Getting dressed for a night out is always something of a conundrum (for me, anyway). Where am I going? Is it raining out? How far do we have to walk? Am I going to an Irish pub or something a little more swanky? These are all things that I attempt to answer before I head out the door, but I’m generally fairly successful as long as I know where I’m going. So last week, my wonderful boyfriend told me he was going to take me out for Valentine’s Day, and … and those were all the details I got.

So, how does one dress for an unknown event at an unknown place? In situations like this, your outfit has to be flexible. I rely on fitted black pants, heels (though I bring a great pair of Sue London foldable ballet flats with me whenever I go out to counteract the walking factor, a nice, club-appropriate top, a black tuxedo-style jacket, and an American Apparel cotton scarf. The scarf is really the key part of the outfit; it is highly practical this time of year, but can be worn indoors and adds a bohemian, dressed-down flair to any ensemble so you’re saved from looking totally overdressed if you end up in the neighbourhood dive bar.

The best part about this scarf is that it comes in about a zillion different colours and is so affordable you can buy one in every shade of the rainbow (which I am dangerously close to doing at this point). I ended up not needing my scarf on V-Day, but it was tucked into my bag just in case…

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