The festive season is fast approaching and with that comes the chance to dress up and raise the glamour stakes.

It doesn’t necessarily mean an entire wardrobe overhaul. But there are some trends hitting the stores to look out for, which will put some extra magic into Christmas events.

1. Sequins

While they can scream tacky, there are ways to wear sequins so they have a more low-key luxury touch. Matte silver or black sequins tend to look more upmarket than say, shiny gold or hot pink. A black sequinned tuxedo jacket or pantsuit paired with a white T-shirt has an easy glamour that is classic and timeless.

The trick is to dress high/low style with sequins by mixing them with casual pieces: For example, they might appear as a stripe down the side of a track pant, as a sequinned tank top under a jacket or as a sequinned tube skirt put back with a T-shirt.

2. Diamantes

They are everywhere at the moment as an accessory, at every price point from Country Road to Alexander Wang and Bally, silvery diamante-encrusted ballet flats and pumps, squishy handbags and glittering evening clutch purses.

A lot of them have the Glomesh effect – those fabulous metal knit bags that mothers carried in the 1970s. Actually, dig those out.

3. Satin ballet flats

Quite literally the copy of a ballerina slipper with a slightly blunt toe, a satin shoe in blush pink satin or black is a glamorous touch. It’s a welcome relief from the current domination of the big, ugly shoe, lovely with a long or mid-calf slip dress.

4. Rosettes

We really haven’t seen them since the days early days of Carrie in Sex in the City, but rosettes are on the way back – pretty fabric flowers pinned on a lapel, on a dress, or worn on the throat, tied with a satin ribbon or pinned in the hair.

5. Goddess dresses

Silky ankle-length dresses that drape the body, with low waists, high necks and end-cap sleeves that fall off the shoulders with an easy, liquid elegance.

So much more forgiving and sensual than tight body-con dresses that reveal everything, or styles that have put cutouts in the wrong places, these Grecian goddess gowns are a beautiful, flattering option for summer parties and dinners.

Speaking of cutouts gone crazy, I saw one particular long dress online that had the stomach area cut out in a round shape. Maybe it was for pregnancy (it’s called “bump fashion”, championed by Rihanna and Sienna Miller etc) but I can’t imagine what that would look like on the average woman who would like to enjoy a carbohydrate-laden lunch.

6. Black slip dresses with lace inserts

I love lingerie-inspired fashion and I think a black slip/lace slip dress looks good at any age.

If you’re nervous about showing too much skin, put a crisp white shirt over the top, collar turned up and loosely tied at the waist, and a pair of kitten-heeled sandals, and you’re good to go.