Day to night dressing

Now, more than ever before, I feel like we’re asking more from our wardrobes. For our closet to become less segmented, and more fluid. Which starts with work to weekend, and where our days cross into the evening. There’s a real joy in understanding how items will cross over into the different parts of your life, and it’s the key to smart shopping. It also allows you to become better acquainted with an item, which in turn opens up the possibilities for styling as you play around with your wardrobe. But back to the real point of today’s post; day to night dressing. Here are three tips to help you pull it off with ease.

WEARING: Quince maxi dress (an affordable alternative to the viral SKIMS dress); Jenni Kayne sweater*; Jenni Kayne mules*; Arket white crossbody bag; Chanel vintage classic flap; Mejuri chain necklace (10% off with this link)

ITEMS THAT LOOK ELEVATED BUT FEEL RELAXED

Tip one? Keep a lookout for clothing that might seem a little more dressed up. Perhaps it’s the cut that feels refined, but it’s in a fabrication that we’d usually be lounging in. What you’ll find is that deeper, “classic” neutrals are the easiest way to pull this off as they instantly read dressier. Black in particular tends to have more of a formal energy. This dress from Quince is a great example. It’s literally a ribbed modal piece. Stretchy and like wearing nothing at all, the cut is what makes it special. It’s slinky, with spaghetti thin straps, hugging the curves with a bit of a fishtail effect towards the hem. That sort of fishtail skirt is a style generally reserved for more formal events.

OPT FOR ACCESSORIES THAT DO DOUBLE DUTY

By this I mean, a bag that can be dressed up or dressed down. Shoes which are actually comfortable to walk in, but in a refined shape or with some height. While the example above shows a bag swap, you can easily imagine how the cosy, dressed down version would look with the black quilted bag. It would just be another rich texture added into the mix, rather than an accessorised, statement moment. Finding the right shoes is really the tricky part; I find something with just enough height (low to medium profile) with a chunky heel works best. Reason being that despite their more dressed up appearance, they won’t give you grief all day. Also think about the shape of the shoe too. If you want to go for something dorky or off-beat, you’ll need to amp things up elsewhere. Which could be as simple as packing some loud accessories in your bag, swiping on a fun coloured lip, or popping your hair up in a sleek bun.

CAREFULLY CONSIDER YOUR LAYERS

Styling is everything. You can see here the easy switch to take this outfit from day to night is the slouchy sweater. For day, it adds a much needed visual layer of chill. The oversized proportions counterbalance the Jessica Rabbit-esque silhouette of the dress, keeping the overly sculpted shape concealed. A blazer – fitted or relaxed – would add a tailored element to the styling. A leather jacket, an edgy feeling. And how do those components work with (or against) the accessories you’ve chosen? It can seem a little bit like fashion maths, but sometimes it’s a matter of just finding the right pieces in your closet that are conceptually fluid enough to communicate this subtext of daywear vs evening wear.