the morning after

What else could possibly follow a night out on the town?

Problem is, for some it’s just “the morning after.” For others it is a – “holy fuck, I have to get to work” type of morning after.

I’m fairly lucky that I am still in school with fairly little responsibility aside from going to classes and maintain a part time job, but even then, I like to be able to be fairly presentable when I face a group of people. Except for those nights that you wake up somewhere aside from your own bed - those mornings are always a wee bit more difficult to figure out.

Another lucky for me, my earliest classes start at eleven thirty in the morning, so I get a whole lot of beauty sleep. Even so, I never feel like dragging myself out of bed, only to look in the mirror and have to apply about four layers of eye cream before I get on with the rest of my routine.

What has become a problem for me, though, is that any night can result in a morning after because I’m still a student. If I was working full time I am sure I would have a little more responsibility to keep my bedtime to… well, anytime earlier than the bars actually turning their lights back on, and I would definitely keep the drinking to a minimum. And, then, I could save my all out nights for Fridays and Saturdays.

Right now? Every night could be a Friday or Saturday night. There is always somewhere to go, some bar offering no cover, or a friend who doesn’t have class the next day, or starts as late as four thirty pm. And I have this big problem with saying no. So I usually always go.

So the morning after? I can totally relate. I just feel real bad for those of you who actually have to go to a job the next day. Bloody hell, that would fuck me over.

But, needless to say, Rachel Zoe’s third chapter of her style book is a guide to the dreaded morning after. Her morning after tricks are split between the “go to work” type of morning after, and the “day off” type of morning after – which, I would apply to most people still in school. What I wear to school, I wear on days off, and weekends, and just about anywhere during daytime hours.

So, Rachel says, given that this is life to attend to after the party is finished, try to think chic instead of glitz when it comes to daytime glam. And, when it comes to your day off, Rachel says, “go effortlessly haute instead of lazily scruffy.”

I am sure it would be everyone’s perfect dream to work in a work where you can wear your day off clothes to the work place, but, unfortunately, this type of work wear is saved for those who have worked their ass off for years and really deserve to dress that casually. And, even then, it usually only applies in the areas of fashion, art, music, entertainment, and film.

So, we face the majority of people, who actually work in the corporate world. Or, dress in corporate attire. Rachel’s recommendations are pretty simple to follow, and, I would think would be pretty much basic rules of the office that most women should know before they even enter the workforce. First off, too much skin is a no go. Simple right? It’s a simple rule that if you have a covered up lower half, you can show more up top, and vice versa. If, by chance, you are worried about showing too much skin, layering is always a great idea. Whether it’s to overlap the waistline of trousers or cover up more cleave than necessary – or, hey, even just because it’s looks damn good – layering is always a chic idea, and a quick fix.

Second, Rachel suggests sticking to the basics for the office when it comes to attire. That means, go for trousers, pencil skirts, tailored jackets, button down shirts, detailed blouses, vests, and sweaters. Many of these pieces you can layer, and, the best is that, even if you just had one of eah of those above mentioned items, you could likely whip up eight or nine full outfits.

When it comes to suiting, Rachel suggests that suits, skirt or pant style, should be kept in neutral tones – that’s black, white, grey, brown , navy, taupe, or camel. You can add on colour afterward, with different tops, interesting belts, broaches and killer shoes (just remember to keep the sparkle out of the office – and anything higher than 3” for work – unless you work at a fashion magazine, or are on a film set – is a deal breaker).

A great “but” that sticks to suiting is that suiting does not have to be worn as a matching “set.” I am a big believer in things “going” more so than matching. You can wear black on the bottom, grey on top, vice versa, or navy and black, brown and white, whatever you want, really, because neutrals go with any colour, and go with each other even better than they go with colour.

There is one thing that you should take a definite note about in work attire, though. That’s your bag. A bag easily commands power and attention, but, it can just as easily distract from your outfit, or dictate that you do not take yourself, or your job, seriously. That means that you should avoid anything too fluffy or loud. No one wants to see some hot pink bejewelled anything in the office. And while Marc Jacobs came out with a phenomenal line of bags for this season, I suggest keeping them out of the office, unless you have enough power to carry it around without losing your position, or you work, again, in fashion.

The bag that you do bring to work, should be able to fit everything that you need for work, in it. That includes your laptop and PDA, and files you need for the day, as well as your phone, Blackberry, iPhone – whatever you have. It should also be able to carry everything that you would carry in a bag you would take out for the evening. This is the reason why the Birkin Bag is so well loved. The bag has so many different compartments, and you can get it in a big enough size to fit your laptop, as well as a load of other things. The inside zippers and compartments can also easily hide all of your daily bag necessities, like, lip balm, gum, hand lotion, Kleenex.. and all that stuff that becomes annoying when you have a big bag to dig through.

Another reminder Rachel wants to ensure everyone knows, is that sometimes jeans are OK for work. Obviously, if you work in a law office, I suspect denim is not okay, so it obviously depends where you work. But, if you work in a more creative field, like an advertising agency, or somewhere in publishing, or design, denim could be perfectly acceptable. Just remember to dress up whichever half of your body you’re dressing down. Slick dark denim on the bottom calls for a chic blouse and tailored jacket on top, while high waist wide-legged trousers demand a much more fitted v-neck T to wear on top.

On a personal note – I just want to add that proportions are so, so key. No one wants to be the office slut.

Says Rachel about dressing for the office, “as a rule: avoid anything too extreme: too much hair, too much glitz, and too much skin.”

“Casual clothes typically encourage casual manners.”

But, if you are like me, a student, you fall more into Rachel’s “day off” morning after category. I like this category – mostly because it works so well. It’s so much easier to pull off the effortlessly-semi dishevelled-chic look than it is the pulled together office look.

Always remember that it should be able comfort. And comfort does not, and never should, mean sloppy. Any sort of tracksuit should either saty in your own home, away from the sight of anyone, or in the gym. I do not care if they are your brand new lulus and how great your ass looks in them. They do not belong in the public eye. And, because they’re meant for an allowance in flexibility and all the stuff, unless you are doing lunges through the downtown core, I highly suggest not wearing them out.

With that out of the way, focus on fabrics that will allow for comfort, without giving up your oh-so-comfortable lulus. Best fabrics are jersey, cashmere, and cotton. All fabrics allow you to breathe (great for letting all that alcohol spill out of your pores), and are great for moving around (even better for sore legs that have danced all night and wobble when you walk down too many stairs).

Keys pieces should include leggings, knit sweaters, wrap dresses, oversized wraps and boyfriend denim. Include simple tanks and T’s, and you have a perfect casual look. Pair everything with boots or flats (instead of sneakers – those too stay in the gym), and tie your hair into an undone ponytail, or wrap with a headscarf, and you’re good to go. Necessary, of course, are your favourite sunnies. You’ll need sunglasses to get through at least the first two hours of the day you’re awake. Blood shot eyes never clear faster than that.

A key to making sure you don’t fall into the sloppy routine for the morning after, Rachel says, is to treat every day as an opportunity – you never know who you’ll meet, who you’ll run into, or where you will end up three or four hours from then. You should be prepared to look your best whenever you can.

Rachel has, of course, pulled together a list for what should be your “day off” essentials. I would take this list into very high consideration. I did. And now I don’t go without.

Day Off Essentials
- A great fitting pair of jeans (preferably in a dark wash)
- A roomy jersey or cashmere constructed top
- A wrap or shift dress in cotton, jersey, or another knit (that can thrown on as quickly and comfortably as a T-shirt)
- A tote, hobo, or some other roomy bag
- Nude or bare lip gloss
- Rosy cheek tint
- An all season wrap or cardigan (that fits in your tote in case you get “the chills”)
- A head scarf (in case hair needs to be pulled back or completely hidden)
- Sunglasses
- Glam-on-the-go footwear (flats, boots, or wedges)

(From top: Jennifer Aniston in a corporate casual look, Cameron Diaz in two looks - corporate, and how she looked the night before, Rachel's assistants - Taylor and Brad - in what could be a "day off" look but likely just what they wear to work, Cameron Diaz on a day off, and Lindsay Lohan rocking the ubercasual morning after gear, comeplete with sunnies)

Keep having fun. I know I am.

Much love,

s.

Images c/o Google Images