Gorgeous, glorious gold brings an aura of glamorous opulence to Christmas party dressing – a welcome and uplifting distraction from the penny-pinching doom and gloom of the credit crunch.

The gold story is good news all round. First, metallics have been a major trend on the fashion catwalks for a few seasons now and the gold trend is set to continue into spring/summer 2009, which makes it a great investment, so you needn't feel too guilty about splashing out now.

And then, gold is flattering and easy to wear for all skin tones. Gold is a far more forgiving colour to wear than silver, which can drain the skin and reflect in it an unhealthy looking, cold light.

Gold, however,reflects a caramel creamy light, evening out skin tone
and bathing it in warm, enveloping rays. There's quite an extensive palette of golds, ranging from pale and yellowy through to darker, older, almost bronze tones. Experiment to find out which suit your skin best. The bronzer hues work well with black to bring about a richly Gothic feel to party dressing, while the paler, blander golds can look a little tacky teamed with black (watch out for this with shoes – even expensive gold shoes can look cheap if the gold is too yellowy).

There are also lots of different fabrics this season, from delicate, filmy chiffon through to heavy worked and hammered leather looks. Look out for brocades and embossed fabrics and also sequins galore – the all-over sequin stretch dress has made a comeback for this Christmas. Meanwhile, Topshop has gold (and silver) pre-sprayed jeans (£60) and hotpants (£30), which have a fab tinfoil quality to them, but don't even think about pairing with a gold top, unless you want to look like C3PO. Look out for gold wet-look leggings to wear with a black shirt or prom dress for an updated take on the little black dress. For the ultimate all-gold look, there are lots of gold dresses on the High Street, both long or short, although Grecian styles do seem to work well. Gold tops, in satin and sequin, are everywhere – remember that a gleam of gold can be just as effective as really going for it. Try a long-sleeved gold shirt under a waistcoat and team with jeans for low-key, underplayed party glamour.

Finally, there's no danger of forgetting gold accessories this party season because they are everywhere. Gold strappy shoes are versatile, brightening and glamming up many an outfit, and again, if you go for a classic style they will last you for years. A gold purse or fabulous bag completes the look, but don't try to match your golds or you will cheapen the look.