It’s easier to dress well for an evening out than for a normal day. I know that sounds the wrong way round, but it’s true, isn’t it? Because, despite all the hoopla we make about perfect party dresses and heels, dressing for an evening out is straightforward. The brief is clear. Whether you’re an old-school LBD addict or a jeans, silk T, best earrings type, the formulas are easy to apply.
Jumpsuits totally prove my point. For evening, they are a no-brainer. More daring and modern than a dress, more in-it-to-win-it than separates. A black or navy jumpsuit, tailored and with some skin showing at the ankle and shoulder, has been my go-to post-6pm option for ages. (I’m not alone here. Some evenings I feel like a foot soldier in an all-in-one army.)
I am also keen on a jumpsuit, for practical reasons, when travelling. I have a sleeveless chambray one from Gap’s most recent 1969 collection which is perfect plane-travel wear. I spend a lot of time at airports bending down to rummage in bags, and half the in-air time reaching up into the overhead compartments. Why is this? You never see photos of, say, Amal Clooney rooting in her tote bag for her passport in the customs hall. For years I blamed my children, but they are well out of the plastic-dinosaur-under-the-seat phase now and yet here I am, still rummaging. This lacks elegance at the best of times, but a yawning expanse of twixt-top-and-trouser midriff doesn’t help, so a jumpsuit on a plane works.
While jumpsuits are easy for nights out and days off, they get complicated on working days or non-slouchy weekends. The trick is getting the silhouette right. Fitted is no good (aerobics) but baggy all over isn’t good either (pest control). You need a bit of give around the torso and hips. And in between, you need a waist, so as not to look shapeless. That’s not as easy as it sounds, because those integral drawstring belts aren’t very effective unless you have an hourglass figure, and a wide solid belt over a jumpsuit is a bit Cheryl Fernandez-Versini. Perhaps the daytime TV presenters had it right all along: a jumpsuit says playtime.
• Jess wears jumpsuit, £330 by Vince, from harveynichols.com. Heels, £175, reiss.com.
Styling: Melanie Wilkinson. Hair and makeup: Laurence Close at Carol Hayes Management.
