Christmas Day fashion with Yorkshire fashion brands Kit and Kaboodal, HebTroCo, Fanfare Label, Fairfax & Favor and TOM-O
To paraphrase the legendary 1970s rock band Slade, are you hanging up your carefully selected, super-stylish Christmas outfit on the bedroom door? Are you sure you got the perfectly curated gifts for all the family, and your friends, and their pets?
If the answer is yes, get to the top of the Christmas tree. If no, you are far from alone, and there is still a tiny window of time in which you could make amends. Or chill. It’s your Christmas. But here are tips from some of our favourite brands and designers.
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Hide AdSarah Thompson the designer behind her own fashion brand TOM-O, based at the Corn Exchange in Leeds she creates clothes and accessories by patchworking fabrics that are donated, dead-stock, end of stock lines, or from unwanted clothes and furnishings.
![Ruffle skirt in Nutmeg, £38; Made in Italy jumper in Camel, £44, both at kitandkaboodal.com.](https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOmQwYmE2NmQzLTViNjItNGUwZC1hZGQ1LTc4ZWQ5NGVhYTU4Mzo1ZTFmZWU1ZS1lMjA1LTQwNDktOWFhNi0xY2Q2NWVjMGU3NmQ=.jpg?crop=3:2,smart&width=640&quality=65)
![Ruffle skirt in Nutmeg, £38; Made in Italy jumper in Camel, £44, both at kitandkaboodal.com.](/img/placeholder.png)
Sarah says: “The best gift for me is always something with a little hint of thought or sentiment, whether that’s something personal, something handmade or something I’ve mentioned randomly months before. I’ve never been into big expensive presents. Handmade is a big win for me even if you're not creative, it’s lovely thinking someone has spent time creating something for you, and that no one else on the planet will receive the same one.
"Me and my brother have often done secondhand gifts, from charity shops or car boots. Not all presents have to be brand new and again often something unique you have found in a charity shop is way more fun.
“I’ll spend Christmas back home nearby Whitby, on the farm my parents live on. Christmas Day attire is usually relatively casual, with a little glitter on the eyelids, seeing as it’s Christmas. Christmas mornings have always been spent with my lovely Grandma, taking her to Ugthorpe church service. Then we usually get the wellies on post dinner to walk it off over the moors with the family.
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Hide Ad"On Boxing Day I’ll try to make it down to the beach for a dip in the North Sea. Then in the evening we ditch the comfy attire for something more special, I’ll most likely be wearing some TOM-O and getting a little more dressed up to celebrate with friends and family post-sea dip.”
![Sarah Thompson wears her own TOM-O dress, £120, from her shop at the Corn Exchange in Leeds and tom-o.com.](https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOmQ0YTNhMjk5LTljOTAtNDUzMy1iOTE5LTZkMTY2YjdmNGRiNDpmY2U2Yjk1OS05NDhhLTRlYzEtOTRlOC02ODYyMjBhZjk0NjE=.jpg?crop=3:2,smart&width=640&quality=65)
![Sarah Thompson wears her own TOM-O dress, £120, from her shop at the Corn Exchange in Leeds and tom-o.com.](/img/placeholder.png)
Esther Knight lives near Skipton and is the founder of Drapers Den-winning denim circularity fashion brand Fanfare Label, which has just launched a collection with Amelia Windsor.
Esther says: “Buy a gift to cherish, to always keep in use and one that can be worn over and over again. Always choose quality over quantity and something that you can see yourself with for a long time.
“I plan to wear a velvet co-ord trouser and top for Christmas. My mum passed on her velvet outfit to me that she used to wear in her twenties. When you buy quality you can pass it on to others and the brilliant thing about velvet is that it never goes out of fashion. It is both cosy and dressy, comfortable for all your Christmas activities with your family.”
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Hide AdHebden Bridge-based clothing brand HebTroCo offers proper British-made menswear and other stuff, created to last, including sturdy utility-style trousers, jeans, jumpers and overshirts. Founders Ex Oxley and Brant Richards test and perfect every design themselves, wearing them every day.
![Amelia Windsor wears Fanfare Label top and jeans from fanfarelabel.com.](https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOmZkMDI5YmFlLThjN2QtNDM1Ni1hMzIyLTUxZTgyODYzZTE4MDpkZTUzN2JiMy00ZjRkLTRiZTMtYmNkZS0yMTNlZjBmN2QzODE=.jpg?crop=3:2,smart&width=640&quality=65)
![Amelia Windsor wears Fanfare Label top and jeans from fanfarelabel.com.](/img/placeholder.png)
Ed says: “Quality first, as Christmas isn’t a time for cheap rubbish. Buy things that can stand up to daily use but that stand out and have a good back story. High quality jumpers are long-term investments.
"Our Submariner jumpers are made from the wool of sheep that come from the Yorkshire Dales. Yarn is spun in Bingley, combining wool from the Blue Faced Leicester and Masham breeds of sheep. Knitting is done in Mansfield, making this about as local as you can get.
“I’ll be playing records on Christmas Day after I’ve lit the fire. Then all the family will start to arrive and I’ll cook for them. On Boxing Day, it will be a big walk out over the moors above my home near Hebden Bridge.
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Hide Ad"I’ll be wearing all British-made clothes from HebTroCo. On Christmas Day it will be a Fair Isle jumper, a pair of M16 selvedge denim jeans and our Chukka Boots. On Boxing Day the Chukka Boots are stout enough for the moors and will be worn with GVNR 16 double black selvedge jeans, Submariner jumper and our new Jacksnipe jacket, which is cut to wear over layers and has a lovely dry waxed outer.”
![Ed Oxley wears HebTroCo Fair Isle Jumper, £165, and M16 selvedge denim jeans, £165, and Chukka Books, £250, all at Hebtro.co.](https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOjQ4MTE1ZDBjLTNkOTQtNGZkMS04MmNlLWIwNTQ2NTJlOGExYToyZjVjMzg0OC05Y2FlLTQ4ODAtOTVmNi0yZTRkYzVkZWM2NzQ=.jpg?crop=3:2,smart&width=640&quality=65)
![Ed Oxley wears HebTroCo Fair Isle Jumper, £165, and M16 selvedge denim jeans, £165, and Chukka Books, £250, all at Hebtro.co.](/img/placeholder.png)
Marcus Fairfax Fountaine is the co-founder of country clothing and accessories brand Fairfax & Favor, which has a store in Helmsley. Marcus says: “The best Christmas gifts are always the ones with thought behind them. Something special that will bring a smile to the faces of your family and friends, and something they will be able to keep forever. I always think you can’t go wrong with a handbag or a great pair of shoes.
“I always like to dress up for Christmas to celebrate with my loved ones. It’s the time of year for everyone to get together so it’s nice to make an effort. My mum makes the best Christmas dinner, pulling out all the stops, so I have to make sure I wear something comfy, too.”
Kit and Kaboodal is a family-owned North Yorkshire fashion brand offering striking and edgy womenswear that is comfortable, easy, flattering - with oodles of attitude.
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Hide AdDirector Laura Taylor says: “It is a cliche but it is the thought that counts. As a family we are big on experience and making memories together, so gift vouchers to put towards a meal or overnight stay together are perfect.
“We have a big extended family so Christmas Day is a family affair. It’s nice to get glammed up so I have one of our sequin tops in mind that I will team with some velvet trousers. On Boxing Day, we all get together and head out on a nice long walk,so it’s all about the cosy layers and my snuggly teddy bear coat.”
Tom-o.com, Fanfarelabel.com, Hebtro.co, fairfaxandfavor.com, Kitandkaboodal.com
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