Fashion Tips - How to Dress for an Evening Downtown

You have an important evening engagement downtown---a casual date, a get-together with friends, an office party. It's nothing formal and there's no official dress code, but you want to look nice and polished. What do you wear? How do you show that you've given some thought to your outfit without appearing overdressed? Simple. Resort to dressier versions of your basics. Here's how to dress for a night downtown in the most chic way possible:

*Wear the right colors: Think dark and elegant or bright and eye-popping. Avoid drab colors, like tan or beige, unless there's a little shimmer to the fabric. Black is always an evening winner, but you don't want to wear it head-to-toe either. Other dazzling darks are burgundy, forest green, navy, charcoal, and chocolate. For brights, try red, yellow, green, and blue. Bright pink, while "cutesy," is rarely sophisticated. With such reliable colors, classic cuts are fine; anything too faddish can actually end up looking tacky.

*Wear the right blouse: T-shirts are for the gym, grocery shopping, lounging around the house, and similar activities. They have no place in modern, trendy areas where everyone else is dressed to impress. Silk and synthetic fabrics textured to mimic silk's reflective quality (like polyester) are so beautiful that you don't even need a unique, trendy cut to add interest to the top's design. If you're not a fan of the silk look, you can try out the velvet look. Velvet (or a synthetic like polyester or rayon) is another dressy fabric. You can choose a simple velvet turtleneck or tee---a plain cut is all that's necessary with such a luxurious material.

*Wear the right pants: Steer clear of anything too baggy or too tight; fitted yet comfortable is the best way to wear your pants. Crisp jeans are always a stylish, semi-formal option. You can also try a pair of men's trousers (just ensure that your top is very feminine so you don't get confused for a cross-dresser!) Pinstripes pants or most other office pants are fine, too. Just choose a festive blouse and true evening jewelry.