Day to Night, and then the next night too

When getting dressed for work on Fridays, many of us require an outfit that will multitask from the office into an evening out. Since I work in a fashion forward environment, this is usually pretty easy for me to accomplish. This past Friday with a friend's birthday party after work, I faced a stylist's version of writer's block. I stared at my clothing for an inordinate amount of time (through 3 separate rounds of my husband asking me what exactly I was doing in the closet) and could not find anything I wanted to wear.

Though my shelves and hangers are home to easily over $20,000 worth of choices, the outfit I landed on centered around a seasonless wardrobe staple: the $8 slouchy cotton V-neck T-shirt from H&M. I own approximately 8 of these T-shirts in a variety of colors, and always seem to go for the white or heather gray (of which I have at least 2 per color). Decked in my trusty T, a multi-strand crystal necklace and black blazer, I was ready to go to work and then play.

By time Saturday evening rolled around, I faced an identical fashion impasse. Dinner with friends was at a restaurant more akin to a frat party than a New York City dining experience, and the venue afterwards had a similarly surly vibe. My gaze landed again on the shelf of H&M V-necks, and I found myself pulling out the second gray T (with its twin in the hamper from a full day of work and a brimming night out afterwards Friday). To switch things up I went with a single strand of J.Crew baubles, different jeans and heels as opposed to boots. (My husband of course didn't notice the repeat, but I brought it to his attention, expecting him to be proud of how practical I was being. Instead he was more excited about ordering pulled pork and drinking from a fish bowl to comment on my thrifty togs.)

A few of my favorite cotton T's with just the right 'slouch' and the perfectly scooped 'V' are any offered by Madewell, this one from American Apparel, this T from the Gap, and this option from Jcrew. (Never spend $50+ on a cotton T regardless of who makes it, because at the end of the day, it's just cotton, the armpits will eventully turn yellow, and the dryer will inevitably mangle the fit.) Don't underestimate the power of the V-neck!