Weekend Day To Night Dressing

Each time I wrote the headline “Day to Night Dressing” as a fashion editor many moons ago, I never really thought that anybody would actually live them. Who on earth goes out at night with the clothes from the daytime, I’d laugh as a twenty-something with all the time and disposable income in the world. Well, it turns out, I do.

As a mum of two small children, I’ve realised I need my weekend wear to work twice as hard as my usual Monday to Friday looks. I need to look polished yet practical — I’m often on a sports field or playing Uber to and from birthday parties, so an outfit that can be transformed by simply adding a small heel and some accessories is really important. You just never know when the desire to have a 5 pm (mega hectic) dinner at the local pub with friends and family will hit. Being occasion ready without any notice isn’t such a drama when you’re already half-dressed for it.

To ensure I don’t have a meltdown every weekend where time seems to escape me and I’m due to be somewhere in the evening, I tend to get myself as ready as can be in the morning. This means putting on an outfit that will work just as well after-dark as it does in a shopping mall. Dresses are great for this, as are jeans. Swapping out a bomber jacket for a blazer, flats for heels or leggings for tailored pants are the little swaps you can make to be ready for anything…

Here are some day-to-night pieces that I (truly, honestly, no bs fashion-editor-talk) swear by.