensibility that oozes glamour. Our coats may be at the back of our closets right now, but the costume jewellery, skirt suits, and flirty bob hairstyles provide plenty of summer-appropriate inspiration.
Renée Zellweger in Bridget Jones’s Diary
The one who makes us all feel better about everything. Bridget Jones has been all of us at some stage of our lives, and we endlessly salute her singleton, “carpet”-wearing self. Also, the infamous look she was forced into by her mother at the ‘Turkey Curry Buffet’ is kind of…chic? Can definitely imagine trawling through TheRealReal for a ruffle collar and printed corduroy waistcoat.
Anna Faris in Just Friends
Maybe we’re partial to this because Faris does losing-her-sh*t-chic like very few others.
Throughout this homecoming movie, Faris’s character, Samantha James, gets all the best scenes. From her terrible/awesome songs to setting fire to the microwave on her private plane, she’s the reason this movie is a re-watcher. Channel her IDGAF style with a wild jacket and hints of mauve and raucous hair. It will be liberating, if nothing else.
Beverly D’Angelo in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
It’s hard to imagine why Clark (Chevy Chase) kept dreaming of Christy Brinkley in the National Lampoon movies when his wife was so freaking stunning. Beverly D’Angelo’s Ellen Griswold is the head of the household who keeps a cool head while her husband’s hair-brained ideas keep (literally) blowing up. And then there’s her style. That lace keyhole blouse, the emerald green taffeta skirt and that festive gold collar brooch. Think Emilia Wickstead, Oscar De La Renta or Christian Dior of the now. Excellent.
Meg Ryan in You’ve Got Mail
The follow-up to Sleepless In Seattle, Meg and Tom teamed up again in 1998 for this now extremely dated narrative about romance via online chatrooms. What’s not outdated, however, is Ryan’s cuteness in the film, which is all set in a very Christmassy New York.
Firstly, her choppy short haircut is a fashion accessory all of its own, and one I’m yet to see ever pulled off quite so well on anyone since. Secondly, her dreamy, romantic persona is draped in cashmere cardigans, black turtlenecks, tunic dresses, masculine trousers and one preppy woollen pleated midi-skirt in grey that I spent the rest of 1998 trying to find.
Catherine O’Hara (aka Kevin’s Mum) in Home Alone
You tend to only think of a teeny Kevin (Macauley Culkin) walking the burbs of his home in the first film and the wintery streets of New York in the second instalment when you think of Home Alone. One could even overlook that Kevin’s mum, Kate McCallister is a seriously well dressed mum of…four (?)… I could never tell which child belonged to which parent in these movies. Anyway, she wraps herself in Max Mara-esque camel coats and cable knits, always wearing a gold statement earring. This is peak 90s upstate New York. Go McCallister-chic with some polished prep and vintage bling.
Donna Reed in It’s A Wonderful Life
We’re delving into the archives for this one, but for good reason. This film, which brings all the feels every time we watch it, is not only beautifully written but also timelessly stylish. The fashion of 1946 was polished, pretty and probably more than occasionally uncomfortable. However, the cuts from then are still serving us well now. Party dresses that included layered ruffles, chiffon puffed sleeves, and repeated motif prints are ones you can wear straight to the Christmas table in 2024…pleasantly leaving the strangling corsets in 1946.
This story first appeared on GRAZIA International.
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