How To Dress For A Very Ralph Lauren Christmas

Gird your tartan loins!

Maybe writing about the holidays at the end of October feels a bit early. But I’m on mat leave, watching Scandal for the first time and doing Youtube stretching videos between eating dried mango, so I guess what I’m trying to say is that things are feeling a little lawless.

And you can’t blame me for the holiday-inspired tones. Blame Tiktok and the influx of Ralph Lauren Christmas videos that seemed to have cropped up overnight. As someone who can fit all her holiday decorations in a vintage tin that gets tossed to the back of the coat closet during the rest of the year, this is more of a voyeuristic endeavour than a personal journey.

The world of vintage Ralph Lauren has long been one of nostalgic undertones and artful layering. Take a walk through the beige-y aisles of Target holiday decor posturing as “Scandi” and you’ll understand the urge to tip in the complete opposite direction. Rich velvets. Cascading greenery. Suede everything.

And here’s the sweater version of the image on the left

I have good news. You don’t have to celebrate Christmas or even buy something new to partake in this trend. Chances are, you have a slice of Ralph Lauren Christmas in your closet right now. And if you don’t consider this my recipe.

And for what it’s worth, Ralph Lauren does an amazing curation on their site, but it’s all pretty expensive. But good inspiration!

Cozy slippers

This is as close as a lot of us New Yorkers will get to owning a workable fireplace. Approximate coziness via footwear! That’s my motto. Everyone has a personal preference for slippers. My theory is that if you think you hate slippers, you just haven’t found YOUR slippers. Let me break down some options.

This is my house shoe of choice, four years strong. Ugg Ultra Minis! Who knew? They last forever and are extremely warm.

And if they’re too warm for you, maybe a pair like these from Lenys World would be more your speed.

Here’s more of a middle ground. LL Bean slippers are a universally beloved gift! I also have these in the mail and am very excited about them.

A trusty turtleneck

This is Ralph Lauren 101. When I worked at Club Monaco, we were ALWAYS getting people to “try a turtleneck under that.” As far as layering options go, these are my favorites, but let’s have a little fun with it. These feel festive without screaming holiday, IMO.

2018 RL runway

This is expensive! But horse girls will get it…

For the more adventurous among us, a vintage Ralph Lauren wool option on Poshmark.

This is $30! Try vintage Gap to get the look for less.

I love the stripes on this vintage $44 option.

Tartan plaid—everything

Well this one is pretty self explanatory and my only advice here would be go to a thrift store IRL. You’ll find plenty of this pattern—on plates, shirts, skirts! And you can try it out to see if it’s for you. I bought a tartan Molly Goddard dress on The RealReal for $230 for the holidays because plaid is a total yes from me.

The sweater shape of the season in tartan for under $50.

These come with a matching blazer, but I sort of like them on their own with a big black cashmere sweater.

A really cute preloved J.Crew collection jacket with just a hint of tartan.

There are thousands of secondhand tartan skirts! Pick your poison. And don’t be deterred by weird lengths. A tailor can handle that.

A very cute Old Navy tartan moment for $40.

Another RL dupe from Gap…just a TOUCH of tartan for $35.

A coherent wrapping paper strategy

According to some videos, it’s best practice to save wrapping until you arrive at someone’s house to use their wrapping paper of the season. Chic, I guess, unless you, like me, already have 40% of your holiday shopping done and are itching to get things locked and loaded.

Most years, I paint plain kraft paper with my sister while we have hot chocolate and use that. It’s always fun to see what we cook up. This is…decidedly not Ralph Lauren Christmas. But whatever!

This is a very distinguished option.

Also really into this shiny navy option that would be INSANE with vintage ribbon like this or this.

Black silk separates

There’s just something about black silk that makes me feel grown up, like I’m pulling into my childhood home in a station wagon with a suitcase and crush on a hometown guy ready for a holiday break.

The key here is being diligent about dry cleaning! And other than that, airing on the side of oversized always feels cooler here to me.

I’m such an Equipment silk shirt stan. Forever! You can find great options on Poshmark for over half off, like this one. Or this pussy bow option for $25.

If you’re going new, this one from AYR is sexy.

Super timeless vintage Prada silk black dress for under $500!

Vintage silk skirt for $30. This is so darling.

I ordered this gorg skirt from Boden (!?) for the holidays and it comes in a longer length.

Tall boots

And why not pair that silky black seperate with some tall boots? This is another one of those “find out what tall boots mean to you” moments. Experiment and take note of what works for you historically. And as always, maybe they’re just not your style.

Boden with the 2/2! These boots are so special and for under $350 brand new leather, I think they’re a great deal. I like that Boden has this air about itself that isn’t so trend-specific. I could picture my mom wearing these twenty years ago.

Buying Frye secondhand is a no-brainer, but it’s also worth comparing with new, because these boots shot up in price on the secondhand market in the last couple of years. This pair is $200 on Poshmark. And a new pair of Campus boots is closer to $500.

Here’s a good alt if something tall isn’t your beat. These are secondhand Bottega for under $500.

Ohhh glossy black for $350.

Suede accessories

Suede is fundamental to a Ralph Lauren diet. Shop this secondhand. Get it treated right away. And you’ll have a wardrobe staple for life.

I mean…this vintage Ralph Lauren number is divine.

Double-breasted. Perfect chocolate brown. $65.

A suede headband is very Love Story.

A touch of vintage RL + suede for $48.

Robust gold chain

This isn’t a dainty piece for layering. This is a Ralph Lauren 80s opulence moment—a dish best served as an heirloom from an eccentric aunt, but you know what I always say. Sometimes you have to be the eccentric aunt you always dreaming of having.

This is on its way to me and I can’t wait to tuck it under a striped button down.

This is fab for $30 on Etsy and reminds me of a Dorsey bracelet I wear all the time.

Lovely and not for the faint of heart. It’s $250 on eBay.

Leather home goods

We’re branching out here and it’s inspired by The Millennial Decorator’s chic new apartment and leather log holder. I mean, come on!

RL in Town and Country

I would die for this vintage Dooney and Bourke paper tray in a home office.

Vintage leather cup with lid for $30. Not super positive what the use case is, but hey, it’s fun!

Leather zip sunglasses case. A very universal gift option!

Honorable Mentions

I love everything Paloma Elsesser. House tour. Tiktok. All of it. So reading this about her skincare routine was a joy, natch.

AllModern is having a huge sale, and we used some pieces from here for the nursery. If you’re following on Tiktok, you know I’m pretty fixated on finding the chic stuff on sites like this. I’m very into this rug. And this would be CUTE in a kid room. But I also just like for boring things like on-sale pillow inserts.

Thank you for reading Long Live. It means so much to me. You can preorder my romance novel, Exit Lane, on Bookshop or Amazon. You can shop my favs here, follow along on Instagram + Tiktok, and shop my Notion template. Get matched at EV Salon. And if you want to partner on a future Long Live, email ev@erikaveurink.com x