Marina Thongphanh

Holiday style doesn’t have to mean snowflake sweaters and Santa earrings.

Dress your best this holiday season with the latest trends. This winter is all about accessories and mixing them with essential pieces. Cozy up with the trendy new accessory: the infinity scarf. It is a single knit loop that you can wear in numerous ways: as a hood, worn over the shoulders or loosely wrapped once or multiple times around the neck. The infinity scarf looks good with almost any top, a basic tee or long sleeves. Longer sleeves work best but it is not wise to mix it with any wool or fur because it can come off as chunky.

With attention to the recent snowfall, boots are a must-have for every girl. To update the regular look, the styling trick is to pair them with mid-thigh socks. They should be opaque or cotton and try staying with neutral shades like black, brown or gray, depending on the boots. The next step is how to wear them. By folding the socks below the knee, it will create a comfy, thick texture. However, when keeping them at mid-thigh, it will generate a slimming effect. The higher you pull them, the more dramatic the look will be. In addition, this look works best coupled with a mid-length dress or skirt.

Next, when you are shopping for a winter jacket, instead of grabbing the typical coat, try looking for a short-sleeved one. It may sound odd, but cropped sleeves in the winter are sort of practical because you can wear your thickest sweater without worrying about the sleeves bunching up. They are just insanely cute.

Meanwhile, what color comes to mind when thinking of the holidays? Red, of course. We are all introduced to red at a very young age; it is one of the primary colors that we learned about in art class. Yet red often gets neglected because it comes off as too daring or not suitable for many body types. The color red makes a bold statement without doing anything, so even Santa is always in fashion. This Christmas season is the most appropriate time to wear the color. Just look into any store, and there will be an abundance of red sweaters, shirts and dresses. If a jolly old fat man can wear red, I believe just about anyone can.

Often it is easy to feel guilty while shopping for yourself this time of year because we feel we should only be shopping for others. There is, however, a gift that can relieve the guilt. When you buy a “Rain Love on Manila” shirt, you are making a donation to the surviving families of super-typhoons. Rain Love on Manila is a non-profit design to raise awareness and contribute to victims of the devastating typhoons that hit the Philippines in September. When you purchase a shirt, you are also donating to the list of beneficiaries and helping to ship care packages to them. Doesn’t it feel good to give back and also look cute at the same time?

Check out more information on Rain Love on Manila at www.rainloveonmanila.blogspot.com.