Grown Up Lies
TV sold us a lot of lies about being a grown up, One being that you will have time to sit and drink coffee with your friends before work, You can blame a certain American sitcom for that one, In fact Friends was responsible for a lot of misinformation about being an adult, Living in an apartment in central Manhattan with 2 bedrooms and a roof terrace in your 20s was another pretty misleading representation and don't even get me started on Carrie Bradshaw, I started my career believing I would be buying Jimmy Choos every payday.
But what about day to night dressing, I have heard it say that this is a non-sense concept sold to us by glamorous TV shows depicting hot-shot lawyers going from their wall to ceiling glass corner offices to slick cocktail bars wearing their work wear but managing to look as polished as Victoria Beckham after 3hours with her glam squad. Is day to night dressing an unrealistic concept? I think it depends on a few factors, What your day consists of (The job you do, Where you do it and if it involves getting dirty, working with food, children or a lot of movement or travelling) and what the “night” part of the equation requires you to wear.
When I lived / worked in London I could never quite get used to the idea of going“out-out” from work without getting changed or glammed up, It was the nearly 00s, I was in my 20s and my version of going out required a curly blow dry and heels, I quickly ditched the heel idea when I realised jumping taxis everywhere wasn't financially sustainable, That and heels weren't necessary for the the London “vibe” but I did keep a box of heated rollers under my desk to zhuzh up my hair pre drinks.
Those days determined my understanding of day to night dressing and what subtle tweaks to a look you can make to feel more ready for evening. There are obvious styling ideas, Adding heels is one, There are practical drawbacks to this such as do you have somewhere to leave your spare shoes all day? And are you taking a bag big enough to carry them? If you are planning on vamping up your look with heels a good option to make this work is wearing ankle length trousers or jeans as they look great with both heels and flats.
Day to night styling is always made easier if you start with pieces that have a night time feel but are comfortable / appropriate for daytime, A leather midi skirt or a silk blouse and rather than removing a layer for night-time, Add an amazing blazer with a satin lapel or structured shoulders, Nothing slicks up a simple t-shirt like a great jacket. Black is obvious but burgundy or cream are glamorous too.
If in doubt add jewels. If your hair has been down all day, Wrap it in a simple bun and add statement earrings, I love the mixed metal styles around at the moment,. If delicate jewellery is your usual go-to, Switch up for something chunkier, Go bold with a solid cuff or a long pebble pendant.
Real life day to night dressing - no drama.
