Why country style is the solution to all your festive dressing woes

There aren’t many occasions  in life when channelling an early ’80s Princess Diana at Balmoral feels anything less than fancy dress. But when the festive season segues from the razzmatazz of office parties and glitzy drinks dos to country escapes, pub lunches and long walks, it’s just the thing.  Lucky, then, that country chic is enjoying  a renaissance.

Argyle jumper, ￡115, Arket;  Giuliva Heritrage Collection corduroy trousers, ￡595, MatchesFashion.com

Houndstooth jackets have become less geography teacher, more the starting point for emulating the Chanel catwalk, where neat tweed suits in pond green or muddy-puddle brown were the order of the day. Although this is a look rooted in the hunting-shooting-fishing idiosyncrasies of the British aristocracy, it’s often being done best by American or European labels.

Ralph Lauren, for example, has long fetishised stately home grandeur. In his autumn collection, sumptuous velvets and hardy corduroy were spliced with patchworked tweeds and coat-of-arms knits. I also love how Italian tailoring label Giuliva Heritage is doing country style with its soft-wool ‘husband’ trousers and belted blazers. It’s the adult equivalent of Prince George and Princess Charlotte achieving their Victorian-era sweetness with clothes from Spanish childrenswear label Pepa & Co. 

Wool blend coat, ￡169, & Other Stories;  Faux fur lapel collar, ￡65, Troy London; Needlepoint brogue boot, ￡289, Penelope Chilvers

So how to do the aristo-in-the-wild look without being mistaken for an extra on the Downton Abbey film? I think every outfit needs one piece or a styling trick that throws it just off kilter. So you might pair riding boots with a floaty skirt or make a kilt and Fair Isle knit look more modern with some jewelled flats.

Take note of the way the above Ralph Lauren outfit swerves away from Madonna circa her lady-of-the-manor moment (Google will refresh your memory on that) when the long socks and party earrings are added. The full shebang should be saved for those of you who really will be roaming country estates and castle grounds.