1All-over sparkle, because you shouldn't fade into the back of the family photos

Look back through the Christmas photos of the last few years. So many of us are standing at the edge in navy or black, in the outfit we chose because it was safe. Nobody remembers it, least of all us.

The Merryn has a rich red sparkle finish from the neckline to the hem, so it catches the light across the lunch table and in every photo. It's festive without trying too hard. This was the one we thought hardest about.

2A soft cotton blend, because Christmas Day is a long day

Festive clothes are usually made for an hour, not a day. Christmas starts in the kitchen at nine and finishes with leftovers at eight, and somewhere around the pudding the stiff party top starts to feel like a costume.

The Merryn is made from a soft cotton-polyester blend that wears like a favourite long-sleeve tee. You can cook in it, hug in it and sit on the floor with the grandkids in it, and it still looks like you made an effort. That's the trick.

3Full-length sleeves, because you shouldn't need a cardigan to feel comfortable

So many party tops are sleeveless or have a tiny cap sleeve, and nearly every woman we know ends up with a cardigan over the top, even on a warm evening. The outfit she chose disappears under something she grabbed at the door.

The Merryn has full-length sleeves, so your arms are covered and the sparkle runs all the way to your wrists. Push them up a little when the kitchen gets warm. You will never need to cover it up.

4A V-neck that flatters, because a high round neck does nobody any favours

A round neckline that sits right up under the chin can make the shoulders look broader and the bust look bigger. Most of us learnt that years ago, and then found that every comfortable top seemed to come with one anyway.

The Merryn has a V-neckline that lengthens the look of the neck and draws the eye up to your face, with just enough room for a favourite necklace. It is the shape we would choose for ourselves every time.

5S to 5XL, because sparkle shouldn't stop at a 16

There's a particular disappointment in finding a festive top you love and discovering it stops at an XL. We have never understood a shop that does that and then wonders why so many women spend Christmas in black.

The Merryn comes in eight sizes, S to 5XL (AU 10 to AU 24), every one at the same price, with a relaxed fit that skims rather than clings. If the size isn't right, you can send it back within 30 days, so the only real decision is where you'll wear it first.

6Easy to wear, because one good top should do a dozen outings

A party top usually comes out once a year. It needs the right skirt, the right shoes and the right occasion, so it spends eleven months at the back of the wardrobe.

The Merryn goes with what you already own. Dark jeans for Christmas Eve drinks, black trousers for the end-of-year lunch, cream trousers for a summer evening out. It reads as a choice you made, not something you were saving for best.

The Merryn, against what you have been wearing

We refuse to sell a woman a festive top that asks her to choose between feeling comfortable and feeling special. That is the whole reason the Merryn is in our final collection.

Why we're clearing it now

The Merryn is marked at A$324.95. But after many years of welcoming women through our door in Melbourne, we are closing our physical boutique, and this is our final collection. We would rather see it go to women who will wear it than hold on to it, so it is going out at A$64.95.

This is the top for the season ahead: the lunches, the carols, the long evenings with the people you love. Our years behind the counter have taught us that once a woman finds something she feels both comfortable and special in, it becomes the first thing she reaches for. That is what we hope for every Merryn.