We’re partying at last! But what to wear?
SIMCHAH-DRESSING HAS always presented dilemmas. What length? How formal? How much décolletage? Comfort above glamour? What to spend? But now, in 2022, post-pandemic, the decision to splurge or not to splurge on a once-wear item is the key dilemma. And not just due to the economic insanity of buying an outfit to stash in the wardrobe, but because we want to do less harm to the planet.
One way to look fabulously glamorous at a simchah without it costing the earth — in either sense — is to shop smarter by buying pieces which can be cleverly styled in different ways for different parts of our lives. Such pieces could include trousers (wide-leg leather crop, £1.095 Joseph; faux leather cargo pants £265 Norma Kamali; black faux-leather culottes, £40 River Island) or skirts (satin midi £345 Rick Owens; leopard-print maxi £395 Raey at Matches; ruffled tiers in black £150 Boden or in duck-egg £580 Molly Goddard).
For simchahs these can be paired with a glamorous top and maybe a blazer (tuxedo, Blazé Milano £1,480; Boden £114), plus jewels, exquisite arm candy and glam footwear.
Then the same bottomhalf can be paired with top-and-blazer or a knit and chunky footwear for work, the school-run or brunch.
Trouser suits also offer real versatility. Find them (sold as blazer and matching trousers), at River Island (lime with wide-leg trousers or orange with narrow cigarette-pants) at Zara (there’s pink, blue, cream and more), and at Phase Eight (sharply tailored white).
Elevate a trouser suit for a simchah with a super-glam top such as a black silk cami (Alexander McQueen £640), a lace-lavished vest (Boden £25), or a satin vest (£20, River Island), plus suitably glam footwear, jewels and handbag.
Switch to a crisp shirt or plain tee plus boots or trainers for office or weekend-wear while sandals and a vest top will transform it again for a dinner date or holiday evenings.A low-key midi or maxi dress, or even a slip-dress, can do double duty, too paired with the season’s glammest jewels, strappy sandals and bijoux bag for a simchah, and then dressed down with chunky footwear and a tee tucked under the slip dress (or a cardi or blazer slipped over it).
Not all dresses are low-key, however. With body-con silhouettes, bare shoulders, cut-outs and lavish embellishment (notably sequins after the Duchess of Cambridge wore them at September’s Bond premiere) the new season’s cocktail and evening wear has an 80s vibe of pure, high-octane glamour that cannot be repurposed for the office or school run. Yet we may still yearn to rock such a frock. If so, a way to avoid the economic and environmental downsides may be to rent.
Renting (AKA hiring) is the part of the planet-saving concept of circularity that includes platforms for swapping or lending and buying pre-loved or vintage.
Rental or subscription sites which offer evening and occasion wear include MyWardrobeHQ which partners with Harrods; the Hurr Collective; LK Borrowed.com; OnLoan; ByRotation; GirlMeetsDress.com and Selfridgesrental. com. Designer handbags are also available to rent from bag rental sites that include BagButler.co.uk, MyWardrobeHQ and Cocoon Club. Rates vary hugely but start at under £60 for a four-day hire of a desirable brand.
If you prefer to own but are wary of shopping online for a special outfit for any of a multitude of reasons, a “Try-Before You-Buy” service may help. Amazon Prime Wardrobe has a version, but for simchah-dressing, Harper Concierge may be ideal.
Where it partners with an online retailer, its service allows you to place items you like in a basket. Instead of checking out, you pay a modest fee for a “style concierge” to deliver all the items to your home currently only in Greater London). You try on, pay for anything you keep, and the rest is taken away. 7. 8. 9.