NEW YEAR'S EVE 2020 OUTFIT IDEAS FOR OUR HOUSE PARTIES.

This time of year is usually peak season for "party clothes". For a few frenetic weeks schedules are packed with holiday soirées, family gatherings, festive dinners, and New Year's Eve events, for which it suddenly seems imperative to own an array of velvet maxi-skirts, backless jumpsuits and sequined mini-dresses. And I have a confession with which my readers have already been acquainted: I'm always prone to partaking in a raging New Year's Eve extravaganza set in fantastic luxury hotels abroad, so glam dinner or all-night Champagne-filled parties are actually my thing! This year, due to the well known hopeless travel and social-distancing situation, let's forget it!

Anyway, since I consider too depressing the idea of ringing in the New Year wearing sweatpants, even if we are all globally compelled to stick to home celebrations, I'm seriously considering a few NYE's outfit ideas to start 2021 off on a more stylish note. With shopping reining in their spending on clothing during the pandemic, many brands which have made party dresses their calling card, this is the last hurdle in a challenging year, so they have focused on their most affordable styles as they develop upcoming collections, still hoping for a future for fancy dresses. So, elegant kaftan dresses, crystal embellished knitwear, velvet flats or mules, delicate sparkling jewels are some of the season's most popular picks, and perfect for hosting or attending intimate gatherings at home without losing the excitement to dress up again, even if in a much more relaxed way. 

Of course, if the allure of a bedazzled ensemble is exceptionally strong right now, but we want to keep on a budget, we can dust off some of our most glittery separates and strut our apartments in them, pretending we have somewhere fantastic to go. As to Italy, where I live, the presence of guests at home will be limited by a curfew starting at 10 pm, our party-time in a formal attire will be limited too. Never mind! Whatever we wear for our big nights in, our festive outfits are full of much more promise than we expected, and we are all eager to celebrate the end of this horrific year by way of glam outfit options.

So, ahead, the three "avenues" we can explore for our night in with our quarantine buddies to keep the party spirit more alive:

1) Full Glam: if we are some of those who believe in starting a new year off on a positive note, anyway, what's more uplifting than a sparkling dress / skirt + fluffy sweater that makes we feel great? And let's not forget to add a pair of heels to wear for at least an hour to set some good intentions for 2021, and throw on some glowy makeup!

2) Happy Medium: if we prefer to find a high-low stylish balance, a combo of soft denim + a sequin vintage cardigan is really calling our names. And if we think we'll be padding around the house, we can skip stilettos, and opt instead for luxury slippers/sneakers.

3) Full Comfort: Why not end the year with the comfort-focused theme that defined it? Luckily, 2020 fashion saw the rise of some pretty fantastic loungewear and cosy sets, so a more low-key look can still be deceptively chic, especially if accessorised with simple gold hoops with strass or swarovsky studs to be downright festive.

Anyway, if we don't find any satisfactory pieces in our closets, let's not forget that everybody likes to treat themselves, so buying a little sparkling additions, since we aren't going on holidays, is kind of like buying a ticket to our next fantasy. 💭🎇🎊 Waiting for better times to come...

CELEBRATING NEW YEAR IN ZURICH.

I love Zurich for its sober, urban, chic and contemporary atmosphere, during all year long, but I love it especially at the end of December, when I find that it's simply enchanting. The whole city is bathed in a warmer light, and what's more, Zurich's hoteliers throw fantastic parties on New Year's Eve. As we did in past, we sojourned at Hotel Savoy Baur en Ville, amid the grand style of its luxurious 19th century architecture and tastefully furnished rooms, since we like this privileged location in the centre of the old town.

The skies above Banhofstrasse twinkle with Christmas lights, a light frost covers the rooftops, and the delicious smell of roasted chestnuts from the stalls selling "Heisse Marroni" and strategically positioned all around the city tempt the passers-by. But besides the truly magical atmosphere that the city exudes during this period, I love shopping in Zurich, where the choice of home decoration objects and fashion accessories is varied and sophisticated. 

There's nothing better in the wintertime, when it's bitterly cold outside, than to warm up with a cup of tea, cocoa, or coffee with a some delectable patisserie in a cozy café. Useless to say, my favourite is the Sprüngli Café and Restaurant, the most representative of historical café-salons, centrally located in Paradeplatz and very near the Savoy Baur en Ville, with its Confiserie boutique on the ground floor, where I never miss to buy light and airy Luxemburgerli macarons. On New Year's Eve, the choice of glamorous indoor parties is varied,  but for open-air festival-loving tourists, Zurich hosts the largest New Year's party in Switzerland, whose centrepiece is the massive fireworks display let off from two anchored boats in the lake at 20 past midnight, after allowing the city's church bells to ring in the new year first. So from the windows of our room we could enjoy the atmosphere of partygoers heading to the lakeside streets to watch live music, partake of a bratwurst and some glühwein and join in the general merriment, since, after fireworks, celebrations continue until 3 am not only in the elegant salons of the hotels, but also on the lakeside.

And in the afternoon of the first day of the year, what's better than having a short corroborating walk from the Old Town to the Kunsthaus, a first class art museum with a great collection of Swiss artists, such as Hodler and Giacometti, as well as international artists, such as Monet, Picasso and many others.