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Home / Lifestyle

Most iconic Christmas fashion moments of all time: From Mariah Carey in ‘90s snow apparel to the Grinch in Lederhosen

Megan Watts
By Megan Watts
Lifestyle Multimedia Journalist·NZ Herald·
14 Dec, 2023 05:00 PM4 mins to read

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From Mariah Carey's ski suit to Love Actually's Christmas charm, these fits are our favs. Photo / Instagram

From Mariah Carey's ski suit to Love Actually's Christmas charm, these fits are our favs. Photo / Instagram

Christmas has been intrinsically linked with fashion ever since Saint Nick decided red and fur were the combo of the season.

In the many merry years that have followed, we’ve seen a slew of sleigh-worthy sartorial moments, whether it be the iconic “ugly’ Christmas jumper or always-welcomed pair of socks under the tree.

So, when choosing our top Tinseltown trends that have dominated screens, social media and festive season, we set the bar higher than Mariah Carey’s top note in All I Want For Christmas Is You and were fussier than The Grinch getting ready for the Holiday Cheermeister.

Here are our eight festive favourites in the fashion sphere - and great sources of inspo for Yuletides to come.

Destiny’s Child at the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting, 2001

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Michelle Williams, Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child perform during the Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller Center on November 29, 2001 in New York, NY. Photo / Getty Images
Michelle Williams, Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child perform during the Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller Center on November 29, 2001 in New York, NY. Photo / Getty Images

Nothing says festive fashionably like Destiny’s Child decked out in, not holly, but white faux fur and knee-high boots.

The trio performed at the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting in 2001 and brought all the Noughties North Pole-inspired fits to match the holiday.

Let this be a reminder that fluff is always festive when Christmas rolls in and only Kelly Rowland could ever pull off a pair of hotpants in New York’s mid-December frost.

Mean Girls, 2004

According to a famous line in the movie Mean Girls, on which day do the Plastics wear pink? Photo / Supplied
According to a famous line in the movie Mean Girls, on which day do the Plastics wear pink? Photo / Supplied

Nothing will be as iconic - and fetch - as this Santa-approved fit check.

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A pivotal pop culture moment in the realm of chick flicks and rom-coms gone by, the Plastics graced the school talent show stage in fluffy tank tops, knee-high leather boots and some spirited dance moves so that we could forever use it as an excuse to wear slutty festive attire to every Christmas event throughout the December period.

Mean Girls walked so that Gen Z could run.

Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal, 2018

Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal in 2018. Photo / Instagram
Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal in 2018. Photo / Instagram

Never forget the moment Ryan Reynolds rocked up to a Christmas party in an ugly Christmas jumper - and still looked hotter than a freshly baked mince pie.

It takes a lot to pull off a jumper decorated with a large kitschy bow and gloomy face to match, however, when Reynolds was pranked by beloved A-lister pals Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal, he still managed to rock the Christmas socks off of the internet and produce some seriously festive meme content for years.

Mariah Carey in All I Want For Christmas Is You, 1994

It wouldn’t be a Christmas chronicle without the self-acclaimed Queen of Christmas, Mariah Carey, making the best-dressed list.

Her Rudolph-red ski suit, cosy cashmere sweater and iconic St Nick-inspired frock will forever be engrained in the tapestry of festive fashion history, as well as every Christmas buff’s Roman Empire when December 1 is nigh.

Who would’ve thought that nearly 30 years later, we would still be humming the tune of Carey’s pretty open-ended Christmas request and daydreaming about her iconic 90s snow apparel? Probably Mariah Carey.

The Grinch in How The Grinch Stole Christmas, 2000

When the Grinch stole Christmas - and our hearts - back in 2000, he also stole some jealous stares in his not-much-left-to-the-imagination Lederhosen.

Ever since, millennial men have been choosing to don the German fashion attire at the Christmas work do, as well as bringing the Grinch-approved fit-out for Oktoberfest and last-minute Halloween parties.

What’s an iconic fashion moment if it isn’t influential?

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Meghan Markle at her last Sandringham Christmas, 2020

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry attend Christmas Day Church service in Norfolk oin 2017. Photo / Getty Images
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry attend Christmas Day Church service in Norfolk oin 2017. Photo / Getty Images

What’s more iconic than a frosty royal outing and a duchess in an awkwardly-shaped hat?

Of all the headwear to wear to your final festive do with your cold-shouldered in-laws, we wouldn’t recommend wearing a hat that looks like the poo emoji on Messenger or a Goomba from Super Mario Bros or a Mallow Puff.

But I guess, when it comes to taking on the monarchy and its old-school sartorial traditions, Meghan Markle knows best.

Keira Knightly in Love Actually, 2003

Listen, in no way do we condone kissing your husband’s best friend, especially during the Christmas season.

However, you have to admit, Keira Knightly looked pretty cute doing it.

The blueprint for jeans and a nice top, Knightly taught us two valuable fashion lessons in that moment: knits need not be frumpy during the winter period and it’s totally okay to kiss your hubby’s bestie if your fit is fire.

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Words to live by.

Lady Gaga dressed as a Christmas tree, 2013

Lady Gaga gets festive in London in 2013. Photo / Getty Images
Lady Gaga gets festive in London in 2013. Photo / Getty Images

If there is anything we have learnt from Lady Gaga over the years, it is always to give 100 per cent - especially when Christmas comes calling.

This haute holiday fit was no shocker back in Gaga’s Poker Face days but would shake some baubles and burn some puds in today’s minimal-effort generation.

Spurn the haters this season and go full Christmas couture in the name of 2013 Gaga and her trend-setting tree fit.

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