'Twas two weeks before Christmas and all through the shops,

Sizzling hot, sexy dresses awaited their photo ops.

Stockings were hung by their garters with care.

In hopes that Ms. Fashionista soon would be there.

What's hot for the holidays:

Though most women will wear black, and that's okay, red and its younger sister, pink, rule festive colour charts.

• Corset-inspired dresses with hook-and-eye or lace-up closures up the ante on sex appeal.
• Metallic sequins, ostrich feathers and bias cut velvets recreate the glamour of old world Hollywood movie stars.
• Retro '50s party dresses with crinolines and girly ribbon trims are back -- for those that missed them on the first round.
• Go for lots of beadwork, rhinestones or sequin embroidery on dresses or pants. This season less is not always more.
• Update a black dress with bright, eye-popping accessories: Fuschia stockings, pink satin gloves, turquoise beaded brocade cocktail mules or red patent round toe pumps.
• Add sparkle with bold jewelry. Chandelier earrings (like a smaller version of the fixture that dangles above your diningroom table) dripping in crystals, jet, ruby or topaz stones are the way to go.

The interest in retro clothes, including ladylike suits and mod jumpers, also is sparking interest in the pillbox and the trilby, typically a soft hat with an indented crown.

Another youth-fueled trend is the resurgence of baseball caps -- always a staple for men -- which was born out of last year's popular trucker hats, Dougherty explains. The "new" baseball caps have a shorter brim and are snug on the head.

The cloche is "a little more serious" because it is both stylish and functional, Dougherty notes, but "typically you have to make a choice between fashion and warmth."

But that doesn't mean warm hats can't look good.

Dougherty recommends winter hats in angora wool, especially in soft pastels, which have a soft look and likely will complement the black or camel coats most women wear without "matching" them.

Outdoor sports, however, require a different approach. Most people look for the warmest hats possible that will look OK with the rest of their gear, according to Sandra Rossi, senior product developer at L.L. Bean. Women favor light blue, purple and black, while men gravitate toward red, navy and charcoal gray.

One of the most popular styles is still the traditional wool ski hat -- with or without tassels. (L.L. Bean Photo)

Traditional wool ski hats -- with or without tassels -- remain the top look, especially those with Nordic patterns, Rossi says.

"Our hats are made of merino wool, which maintains its warmth even if it gets wet, but hats are now lined with microfleece so you don't get itchy hat head," she explains. The lining also might have wicking properties to pull moisture away from the head.

There are no rules to finding the perfect hat, Dougherty says, it has to be done through trial and error.

"A hat is something you have to try on. There is not a recipe for matching the right hat with the right head shape. The one thing you have to have is confidence. It's much more important than face shape or hair," she says.

Because hats can be relatively inexpensive, they encourage experimentation, Dougherty adds.

Hat sales were worth an estimated $97 million in retail volume last year, according to the Headwear Information Bureau, which is in line with the 5 to 15 percent increase in sales the industry has seen each year since the mid-1980s.