Interview: Gok Wan, fashion stylist, on his new festive range at Sainsbury’s

If you happen to be celebrating Christmas this year in a certain English country hotel, look out for Gok Wan running around the corridors in his pyjamas. The stylist, How To Look Good Naked host and control underwear evangelist may have helped millions learn how to dress stylishly according to their body shapes, but now he’s letting it all hang out. This Christmas, fashion watchers, it’s all about the jim-jams.

“I would never impose my styling on anyone on Christmas Day because it’s the one day of the year I need off as well,” he says. “But what I normally do is buy myself a new pair of pyjamas, whack them on first thing in the morning, then by the afternoon you can probably switch to a tracksuit and that’s your Christmas Day outfit sorted. After all that Christmas pudding an elasticated waist is like God.”

As we talk, his Christmas top-up collection for Tu has just been launched in Sainsbury’s stores and he couldn’t be more excited if Santa had come early. “It’s been remarkable, unbelievable, much better than we thought it would do. Not just from a sales point of view – take away the fact that customers were actually fighting over the dresses – but also the feedback we’ve had; a lot of it very positive, and a lot of it very constructive, which is what we wanted.

“Some of the stuff has been very heartwarming. Some people have said that it’s changed their lives, that they feel really sexy. Another woman emailed me and said, ‘Thanks very much, I got a snog last night in one of your dresses.’ ”

The new capsule collection includes pieces such as a double-cuff tuxedo jacket and cigarette pants. “I’m really proud of that because tailoring is notoriously hard to get, especially at the price point we’re at.” There’s also the ubiquitous sparkle in the shape of a sequin tunic in black and blue, and his bestselling wrap dress has been revived in an eye-popping bubblegum pink.

There are no snowflake sweaters, reindeer antler deelyboppers or musical holly earrings, surely fashion staples for the festive season?

“You can go one of two ways with festive dressing,” he says. “All of the sparkles can be about the outfit or the accessories but not both. So if you have a beautiful statement necklace that you absolutely love or some great earrings, keep the dress simple. If you have an amazing sparkly dress or dramatic outfit, make sure you keep the accessories simple.

“Coco Chanel had that famous line about when you go out the house take off one accessory, so I kind of live by that rule. I think we have a tendency when it comes to this time of year to dress ourselves up like Christmas trees because we almost have that festive licence. But, you know what, have fun with it but at the same time remember that less is more.”

Ah yes. Except that, secretly, the style guru loves a bit of festive campery. “Between you and me I think they’re quite fun. I always have a bit of a chuckle. Where I live in London there are a lot of Christmas parties and around 1 December out come the deelyboppers and there are people wearing baubles as earrings. I’m a massive Christmas fan so I think if you can’t be camp and kitsch at this time of the year, then when can you?

“But be careful how far you take it. Obviously if you’re going to your partner’s black tie ball, what you don’t want to be doing is going dressed as a Christmas tree.”

Nor do you really want to be trussed up like Mariah Carey in the All I Want For Christmas video – all sexy Santa and doe eyes. Then there’s Rihanna, who looked like a Christmas cracker (and not in a good way) when she turned on the lights at Westfield shopping centre last year wearing an oversized red skirt, grey basque and giant bow in her hair. Or Lady Gaga, who had obviously taken style tips from the Christmas fairy for the outfit she wore to unveil the festive makeover at Barney’s in New York.

So who does it well and who looks more like a busted bauble? “That’s a really difficult question,” says Wan. “I don’t spend Christmas with celebs and I don’t read the gossip mags so I don’t really know. But Fearne Cotton is a good friend and I think she’s a great dresser.”

As for the rest of us, how we dress for the office Christmas party is all a matter of where we work. “If you’re in a corporate environment – banking or finance – it’s going to be different from if you work in a media office, so it depends entirely on what your company is all about and what your dress code is normally.

“For a formal occasion, pay attention to your body shape,” he advises. His pink wrap dress paired with gold or nude accessories “would feel corporate but at the same time would feel very red carpet because of the colour”. If the occasion is more arty, “go for the tux jacket with gold sequin vest, skinny leather-look trousers and high heels”.

Staying warm and stylish is winter’s other big fashion conundrum. To just throw on granddad’s old gardening jumper or not, that is the question. “The key is texture. If you are going to be layering up, make sure your texture’s really beautiful: good jerseys, cashmere if you can afford it, merino wool if not, that kind of thing. And make sure you’re being tonal with it, which always looks so much more sophisticated. So if you’re doing blues, use three or four different shades of blue.”

Faux fur and fluff have a place in his perfect winter wardrobe too. “I think it looks quite beautiful, but it’s about keeping it simple.”

And simplicity is where it’s at for the Wan clan this Christmas. “I’m taking my family out to the countryside,” he says, almost getting dewy-eyed at the thought. “We’re going to sit in front of log fires and catch up and just spend some time away from everyone and regroup.”

And, of course, sit around wearing PJs. “I’ve already bought my new pyjamas,” he laughs, “and I’ve got my assistant to warn the hotel manager I might be wandering around on Christmas Day in them.”

You have been warned.