Is the "Day-to-Night" dress actually a total myth?

[OneSassyBlueReader]

I’ve spent the last week looking for one decent, high-quality dress that I can wear for a corporate lunch followed immediately by a black tie dinner with friends.

Everything I find is either too 'stiff/corporate' for the evening, or way too 'party/exposed' for the office. I feel like I'm constantly carrying a huge tote bag with a second outfit. Please tell me I'm not the only one?

Does anyone actually manage to do a full day-to-night transition in one outfit without it being a total compromise? Or am I just delusional for thinking one piece of clothing should be able to handle two different vibes? Tell me your worst 'outfit logistics' fails and please tell me if you really struggle with this problem too?

I used to have a few of these dresses to take me from day event to black tie function. But this was a good 15 years or so ago now, so my advice is likely outdated.

My choice of dress back then was either Ralph Lauren or Adrianna Papell. Both did excellent well cut figure enhancing dresses (without being too tight), normally empire line cut.

Id wear a suit jacket over the top for the day, with mid height shoes, then for the black tie part, some kind of wrap instead of the jacket plus sparkly high shoes with a matching clutch bag.

Good luck in your search.

Vila racer satin midaxi dress in burgundy | ASOS

Blazer and closed toe low heels or boots for lunch

Ditch the blazer and add strappy heels and jewellery for the evening

I do think satin is your best bet it works well for corporate and posher, same styling as above - jacket/boots/courts for day clutch/strappy heels/jewellery for night, darker colours are also better for this too as they will make you blend in in both situations, grey, black, brown

Other options:

Object high neck textured satin maxi dress in chocolate | ASOS

Topshop funnel neck organza sheer maxi dress in chocolate | ASOS

& Other Stories bias cut satin midi dress in light pink | ASOS

Mango round neck satin long sleeve maxi dress in pastel purple | ASOS

Rare London satin scoop neck drop side waist maxi dress in red | ASOS

Daska drop waist mesh maxi dress with twist detail in chocolate | ASOS

& Other Stories satin crepe midi dress with drape neck in navy | ASOS

I think I'd rather pop into the loo's and get changed.

Presumably the men won't be wearing a tuxedo to lunch. Everyone is going to need a change of clothes.

I came to say exactly that. A man going from the office to a black tie event will have to change his suit, shirt and probably shoes.

Office wear to dinner in a nice restaurant is easy enough and entirely different to black tie.

How often do you go for black tie dinner with friends? Maybe you really are at black tie dinners weekly or is what you are calling "black tie dinners" not what the rest of the world does?

Were the men wearing satin lapelled dinner suits, dress shirts, double cuffs and links, black bow tie, shirt studs and black patent shoes?

When I was a teen and read a lot of magazines, the ‘day to night’ look seems to have a segment every week. In my adult life, this has never been a thing, so I’m glad it is for some and those articles weren’t wasted!

My office wear is fine for dinner/drinks. I have a deep-V shift dress that I can wear a shirt under for the office and remove it for awards dinners etc. Proper black tie is a bit trickier, but I love clothes and go me part of the fun would be to get to wear a different dress.

I would just always prefer to have a shower and get changed.
Nowadays.

obviously I have been on many ill fated benders in my youth - straight from work and then rocked up home in my work clothes in the early hours.

I don't understand what a "cocktail dress" is either.

My dress differentiation is limited to "evening dresses have sparkly bits on, day dresses don't".

Black tie is referring to the men's dress code. Black dinner suit with satin lapels, dress shirt with pleating, maybe shirt studs, double cuffs and cuff links, black bow tie and black patent shoes.

I know that one, I have to wear it a lot when playing. TBH, if an invitation to a black tie event came up, I probably would just wear my band tux.

My dress differentiation is limited to "evening dresses have sparkly bits on, day dresses don't".

Yet I can tie a necktie three different ways (four-in-hand, windsor, pratt), tie my own silk bowtie, and own two wing collared shirts and several pairs of cufflinks.

Yes, I am female.

Erm, the size of it?

"black LBD probably not glam enough".

Nonsense.

No not nonsense.You'd look exactly as if you've come from work.

Black tie dress does not have to be "glitzy" any more than it does for men.

I didn't say glitzy but a black dress you've been happily wearing all day to work is no more a black tie outfit than a man turning up in the suit he'd been wearing all day.

For a long time now there has been a lot more flexibility on what constitutes a blsck tie equivalent dress for women than the traditional dinner suit for men. For women, in this regard it is much easier to not get changed if you don't want to and just change the look with accessories. Most events though happening immediately after work are not black tie though and people don't get changed, at least in London. And I'd say most events that are black tie, people do actually get changed. But if you wanted to travel light or had very little time to get ready, it would be easier for someone wearing a dress to make it look more dressed up or formal.

Can you speak to people whose style you like to find out what they would wear to the black tie and then work back from that? Think about how you could dress down your evening look rather than dress up your day look.

I have a black silk wrap dress, with the ties thread through a circular silver buckle at the front, three quarter length sleeves and not too low a v, quite simple at the front but the back and sides of the skirt are fine sharp pleats. It's mid calf. It isn't even real silk. Cos, 2018/19. Saw it in Regent Street shop window and ordered it. Never seen anyone else in it. It was only £79 and is one of the fabbest dresses I have ever owned.

It has done work to black tie several times with reapplied make-up and a change of shoes and bag.

I have bought a couple of smart dresses from The Fold, that with the addition of heels and some jewellery have managed to go between the two.
But, yes, it is difficult.

The ones worn in Breakfast At Tiffany's, which are regarded as the OG LBDs, were ankle length. So it can't be the size.

I love wearing evening gowns (obviously not a ballgown for black tie, but still…) so I personally really wouldn’t want to do that.

I suppose you could do a high neckline cocktail dress and put a blazer / jacket over it. Dress it down with shoes, accessories and hairstyle. That might be appropriate in quite a few business settings.

But I’d definitely want to change my hairstyle, makeup and accessories. So why wouldn’t I simply take my dress and evening accessories to the office? Transporting a garment bag plus hair and makeup kit isn’t particularly onerous…

Do you mean actual “black tie”? As I’ve never heard of anyone wearing black tie out to dinner with friends (especially on a night after work).
But you might have a wildly different social life from me 😆😆

When people talk about a transitional dress, they aren’t describing a ball gown that covers a corporate lunch and black tie do. They mean a work dress that can be smartened for a party / evening out - not a black tie event.