I always wear a dress on NYE but Helen Skelton's sophisticated sequin suit has inspired me to switch things up this year

Every year my Christmas party outfits and New Year’s Eve looks don’t tend to change too much, though a new style combination could be on the cards now for 2025. Helen Skelton just wore a fabulous festive suit on BBC Morning Live that would make a stunning NYE outfit and it’s very different from the dresses I usually wear.

Although it looks very dark in the picture that was shared on Instagram, Helen’s suit is actually a dark aubergine purple tone. It’s by British clothing brand, Whistles, and whilst the trousers are sadly almost completely sold out, there are still sizes left in the Misha blazer.

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Both items are covered with delicate sequins and whilst you might think this would be *a lot*, the colour and the silhouettes mellow things nicely. The structured shape of the single breasted blazer and wide-leg trousers combined with the embellishments felt sophisticated and fashion-forward rather than gaudy.

The dark purple tone also helped balance things, as neither Helen’s blazer or trousers were in-your-face glittery like silver or gold designs can be. Black, grey or brown sequins would also be versatile and slightly more low-key but still fun.

The BBC Morning Live presenter wore the jacket done up at the front, turning it almost into a top in its own right, though I would personally style a suit like hers a black cami top or jumper underneath.

When you’re wearing something this gorgeous and eye-catching, I think the best approach is to go neutral with the rest of your look. That way, the embellishments do all the talking.

Helen Skelton accessorised with her go-to chunky gold necklace and pointy black heels with gold toe caps. If you wanted to make a sequin suit into more of a date night outfit than a NYE ensemble, why not swap heels for black boots and add a long black coat over the top?

If you did want to recreate her shimmering ensemble for New Year’s Eve then it’s a clever, as well as chic, choice, as a suit gives a lot more coverage than a frock or skirt. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve put on my usual formula of a dress and tights and regretted it because of how cold I get in the inevitably terrible weather.

You can also get more wear out of separates than a dress (though they're also pretty), as I would definitely wear a pair of sequin trousers like Helen’s purple ones with chunky jumpers for special occasions throughout the rest of winter. Alternatively, if you are a big fan of styling jeans and a blazer, you can jazz up this combination with a sparkly jacket.

There are so many trouser and blazer options I’ve spotted on the high-street and online right now in the lead-up to the Christmas period and NYE. A lot of them are also already discounted so we can bag ourselves a relative bargain on sequin pieces that are normally pricey because of the work that goes into them.