OUTFITS: A little bit dressed up
Six formulas for the hardest-to-crack dress code of all
There comes a point somewhere between your last random after-work drinks and your first household budget/child/airfryer purchase (insert your preferred signifier of adulthood here) that you stop getting dressed dressed.
When in the Before Times you might have spent a deliciously indulgent amount of time planning your cute work/weekend outfits, in the Now Times, the busyness of life has well and truly toppled that ritual.
At least, that’s true for both of us.
In this season of raising little tiny people, working from home, and being extremely conscious of those aforementioned household budgets, it’s a rare occasion when we feel called to get a little bit dressed up.
But when those occasions do come along, it can feel like trying to answer a trick question: be casual, but be polished. Be a little bit sexy but not try-hard. Be the ‘you’ you used to be before kids. But also be the fun mum, the cool mum. The mum who wasn’t just wiping sauce off the dog’s head. Just be the very best, most unbothered, most effortlessly glamorous version of you, ok? OK???
It’s a head fuck.
The ‘a little bit dressed up’ scenario recently cropped up in our group chat as being one of the most universally challenging to dress for. And it doesn’t event require an invitation to go anywhere, either. Wanting to be a little bit dressed up could mean that you want to elevate what you’re wearing on the reg juuuust a smidge. Just enough that you feel slightly more put together, with your best foot forward. Fair!
So, ‘a little bit dressed up’ is a highly subjective dress code with no right or wrong answer. But, with a few helpful frameworks to think about, it can feel less like a cryptic crossword clue and more like a style philosophy.
The key to unlocking this whole Pandora’s Box of a dress code is in the 80/20 rule: 80% of your outfit should be grounded in simple, unfussy fabrications like denim, cotton, jersey, etc. 20% should be the more formal or playful elements like faux fur, patent leather, silk, beads and sparkle.
It’s that tension between the ultra-casual base and ridiculously formal flourishes that makes for an interesting outfit.
In fact, being ultra casual when you go out is a look unto itself. Throw on a pair of heels and a bold earring and it’s a whole thing — just ask SJP / Patricia Field / Molly Rogers or Danny Santiago.
This week behind the paywall, we unpack six frameworks that make ‘a little bit dressed up’ achievable:
Knitwear + dangly bits
Faux fur + denim
‘Nice’ bottom + casual top (aka the inverse of our Y2K go-to formula)
Texture. That’s All.
Blazer (aka the modern-day cure-all)
Trackies + heels
We’ve also had a couple of our favourite brands jump on board with discount codes this week which we’re always so appreciative for ♥️ Scroll for:
Friends With Frank 15% discount
Anna Rossi Jewellery 20% discount
For more inspo for getting ‘a little bit dressed up’, hit the link below.
Knitwear and Dangly Bits
It really feels like Matthieu Blazy is scratching an itch we didn’t even realise we had over at Chanel. His combination of effortlessly relaxed and almost painfully chic seems to have hit the nail on the $50,000 head. But it’s resonating not just because the pieces are liveable (if only in reality for a very privileged few), but also put together in such a way that can be recreated relatively easily with what we already own. Case in point: the quarter zip knit + glamorous statement jewellery combo.
It’s obvious to say that jewellery goes a long way in the ‘a little bit dressed up’ stakes, but it’s also maybe not that obvious in the moment of actually dressing yourself. A bold necklace or pair of earrings can make even the most casual of outfits interesting.
Tip: slip on a stocking sock with your shoes for added interest during the colder months.
HEAVEN MAYHEM / Edith Earrings — $205
ELKA COLLECTIVE / Winston Jacket — $399
UNIQLO / Uniqlo U Double Face Knit Half-Zip Sweater — $79.90
CAMILLA AND MARC / Noa Denim Jean — $350
A.EMERY / The Wylie Belt — $140
BASSIKE / Slouch Studded Shoulder Bag — $650
STUDIO AMELIA / Sierra 90 Heel — $665
Faux Fur and Denim
Ok, 25 year old us is deeply comforted by this combination. It obviously has those Indie Sleaze/Erin Wasson rock and roll connotations, which is fun and glamorous in its own right, but you can dial into more modern references with your accessories: sunglasses, long pendant necklaces, sculptural earrings. Fresh, minimal makeup also keeps you in 2026 territory.
