Everyone sometimes find themselves in a dilemma when they want to go out with friends after work, but don't have time to go home and change clothes.
Changing a few things in an outfit can turn professional work attire into a night-on-the-town look in a matter of seconds.
For girls, the outfit that would be easiest to transition is a dress, said Lauren Piques, senior in Spanish international trade and Gap sales associate.
"A good dress to pick would be something that is casual that you could dress up for work," Piques said. "You could dress it up with a blazer and wear a tank underneath."
Shedding the tank and blazer after a day on the job is perfect for creating an after-work look.
"If it's cold outside, you could transition the blazer into a trench coat," she said. "And add heels."
Another look Piques suggests is a modest knee-length dress with a sweater of the same length. When it's time to go out, just take off the sweater, she said.
For more formal workplaces, Piques said the key is to layer, moving from more formal in the outer layers to less former in the lower layers.
"Wear a plain white Oxford button-down and pin-striped pants and blazer," Piques said. "Under the button-down, you could wear a tank with a little lace. When you go out, take off the blazer and button-down and add a sweater vest."
Piques said camel pants are appropriate for work as well, but are also nice for spring and aren't as formal as black dress pants.
Accessorizing and changing shoes are other inventive ways to change up your look to fit your situation, said Leah Colvin, senior in supply chain management and manager at Ann Taylor Loft in Village Mall.
"I'm all about a statement piece of jewelry or scarf," Colvin said. "You can also take off boots and tights, which are more casual, and wear dressier flats."
Piques and Colvin suggest women should have the following as wardrobe staples: a black dress, a pair of dark-wash denim jeans, a pair of slacks, a flowy top, a versatile cardigan, a metallic clutch purse, a decorative scarf and a piece of statement jewelry.
For guys, the options are limited, but there are still a few things that can be done to transition their wardrobes.
"Business-wise, I would pair black pants with a shirt and tie and add the V-neck sweater to go over it," said Brent Boatwright, Gap manager. "Then, to go out, I would switch the shoes from a dress black to more of a casual black, take off the tie and roll the sleeves over the sweater."
For a more relaxed work environment, Boatwright suggests darker jeans, a button-down dress shirt with some color and a button-down sweater vest.
"There's not much I would change with this look, but maybe the shoes," Boatwright said. "You could actually wear flip-flops or TOMS to go out. With the vest, you could button it up to dress it up a little more. To dress it down, you would unbutton it and untuck your shirt."
Collin Vaughan, American Eagle associate, said he usually just changes his shirt and shoes when transitioning from casual to dressy.
"I'll change my T-shirt to a button-down and my sneakers to loafers," he said.
Boatwright and Vaughan suggest guys should have the following staples: a pair of dark jeans, solid white and solid blue button-down shirts, a pair each of black dress pants, kahkis and basic brown loafers with a belt and a watch.
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