Office to Happy Hour

One thing about having a full-time career while breaking into the blogging industry is that you have to be REALLY good at getting ready in a bathroom stall (or the backseat of your car). That might sound strange to some of you but, bloggers or dual-career ladies that are reading this know exactly what I'm talking about. Most events that I am invited to in the city are during the week, start at 5:30pm, and require you to be Instagram-ready. Since I work in Annapolis, Monday through Friday, and my commute home is about an hour with traffic, that makes it quite difficult to get to events on time. Forget it if I have to go home and change before tackling the crowds downtown.

That is why I had no choice but to master the 'Office to Happy Hour' look. A few tips for making this as painless as possible (and, yes, I am talking about real pain, too - slamming your head into a center console is no joke when trying to low-key change trousers in the backseat of your car): 1. wear undergarments that you can style under both looks - these are obviously the most difficult to switch when on a tight schedule; 2. keep either the top or bottoms the same so that you only have to switch up one piece - I usually stick with the bottoms; 3. ditch the large purse after hours and throw your ID, money, and keys into a cute, compact clutch; 4. carry your favorite lipstick and gloss that you can slide on and feel extra sexy without much added effort.

The trousers that I am styling in this post are by MissPap and by far my favorite for transitioning from the office to a happy hour or event. During the day, I wear a white, flowy blouse and a blazer and, as you can see, in the evening, I opt for an off-the-shoulder, tight top (bodysuit) and cover up with the blazer draped over my shoulders. I've never felt more sexy in trousers; the high-waisted design and blush tone are right on trend and pair perfectly with a pair of chic, pointed toe pumps.