Will you be lovely this Christmas? Only if you follow FM's guide to ending the year in sparkly style.

It is the usual plight before Christmas. The kids are gang-stabbing the Christmas tree fairy to death; the in-laws are calling every two seconds just to annoy you; and the hubby is sporting a horrible new haircut courtesy of a defective fairy light. And as you struggle to park a very big turkey in a very small oven, you suddenly realise that you still don't know what you're going to wear to wave goodbye to the old year and say hello to the new one.

No wonder that your gift-wrapped cheer is long gone, and all you want to do is hurry away in a manger or crawl under the Christmas tree.

But that's when the greatest gift of all lands on your doorstep, and it is these pages that you are holding right now - your guide to a stylish festive season.

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Wear

Kate Moss - let her grow old gracefully

January sales. Finally

Spring 2010. Denim returns

Mince pies - welcome back

Tear

The Christmas jumper for him. Knitted snowflakes anyone?

Daphne Guinness's shoes. Those must hurt

New Year resolutions - who cares?

The Jimmy Choo for H&M collection

Blog watch

The who, what, why, wear of the net

http://www.cynthiarowley.com/content/

Cynthia Rowley takes fans inside her New York Public Library sewing circle.

http://www.ruffian.com/reportage.html

Behind the scenes into the making of the Ruffian 2010 collection.

http://www.johnbartlettny.com/index2.html

Fashion Amazing lace Amazing lace It is classy, chic and smacks of Victorian vintage - lace is this season’s surprise winner. In all its forms - be it on your collar, as a trim, as a pair of sexy tights, or even as sheer lace shoes as shown by Jimmy Choo - lace gives a celebratory feel to your whole outfit. Black lace tights, especially, look great when teamed with full skirts and ankle boots. For items such as blouses, trousers and mini dresses, lace is mixed with cashmere, silk, and wool to give lace that stretch effect.

Fashion See me through See me through With lace running the catwalk, it was only natural that transparent items would speed in as an ambulance-chaser trend. Gauzy transparent looks and naughty see-through in black and white are very popular this season, which makes evening wear and black tie events a veritable game of show and don’t tell.

Fashion Up the leather Up the leather This season, leather may have fuelled the glam rock, Gothic femme fatale look. This dramatic look, achieved through bright colours, sharp tailoring and lashings of leather, is a combination of hard and soft: leather skirts provide the strong silhouette while colourful separates give it all a tongue-in-cheek effect. Yet leather is not just for fun. As shown in the Yves Saint Laurent Fall 2009 collection, leather can also be the most elegant of options. Watch out for LBDs in leather - feminine and sculptural, they will be a talking point that doesn’t expire with the old year.

Fashion Take a bow Take a bow The moment someone mentions bows, the image of a thousand gifts immediately crops up. Yet when used as part of a festive outfit - on shoulder straps, round your waist or right up front - bows are the one embellishment which adds plenty of va va voom to a plain dress. And there is nothing girly about them - rather, this season’s bows are the essence of elegant femininity.

Fashion The cherry on the Christmas cake The cherry on the Christmas cake Finish off your Christmas and New Year outfit with a well-chosen accessory. This season, the brooch is back, in bold sizes and colours - you can even stick one on your handbag for added style. Breastplate necklaces are similarly loud, graphic and sculptural, yet they make a statement. For something more subtle, go for crystal cuffs or something thin yet sparkly round your neck.

Fashion Bright and beautiful Bright and beautiful Every Christmas and New Year celebration comes with an overdose of black and grey. There is no need to resort to the safest of colours - black - to give yourself an elegant makeover. Instead, big, bold colours will not only make you stand out from the crowd of black dresses, but they will also make you look confident. And that’s what you need to face the new year.

Fashion Run for cover Run for cover Wrap it all up with an elegant coat. This will not only keep you covered until you arrive at the party venue, but will also add an element of surprise to your outfit: it is your stylish packaging that will have all the other guests guessing what’s underneath. So go ahead and wow them.