What to Wear to Dinner, Summer 2023 Edition

The pants that eliminate the "what to wear!?", entire closet on the bed, evening saga when you just want to look nice.

***Trigger warning! There will be a few wrinkles this week! Embrace them!***

One of the most successful newsletters (and by successful I mean, the most feedback I got from you guys!) was about what to wear to dinner. What to wear when you want to look nice, but not black tie nice, and not work nice. Just put-together-enough for a dinner out, a party at a friend’s house, a school cocktail, etc. Those in between times where you just want to look like your freshest self and like you tried a little.

So we are turning dressing for dinner into a seasonal column. Today, what to wear to dinner…in the deep heat of summer, this summer. Don’t worry we will plan for an over-air-conditioned restaurant too.

It really all came down to one specific thing this week. As I was creating categories, everything I tried to put together felt like too much effort for a summer outfit. Sparkle felt like way too much everything. Dresses felt too daytime. Or too fancy. Jeans, too heavy. What I came back to again and again (and after taking inventory, realized I had purchased multiple) is silk pants. They are THE HERO of actually getting dressed to go out this summer.

So today, silk pants and all the different ways to make them work for you, because I truly feel they work for all of us. And WORK, they will.

Tip one: throw on all the silk. In different forms. This is a long, silk navy blazer and non-fitted silk camisole (two sizes too big). It creates a flowiness that reeks of summer. But is still covered, protecting me from mosquitos and/or A/C.