You know – I wish that I could say that I always, always, always dress for myself. The fact is, though, that most of the time when I am picking what to wear, I am thinking about the impression that I will make on whomever I am meeting. I wouldn’t wear something bare and sexy for a conference with my boss, and I wouldn’t go out to dinner all somber and subdued in the kind of clothes I’d wear to a funeral.

I have to add that when I get dressed, I always think about what the other women in the group will be wearing – and what they’ll think about what I am wearing. I don’t think this is so much from a viewpoint of competition – though who wants to be outshone by anyone, much less her friends? – but because, quite frankly, the other women are more likely than the men to notice what I am wearing. The men might notice how I look in what I’m wearing, but ten to one odds are that, 24 hours after seeing me, they won’t remember whether my shoes were red or black or my top was lime or periwinkle.

So – all of that said, I really, really think about what I wear when I go out for a night with the girls. And what would I wear?

If I am going out for a casual evening, I might take the tried-and-true look of a T-shirt and denim mini to the next level with a really eye-popping graphic tee. I love to take something that seems so effortless and swing it around with a look that’s really cute. If the evening is a little chilly, I’ll throw on a really easy jacket, like my Save the Queen black jacket – special enough to stand on its own, but classic enough to wear with everything.

If we’re going someplace really special – the hottest new restaurant in town or even someplace such as the opera or a show, I never want to be the girl wearing the same outfit as some other one. In this case, I’d pick something really unique and eye-catching, like my favorite new dress by Sonia Fortuna. The modern shape and geometric print, as well as the dressmaker details, make this the perfect dress to play up, up, up:  I mean, really –when a dress is this amazing, why play it down?

If we’re out for a night clubbing, I’ll pick something that I can move in – but which is also really sexy. I love my Mascia dress by Otitude – it hides a lot of flaws and plays up all the good parts, and it’s so comfortable that I can dance all night.

With a little forethought and a lot of style, you can go anywhere and know for sure that you are the best-dressed woman in the room.

Elizabeth Johnson

Tags: designer clothing, dress, dresses, fashion, night looks, night with the girls, otitude, ottitude, pret-a-porter, save the queen, shopping, sonia fortuna