Is a festive sweater ever acceptable in a posh country manor?.

It might seem a little early to be planning what you’ll be wearing to Christmas dinner, but the day is fast approaching, and before you know it, you’ll be sitting across from a panel of narky relatives to whom your fashion sense is fair game. And this week in our Style Questions column, we’re advising a reader on what to wear on the big day to dine at a five-star hotel in the English countryside. Preparation is the key to success, after all.

**What do I wear to Christmas dinner at a five-star hotel in the Cotswolds?

@Joelongley1985 via Instagram **

Christmas might be a time of joy, overeating and all things jolly, Joe, but it is also a time for something else: judgement. Judgement handed down on you by in-laws and aged relatives. It is not that they are mean, it merely comes with the job – your mother-in-law and Great Aunt Agatha have stalked the earth long enough to “take a view”, which they will readily express after a few festive aperitifs. Such is life.

So, you are right to give the question of what to wear due consideration, especially if you’re going to be holed up in a five-star hotel, which most likely has a dress code. The first thing to do then, as trite as it sounds, is to make a call to the place and ask the form. Trouble is, they will very likely say something along the lines of “smart”. And as we all know, the word smart is freighted with danger – it is a slippery eel of a word with sharp teeth. The reason for this is that one man’s smart is another man’s slovenly.

But with the information you have provided on the five-star hotel and the ever-chichi Cotswolds, we can make a stab at what might be appropriate. What you want is to look like you have made an effort without appearing as if you are in fancy dress. We suggest pairing this rather jazzy Polo Ralph Lauren velvet tuxedo with a plain black cashmere rollneck from Altea, for a dressy but not overly formal look that will perfectly suit your surroundings (and hopefully the tastes of those around you).

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