Deck yourself with bows and holly
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-lalafell!

Tis the season to look fabulous
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-lalafell!

Don we now our glamourous apparel
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-lalafell!

Okay, that’s enough. We get the point. Happy Starlight, my friends! If there was a single one amongst you who didn’t think I’d do a special yule tide blog post then you’re silly. Of course I was going to! December is the one month out of the year I manage to keep the same glamour all month long, and it’s just because I love the looks for this season. I am never going to pass up the opportunity to sport Reindeer horns with a bright glowing nose or the festive Snowman’s suit. It will, quite literally, never happen.

To celebrate this most joyous of seasons, I wanted to provide you with an array of looks that go far beyond just your casual, comfy sweater and fleece-lined booties. So hold on to your sleighs- I’m about to sprinkle some magical Santa’s Lalafellin Helper dust over Thirteenth Deity and get you ready for whatever Starlight shenanigans are coming your way!

Baby, it’s cold outside, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be cold in here! Be the life of your Starlight party by replicating a look worthy of being showcased by New York’s most gorgeous Christmas Spectacular! You may not be on the brightly lit stage of Rockefeller Center, but I mean, your nicely decorated FC stage works just as well. Potato, popoto.

Santa would definitely consider getting you that ‘54 convertible in light blue if he saw you in this festive number! The original Starlight Tunic has been a favorite of female characters because it shows just the perfect amount of skin. Saucy, but still very appropriate and classy. I absolutely adore this piece the most in its undyed form. It just looks so iconic with the white fur trim against the crimson fabric. Not that there’s anything wrong with the piece dyed- the trim would become just a lightened shade of the color you’ve chosen. It’s just a personal preference.

Continuing with our adorable, showgirl theme- what hat would be more fitting than the Songbird Hat? The black and gold ribbon with that decadent lace detailing are just what you need to become the most beautiful present underneath that tree!

Perhaps my favorite little detail about this outfit is the use of the Red Tulip Corsage. Tulips may be a flower reminiscent of early spring, but those 3 tiny bulbs are arranged in a similar fashion to the sprig of holly on the tunic. From a distance they could easily be seen as another, well-placed holly accessory in this cute outfit!

Much like Halloween, Starlight is another one of those seasonal events that really prompt FC’s into hosting a variety of events- many of them being glamour competitions. While the little number you just saw is certain to turn some heads, when it comes to contests you really need to break out the big guns. Cosplays are always a crowd pleaser- but GROUP COSPLAYS tend to send the room into a joyous uproar! These three looks pay homage to the wonderful Charles Dickens classic- A Christmas Carol. Set your clocks for one, two, and three, cause we’re about to do some holiday time travelling.

There’s a million and one ways you could glamour this cosplay. Depending on which movie or story quote you chose to follow, this particular ghost seemed to have the most broad range of interpretations. And here, my friends is where the battle begins. What job do we make this glamour for? What details strike as the most important? You juggle all that, weigh the compromises, and hope for the closest outcome.

For this one I chose to stay as close to the actual story descriptions as possible- White robes, androgynous, carries a metal candle extinguisher. For that alone, weapon choice becomes moderately important.  For most jobs you could probably just let loose a Heavenscracker since it has a similar shape…. OR you could take it next level as a monk and dust off your Kettle Knuckles Zenith. I get they’re not the same shape, but come on, they’re kettles. You’re duel wielding kettles and that gets you 10 points for bad-assery.

“But Ved- monks don’t get too many flowy robe options… How will that work?” While I will agree that monks don’t get nearly as many robe options as healer or caster, they do get them through the use of All Class level one items. Sucks you have to buy them from the Mogstation, but many of them are so multi-purpose that they’re actually worth it. The piece I actually went with for the chest was the recently released Mun’Gaek Uibok. It’s a very simple white robe, but the floral embroidery was very reminiscent of garland to me and felt super fitting. The rest of this glamour is just as simple and utilizes other versatile All Class items within the game.

Unlike our previous ghost, these next two timely spectres had very solid representations throughout the years. Christmas Present was always my favorite- mostly because his demeanor and physical appearance always seemed similar to Santa Claus? And who besides small children at malls doesn’t like Santa Claus?

The most fantastic part of Present’s ensemble was always the wreath he wore on top of his head. The best item to represent this key piece is without a doubt the Republican Medicus’s Laurel Wreath. All those broad, green leaves are missing are little red holly berries, otherwise they’d be spot on for this look.

While the headpiece was a very specific “need”, the rest of the glamour you have a bit of leeway with. As a matter of fact, you really won’t need much of anything else besides the chest piece and possibly a pair of pants. This jolly spook walked barefoot and wore no gloves- which makes him delightfully low maintenance!

What to do for a robe then? The guy literally looks like he’s walking around in a super lush bathrobe, which… let’s be real, that’s #goals. So really you could use any of the eastern styled kimonos; but for me the piece that really fits that luxurious ticket was the the Rakshasa Dogi of Healing. While this isn’t a “bare chested” robe like the character is intended to have, (but COULD be if you want to risk the ban hammer from Yoshi Claus for modding) the way the robe lays to that utterly incredible detail work on the belt just feels festive and decadent.

Good thing everyone has been leveling up their dark knights in preparation for Shadowbringers, because it’s about to get a little dark. The Ghost of Christmas Future is a morbid thing, and is basically described as appearing like the Grim Reaper… or a ringwraith from LotR. Wait- what if he was a ringwraith? What if after Sauron died he was doomed to walk the earth forever? What if since the ring was destroyed he was out of a job and decided to take up haunting old men as a hobby? What a terrible way to spend your retirement.

So how does one convey the visage of death in FFXIV? Well, dark shrouds or skulls are a good place to start! I went with the Bonewicca Protector’s Helm for a few reasons. I loved the skull as the focal point with its beastly red eyes, and was particularly fond of the bill along the back that, from the front, makes the skull appear like it’s hooded. This made it a suitable heavy-metal choice for our shrouded spectre.

The part of this glamour I found the most difficult to interpret was the gauntlets. There are plenty of beastial gloves out there, but none of those options registered as skeletal. How in the world were we to mimic that skeletal hand that points Scrooge’s way to his grave and us to the nearest clean dressing room? We needed a glove that was close to the skin, short, and if at all possible- stringy. The piece that worked the best for this was the Goatskin Ringbands. They may not perfectly form five boney fingers, but the sporadic coverage of the cloth leads the imagination in that direction.

Maybe we’re feeding into the stereotype a little bit here, but how could we not have a Lalafell dressed as one of Santa’s sweet elves?! Denizen’s of Gilgamesh may be familiar with this outfit skirting across the streets of Kugane already, as it is my signature Starlight glamour. It’s probably the only glamour I repeat on a yearly basis.

Personal opinion here, but Sugarloaf hats are the absolute most adorable hats in the world on a lalafell. However, none of the regular Sugarloaf hats can even begin to compare to the Starlight Sugarloaf Hat. It’s a dang Christmas Tree on your head. You can’t get anymore festive than that- and believe me, I tried! The only thing in the world that could possibly make this hat any more perfect for packing Santa’s sleigh would be if the star on top lit up. Yoshi P, make that happen pls.

My second most loved part of this outfit? The Holy Grail of teenie tiny elf shoes! For a low level, all-class option I would definitely recommend Maple Clogs, but the pièces de résistance would for sure be the Spruce Pattens. “Elf” shoes have usually been shown to have that sweet upward twist at the toes, but the Spruce Pattens amplifies that trait by taking that curl up and over til it’s almost as perfect as a twist on top of a DQ ice cream cone!

Should you recreate this glamour, make sure to use fun, toy-like weapons for your look! I highly recommend either the Moogle weapons or Senor Sabotender’s.

And now, my friends, we end this post with the most iconic and magical entities of all of Christmas. The jolly man in the big, red suit. The great, bearded wonder: Santa Claus!

I know many of you are thinking “Ved, pls. They specifically put in several pre-built Santa Claus glamours. Just go buy one.” Trust me, Yoshi P. has definitely gotten his Mogstation money from me, but sometimes it’s more fun to try to recreate something even better with items in game that you don’t have to use real money for! And lets be real, am I going to just give you a plain ol’ Santa Claus? No. I’m giving you a Dapper Claus.

Think of this as a Santa who really works the market board the rest of the year and probably has the Gillionaire title. His coat is still red, furry, and festive- it just so happens to also be covered in vast amounts of bling. Utilizing The Best Gown Ever for this look reminds me of the Santa’s my grandmother had in her really expensive Caroler doll collection. I used to call them the “screaming people” because that’s what they looked like they were doing. The ones she owned weren’t entirely modeled after the commercial Santa Claus, but always had these intricately designed robes that looked very similar to the one used in this glamour.

When it comes to the hat, I’ll be honest, I’m not a fan of how the Dream Hat lays. I know it’s the iconic Santa hat, but I just can’t stand how stiff it is. The Crescent Moon Cone, however, is a completely different story. The fabric is much more fluid, and I adore that little star/snowflake detailing along the hem! Gives the had a bit more visual interest so it can stand up to how bold the chest piece is.

I hope these glamours were able to help you get into the spirit of Starlight! Rush to your armoires and pull out those Reindeer Hooves, Starlight Robes, or whatever pieces help you make this season feel bright. Don’t forget to join us on Discord to share all the amazing, holiday glamours you’re building for the holiday.

Happy Holidays, friends! I’ll see you next year.