Day-to-Evening Looks

It's November, which means that holiday party season is officially upon us. Maybe your office throws one every year, or maybe you have some cool neighbors who have the whole block over for a shindig. Either way, this is a dressier time of year, so I've started thinking about how people can easily transition from welcome-to-my-cubicle outfits to something a little fancier for an evening party.

I had to start with pants for a couple of reasons. One, it's what I'm wearing 90% of the time and I think a lot of you can relate; and two, just to show that pants really can be appropriate for a nicer event. First we have our office-friendly look for writing those TPS reports:

Blouse  //  Blazer  //  Jeans  //  Flats  //  Tote  //  Earrings

And here we have the modified version for party time:

Blouse  //  Cardigan  //  Jeans  //  Shoes  //  Clutch  //  Earrings

The easiest outfit upgrades are always going to be your purse and shoes, and both of those changed here. I also decided to go with some bolder earrings for a pop of seasonal color (I mean really, if you can't wear giant green earrings to a Christmas party then when can you?). The jeans and blouse stayed the same, but I switched out the stiff blazer for a pretty embellished cardigan. Adding a little sparkle somewhere will automatically make your outfit a little more formal. The metallic sheen on the clutch helps, too.

Our second outfit features a dress, which might be more traditional for holiday parties in most offices. First, how to wear it to work for the normal part of your day:

Dress  //  Purse  //  Booties  //  Belt  //  Earrings  //  Watch  //  Nail Polish

And how to amp it up after you finish smashing the copier:

Dress  //  Clutch  //  Booties  //  Earrings  //  Necklace  //  Bracelet  //  Nail Polish 

The dress and shoes are the same, but the big game changer here was the jewelry. Adding a glittery statement necklace and colorful bracelet pushed this into evening territory. I also included another touch of shine with the clutch.

Speaking of clutches, I know some people don't like to change purses when they're not home. Here's what I do when I have to transition in the middle of the day: I put all of my necessities in the clutch, and just toss that into my normal bag. That way I still have everything I need, and the clutch is already stocked and ready to roll. Think of it has having a really fancy wallet for the day.

Will you go to any swanky parties this year? Do you like to rock a day-to-evening look, or do you always go home and change? (Sometimes it's just not convenient!) What's your favorite thing here? I'm really digging the pointy black shoes in #2.

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