Ready To Wear: The last thing we need after Christmas is serious fashion

Feeling liverish, as your granny used to say? The good news is that this is the one time of year when it is nothing short of uncouth to consider wearing anything remotely fashionable and, even more so, tight-fitting and/or fabulously transformative.

Who wants to see a pair of vertiginous wedge-heeled ankle boots, what with the fragrant whiff of mince pies and pine needles in the air? Who cares whether a sweater is Balenciaga, even if it is that really cute jumper with the Alsatian on the front? And who will even notice whether a Louis Vuitton bag is new season: a great big fashion show-off is not what any post-Christmas social occasion needs.

Instead, rest safe in the knowledge that anything from pyjamas to a boyfriend sweater and jeans, and from a dressing gown to a dirty old Slanket, goes. Well, maybe a dirty old Slanket's a step too far, but you know what I mean.

Given that loungewear is what is often described as an expanding market, clothing that is on the luxe side but still appropriately relaxed is as varied and suited to different budgets as anyone might wish for. The trick here, whatever the cost, is to ensure that anything even approaching a statement is as, er, understated as is humanly possible.

Splendid and James Perse are both brands that understand this mindset: sweater dresses, hoodies, soft cotton T-shirts, sloppy jumpers, leggings and track pants all in interesting, muted hues, are discreetly stylish over and above "look at me in my head-to-toe designer wardrobe" ostentatious. Nor are these labels likely to break the bank (also non-lieu given the time of year). Let's not forget, however, that easy need not mean po-faced. Finish your look with a red tinsel crown, or cheer up the proceedings with any novelties you received in your stocking. There's nothing that alleviates a hangover more effectively than a pair of socks that play "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", after all.

Having nailed a post-Christmas signature style, you can wear it– or variations of it – for the entire week, that is, until you see in the new year. And that, of course, is a whole different sartorial story.