Work to Party outfit: Part 1 | Daytime leopard look.

Leopard Party dress and layers, for work.

Socialising after work, whether it is for networking purposes or personal reasons, can often be sprung upon us at short notice.
Sometimes, there is not even time to go home, freshen up and change.
We need to pull a party look together in a matter of minutes.

There are plenty of tips about pulling off this Work-to-Party or Desk-to-Dancefloor look.
They usually go something like this:

• Wear a black shift dress with a jacket and courts for work.
• Remove jacket, add sheer tights, sparkly heels, red lips and a chunky necklace.
• You are ready to party.

BUT, hang on a minute!
What if you are not a 'black shift dress for work' type person?
What if the thought of sheer tights makes you shudder?
What if you want to look like you have made an effort? Without actually making to much of an effort!

I know many people are on holiday for Christmas but, many others (like me) work right through the festive season...but we still want to have fun!
This time of year is especially tricky, style wise, to pull off the Work-to-Party look.
Christmas and New Year (or Hogmanay, here in Scotland) celebrations, and nights out, require just a little more "zing" than the rest of the year.
Add in potential weather issues to the mix, and you have plenty to think about when planning an outfit.

Day to night party look, Part 1: Daytime

Leopard print party dress, as daywear.

This daytime look is perfect for a casual work environment.
If you are in a more formal environment, you can easy change the design of the boots and accessories to fit into your workplace.
This Leopard print party dress has the potential to look either hideously frumpy, or like something a 5 year old would wear.
It needs careful styling.
See how I last wore it to a Birthday garden party in the summer.

Today, I decided to wear it with my favourite boots (I am already wearing them to death for yet another season).
They work with anything!
See them with winter white and with an all-red look.
Chunky burgundy socks toned things down even more.

I wanted to layer my dress up, so I wore it with a black polo neck underneath.
The polo-neck-under-dress trend is still going strong but, I just did it purely for a layer warmth!

A casual wool jumper toned everything down even further into daytime territory, and also protected my dress from any 'mishaps' during a busy day.
A slitter of soup, or a dribble of tea, on a dress you have to wear all day and then wear to an evening event is just awful. I would always recommend wearing something to cover it.
You will always feel fresh when you remove it, at the end of the day.
The addition of my moth necklace (last seen here with winter shorts) and a leather bag finished things off perfectly.
Is that a Pompom (or three) I see?
Of course!

As for your cover-up...
Go for a classic, like this Camel wool Coat (read the story of where I found it here).
A classic coat, like this, is suitable for day and night.
A trench works well too.

My EMERGENCY Winter party kit includes:

• Party shoes
• A beaded clutch
• Quality opaque tights (as a spare)
• A belt
• Earrings
• Lipstick
• Mascara
• Blush
• Hair wax
• Concealer
• Good quality facial wipes

Come back soon to see my Emergency kit in action, and my five minute Party look.

Do you ever go straight from work to parties or social events?

Do you have a emergency "Party kit" at work?

Please share any tips you may have in the comments...or tweet me @samantha4blair

Dress: Boden, this one is similar. This is their new version.
Jumper: Boden (old). This one is similar.
Tights: Falke
Bag: Lango (Charity shop find), this one is nice!
Pompoms: Newlook and a boutique. These are nice.
Coat: Old, this one is similar.
Necklace: Ebay....here are similar ones.
Socks: Marks and spencers...similar.

SHOP my Daytime look: