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December's Most Coveted

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December's Most Coveted
Remember that way-pre-1989 T. Swift song, ‘Back to December’? Well, in spite of the tabloid murmurs of whichever six-pack-wielding Twilight star it was written for (we’re not naming names), we have a different theory. It’s about seasonal affective disorder. Stay with us here.

Because the pinnacle of winter falls so early on in the season—while we’re still Instagramming snowflakes and believing all we need to get us through the next few months is a good cup of cocoa—the holiday post-party depression sends us careening downhill through a subzero January, February and March like a toboggan on black ice.

We feel you, Tay. We too go back to December all the time.

Which is why we’ve decided to savor these fleeting December days in the form of a jam-packed social calendar, a carb-centric, hibernation-conducive diet and, of course, a killer shopping list.

Cruisin'

It’s that whole grass-is-greener thing—we twist our straight locks into spirals and chemically relax our ringlets, teeter in way-too-high heels or dwarf ourselves in flip-flops. So you can’t blame us northerners for craving a little crop-top-and-floral action mid-polar vortex while our southerly sisters are embracing their inner lumberjack (all you Californians wearing plaid flannels as outerwear in mid-December, we’re looking at you). Perhaps inspired (read: brainwashed) by Art Basel everything, we’ve found ourselves piling on the pastels and palm fronds under our parkas. What, we’ve used up all our vacation days, okay?!

Designer Spotlight: Vika Gazinskaya

Aside from being the proud owner of the best blunt bob we’ve seen since Sia, Vika Gazinskaya’s collections are a blend of timeless tailoring and the kind of swing-from-the-chandelier insouciance we crave in a season packed with nightly RSVPs. Think playful prints, exaggerated embellishments and pillowy, jet-puffed silhouettes—perfect for masking that not-so-low-cal Christmas dinner come course seven. Because, as with full-bottomed underwear, sudden movement and pregnancy (unless you’re Blake Lively), the holidays just weren’t meant for bodycon.

The Creole Hoop

From thick half-moons to dainty discs, the Creole hoop is that earring we find ourselves reaching for more and more the closer we get to December 25th. Maybe it’s the seasonal need to appear both boyfriend-pretty and grandma-pretty at the same occasion, or the need to offset the eight-pound statement choker that will take up permanent residence on your clavicle ‘til New Years. Either way, the classic shape is conducive to details like etched spikes and undulating ridges—plus, they’re a little more hometown toned-down than last year’s dangling Delfina Delettrezs (and hopefully won’t spark the same half-hour dinner table debate. Thanks, Dad).

Streamlined Sneakers

We’ve strayed in favor of wedged Marants, grade-school velcro and Nickelodeon-bright Nikes, but sneakers are to outfits as eyebrows are to faces: they can make ‘em or break ‘em. Which is why, while we flirt with the trendy and will occasionally break out the liquid-gold Dunks (or an angular charcoal Kardashi-brow), we always go back to our comfort zone—the streamlined sneaker. Because how can you go wrong with all-white? (...On second thought, don’t answer that question.)

The Gift Set

You there, in line at Sephora armed with boxes stacked up to your chin: either you’ve decided to give everyone on your list the gift of tiny two-time-use mascara, or you’re one of our own—a girl who can’t resist a gift set. There’s something about getting that three-mL tube of primer that’ll cover approximately half an eyelid that makes any additional cost sound like white noise. Because who in their right mind would buy one perfume when you can get ALL THE PERFUMES? And when the cashier asks if you want it gift-wrapped, just play along with a requisite “Mom’s gonna love this one....” Hey, ‘tis the season.

—Chelsey Burnside
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