Rant Part II

Hands up who hates "nice" tops?? As in "Jeans-and-a-nice-top"? Smart casual? The outfit your mother wanted you to wear out to your friends birthday parties so you looked nice and pretty to impress your friends parents and not look skanky or cheap?

Now think back, how old were you when your mum said this to you- 15, 16? Thats almost 10 years ago for me- my mum has moved on, so why hasn't your outfit? The fact that this combination has become acceptable Friday/Saturday night going out wear for people over the age of 18 is starting to really get to me.

When you were little this made you look less skanky- now it makes you look MORE skanky. So, heres is my Saturday Night Checklist

1. How old are those jeans? Are they tight at the thigh and flared from the knee? Do you have to stand up dead straight to avoid any plumbers smile?

2. Is your top a) halterneck b) have triangular bikini style boob-coverings or c) a boob tube?

3. Are you wearing a singlet underneath cos its so low cut?

4. Is it sheer or have a handkerchief hem? Is it empire line?

5. Are you wearing high heels? Stilettos? With a small cork platform?

6. How straight is your hair? Do you have tiger stripe highlights?

7. What will your friends wear?

If you've answered "yes" to most of these and "the same thing/a top of mine" to the last one- consider this for a while. As a friend of a friend says- its all about what you want out of a night, so get yourself off to a good start and re-think if this is really how you want to be perceived..... (unless you're going to Frostbites, in which case check to see if you have a tighter pair of jeans you could wear instead.)

now scroll down and read my post on individual style and looking cool.

Ok. These women look good in dressy jeans- Kylie Minogue. Kate Moss. Gemma Ward. Cameron Diaz. Heidi Klum. There are a a few more but I can't list forever. I think they can pull it off because they either have the designer goods to back it up or they are pulling a casual look in a not-so-casual setting. I love that casual style- they look too cool for words.

But trying to mix casual with dressy in the form of jeans and a nice top isn't ticking ANY boxes. It just makes you look like everyone else. Wear a dress! Wear some killer pants! Wear a tiny skirt! Wear a fabulous dishevelled top with messy hair and some unbelievably chic accesories and be casual- but please dont mix your dress codes- smart casual is not style.