How To Be A Quick Change Artist

Have you ever had a day where you needed to go straight from one function to another, where each called for different kinds of clothes? Like from work to a ball game, for example, or from school to a social event?

You're not alone. It happens a lot and is, unfortunately, one of those dressing challenges where many people "drop the ball." It doesn't have to be that way.

If you've ever wondered how to dress appropriately for those marathon days when you can't swing by home to change, today's article shows you what to do.

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How To Be A Quick Change Artist

Not long ago, my daughter and I were at a birthday party for one of her first grade friends. When one of the other guests and his mom arrived in dressy cocktail attire, the birthday girl's mom quickly apologized for not specifying casual dress on the invitation.

The dressed up mom laughed and said she knew that THIS party was casual, but she and her son were going to another party right after it, and they didn't want to go home and change - even though they only lived two houses away. She then proceeded to holler at her son for the next two hours, telling him to quit playing or he'd ruin his good clothes.

If this story sounds familiar, it's probably because we've all found ourselves in situations where we've gone to functions inappropriately dressed because we only dressed for part of a day's activities. We chose the clothes that suited the needs of the greatest part of our day when we got dressed, then suffered in discomfort through the odd-ball activity with excuses like, "I just came from work," or "I'm on my way to dinner," or "I didn't have time to run home and change."

So what DO you wear on those days when you need to go from the sales field to the soccer field or from your office to the opera with very little time in between? Is there one great outfit that can cover all your bases, or do you, like Clark Kent, need to disappear into a phone booth every now and again to change into something more appropriate?

It all depends.

If you plan your outfits appropriately for those crazy, hectic days, you should be able to cover all your bases without dragging too much of your closet with you.

Here's how:

1. Start With Versatile Basics

Just as a humble chicken breast can be served with equal flair whether it's grilled and slapped on a paper plate at a barbeque or smothered in cream sauce and served on fine china, so too can versatile pieces take you through a variety of activities, depending on how they're accessorized. A white blouse and black pants can take you from the boardroom to the ball game, for example, depending on the cut and fabric, as can a simple sheath or sweater set. The key to success is in choosing simple silhouettes in daytime fabrics that can easily be layered or accessorized.

Coldwater
Creek

Spiegel

2. Add or Subtract Accessories

Have a fancy dinner scheduled right after work? Wear a sheath with a jacket during work hours. For the dinner, take off the jacket, add some chunky jewelry, slip on some slingbacks, and you're ready to go.

Cheering on your son's football team right after a big meeting with your sales staff? Wear a white blouse and dark slacks with a power jacket for the meeting. For the game, exchange the jacket for a sweater or a vest, the heels for some flats, and you're "good to go."

Coldwater
Creek

Coldwater
Creek

3. Pull A Clark Kent

Need to go from casual to formal or formal to casual in less than ten minutes? Sometimes, one outfit just won't make the necessary transition. For those occasions, take along a second set of clothes and change in a bathroom. Don't forget appropriate lingerie, hosiery, shoes, or accessories for the new outfit.

Now some of you may be wondering, "Why bother to go to the extra trouble of dressing for each activity? People understand busy schedules. No one will think anything of it."

Sometimes, that's true.

More often, it's not. It depends on the situation.

For example:

Have you ever worked in an office with a casual dress code when someone showed up for work in a killer suit? What did you think? That they're interviewing. Which means they're unhappy with their job. Which means they could leave it. Which could mean change. Why, the very thought could send the entire office into a tizzy. (This happened regularly in one place where I worked.)

Or how about showing up at Party A dressed in clothes for Party B, as in my earlier example? What would the host think? The same thing the hosting mom thought at the party I went to: that the second party was more important to the guest than the first. So why bother to go to the first party at all? (Which is what the offended hostess asked me after the exchange with the dressy mom.)

Or how about wearing the same clothes to a formal dinner as you did to work? What does that say? That you're so devoted to your job that you didn't take time to change - or that you're completely ignorant of the requirements of a formal invitation? (This happened to a colleague when she started a new job; she has yet to live down the gaff.)

Yes, taking the time to dress for the different activities in your day DOES take time and effort. But before you assume that no one cares, stop to think about the message you're sending by NOT dressing appropriately. Will it make people nervous? Hurt their feelings? Make you look like an ignoramus? What?

If the answer casts you into an unflattering light, consider changing. Even if it doesn't, make the effort anyway. Not only will your confidence soar because you're appropriately dressed, people will marvel at how stylish and organized you are, looking good regardless of what the day throws your way.

Need some more help in putting together a wardrobe that works? Download a copy of WARDROBE MAGIC,

http://www.wardrobemagic.com

to see how easy dressing well can be.

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