From work to play, in just one day

Luckily I'm only a 15 minute drive home from work. But if I have after work plans, sometimes it's just more efficient to go directly from the job to wherever I'm meeting my friends. This brings about the challenge of what to wear that will transition from work to play. Sometimes dressing for this transition can be tricky and involves several elements, especially depending on the event you are attending after work. However, yesterday's "from work to play" challenge was an easy one. I was simply meeting friends for dinner at Ocean to celebrate my roommate's recent job offer (sad, she's moving back to NYC!). So I thought I'd start small and share my transition tips for this event situation with you.

For day: I simply threw on a blazer to make the fun dress underneath it office-appropriate. I kept my hair pulled back in a side bun with a braid for a more professional, polished look. I chose light and neutral makeup to downplay the "bling" in my shoes and dress.

For evening: I dropped the blazer, let the hair down (but kept the braid), played up my makeup just a bit  with some red lips and replaced the big bag with a small white clutch—and viola! From work to play in just one day. Easy peasy as my friend Emily would say!

Here's the cheapskate outfit breakdown:

1. Vintage dress from the Pretty Parlor ($29.99)
2. Cream blazer, Banana Republic (?? - old)
3. Belt, thrifted ($3.00)
4. Shoes, Rugged Warehouse ($8.99)
5. Glass heart necklace, ATL Market ($5.00)
6. Gold disco ring, ATL Market ($4.00)
7. Stud earrings, ATL Market ($2.00)
8. Gold leaf ring with cream rosette, Charm on Second (gifted)
9. Gray bag, Designer Details in LA ($40.00)
10. White clutch, Forever21 ($12.50)
11. Sunglasses, streets of Venice beach ($7.00)

p.s. Yes, I am indeed rocking gold lamé heels at a professional job during the day. I'm ok with this choice - are you? Leave me a comment and let me know!

photos: Laura Menconi