3 ways to take your outfit from day to night

Nights out always give way to a predicament. What in the name of all that is holy am I going to wear?! Through the process of indecisiveness, my chair loses it functionality of being a place to sit and becomes a chairdrobe. Same goes for the floor (or should we say floordrobe?). Choosing an outfit for a night out is already tricky, but imagine the extra faff when your night out is on a weekday rather than a weekend and you have to factor in work. What should be a simple outfit suddenly has to become something that looks appropriate for 9-5 in the office, but at the same time, have scope for transformation post 5 o'clock.

I had this exact quandary last month when I had to work daytime, but had Awards to attend that very evening. The dress I wore was a beautiful short bodycon number but the thought of showing that much leg at work terrified me. I was faced with two options:

1. Wear something else day time and have said dress getting all crumpled and urgh in a bag. 
2. Disguise the dress to render it more appropriate for day time

I opted for option 2. Because I don't like ironing at the best of times. I wore the dress as a top (as seen here) and paired with a tan skirt (pictured below) to make it look a little more day time. Admittedly this is rather an extreme example (how often do we get to go to awards nights after all?!). For a more typical night out, my clothing of choice usually starts with a blouse or shirt. And if the shirt in question has a print and a neck tie... all the better

Top* - here

I find shirts and blouses amazingly versatile for this very purpose. Undeniably suitable
for a day at the office, but can also be styled in multiple ways come evening:

The jumper and collar combo

I love it when a shirt collar peeks out of a chunky knit. Particularly when the shirt in question has a fun print like the one pictured below, or the other jazzy ones I have been wearing lately (as seen here and here). During the day try wearing a jumper in a contrasting colour, tuck in your bow (if your shirt has one!) and show off that beautiful collar with an updo. For extra contrast, roll back your jumper sleeves up to your elbows, and then fold your shirt sleeves over the ends as cuffs. For your post 5pm transformation, whip off that jumper, let your hair down (literally!), and add a red lip.

Swap your flats for heels

Back in the day I could wear heels all day long at work, but my ankles and sense of balance aren't what they were. Nowadays my office footwear of choice are flats like loafers and ballet pumps. The easiest and quickest way of transforming your outfit from day to night is by switching out your footwear. I appreciate heels even more now that I don't wear them as often, and they make me feel extra special when I do. Heeled ankle boots also work equally well.

Lose the trousers

That's right. Get 'em off. I don't know about you, but nowadays I wear trousers about 90% of the time in the office. Mostly because the air con makes me feel like I'm in the Antarctic. And also because those meeting rooms are fooking cold. Another easy way to change your look is by swapping out your trousers for a skirt. My go to is my black pleated mini (as pictured), but I also love pencil skirts, maxi skirts, and body con styles. I keep my legs fairly covered up at work for the sake of professionalism, but post 5 o'clock, my legs are free of trouser prison.

Or alternatively wear a more casual skirt day time (my tan skirt pictured below is a personal favourite for times like these!) and change into trousers and a good pair of heels later. The beauty of a blouse like this is that it works both ways. I also like pairing with high waisted shorts and ankle boots (as demonstrated in my last outfit post here)

The top I am wearing is exclusive to Simply Be and comes in a range of sizes (up to UK size 32) which I really admire. I'm full of respect when fashion is accessible to all, and there is currently an amazing range of shirts and blouses on the site here. When I first saw this top online I thought it was a white shirt with a blurred polka dot print. I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived and I realised it was actually star print with a silver metallic thread running through it. As you will have learnt from my last two outfit posts (here and here), I'm a bit of a magpie when it comes to shiny things!

* Top very kindly provided by Simply Be but love of versatile tops and styling tips all my own!