First of all: Happy New Year! I know I’m a bit belated in this posting, but I thought I should celebrate the turning of the year (2007 already? Is anyone else still counting the years as if it’s 2000? You know, like 1995 was only five years ago?) and the coming of a new fashion season: Spring.
Okay, so even though it’s been unseasonably warm, we’ve still go a good two to three months of winter left where I live, and we generally don’t get a spring (it usually goes from winter straight into summer). However, that doesn’t mean that I don’t look forward to new clothes.
Although, now that I have so many different pairs of shoes, my wardrobe is nearly complete! Just a few more pairs of flats, some twill trousers, a few more dressy blouses, and some more capris and I’ll be set for life! At least until I find more things to buy, anyway. *grin*
But I digress, the Point of this post is that it has recently come to my attention that most people probably dont’ know the difference between day wear and evening wear. So I’m going to try and define the differences between the two.
Day Wear:
Usually casual or semi-formal in nature. Generally consists of lighter and brighter colors with more prominent use of neutrals like khaki, cream, olive, and grey. More casual fabrics like cotton, knits, denim, twill, corduroy, etc. Casual wear could consist of khakis or jeans with button-down shirt and casual shoes, or summer skirt and sandals with a peasant top, or corduroy skirt and boots with a sweater. Day shoes are generally canvas flats, sneakers, espadrilles, boots, oxfords, office pumps, wedges, etc. Day wear is generally what people wear every day.
Evening Wear:
Usually dressy-casual or formal. Generally consists of darker and richer colors with more prominent use of neutrals like black, charcoal grey, and chocolate brown. More formal fabrics like silk, satin, tulle, fine wool, etc. Dressy-casual could consist of black trousers with black satin pumps and a jewel-toned silk blouse, or a dark wool trumpet skirt with satin top and jacket. Formal wear generally means dark suits or tuxes for men and cocktail or evening gowns for women. Evening shoes consist of dress shoes like wingtips for men, and high-heeled or stilletto pumps and sandals for women. Evening wear is generally worn for special occasions or for evenings out, such as to a nice restaurant for dinner, or even to a club.
The easiest way to differentiate between the two is color, shade, and fabric. You wouldn’t wear khaki corduroy to an evening wedding with a swanky reception, just as you wouldn’t wear a plum satin cocktail dress to a baby shower in the spring (unless it was a weird, evening, cocktail-party-type baby shower, and even then it would be a bit out of place). In my mind, I also associate evening wear with winter and dark colors, and day wear with lighter and brighter spring, summer, and autumn colors and fabrics.
There, as we move from winter into the distant spring, I hope that helps.
