6 Stylish Day to Night Work Dresses

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collage of 3 day to night work dresses

It can be really, really tricky to find a great dress that is polished and sedate enough to wear to work, but then is interesting or elegant enough to also go to a cocktail party or holiday party after work. So let's discuss — what are you looking for in day to night work dresses? Do you add additional details like a statement necklace or ring to make it feel more festive?

(We've talked about work dresses a lot here, including rounding up our favorite work dresses in general, as well as the best plus size work dresses. Other specific roundups we've done include work dresses with pockets, fit and flare work dresses, work dresses with matching blazers, colorful sheath dresses for work, work dresses with built-in shapewear, and (over at CorporetteMoms), the best maternity dresses for work.)

These are some of the most polished, elegant day to night work dresses that I love…

Stylish Day to Night Work Dresses

Marycrafts

navy dress with tie detail at waist

This dress is almost always under $50, and feels fancy because of the twist detail at the waist. It's available in sizes 0-22, at Amazon, in a bunch of colors.

Karen Kane

black stretchy dress with V-neck and cascading ruffle-ish detail that begins at waist and goes down side of skirt

This Cascade dress has been a reader favorite for years because it's so easy to wear — it's stretchy, it's flattering, it's a little bit dramatic, and you can hand wash it. Score! It's $118 full price at Nordstrom and other retailers, often available in sizes XS-3X as well as petites.

Adrianna Papell

burgundy fuchsia dress with three-quarter sleeves and tie waist detail at waist

Aw, I'm kind of excited to see this Adrianna Pappell dress back in stock — it was a reader favorite for years, and then it disappeared for a bit. But it's a great dress for day to night looks.

It's $129-$159 at Nordstrom and other retailers, available in regular and plus sizes.

M.M.LaFleur

black dress with wide neckline, dolman sleeves, and drapey detail at waist

I've always thought M.M.LaFleur's Jillian dress was a gorgeous, elegant dress that would be just as appropriate in a conference room as well as at a cocktail party. It comes in a bunch of different colors, and a new “everyday satin” fabric, for $365 full price. (There are a lot marked down to $220 right now, though!)

Karen Millen

A woman wearing a belted gray dress

When we featured this dress for our morning thread, readers all agreed how great it would be to wear if you were speaking at a conference or the like. Karen Millen has a TON of different colors, sizes, and sleeve lengths for $342-$394, as well as plus sizes.

Black Halo

dress with asymmetric detail at neckline

In general, Black Halo makes beautiful, stylish, super polished dresses — it's hard to think of an item of theirs, over the years, that wouldn't be appropriate for both day to night. The pictured dress, the Jackie, is their classic, and also comes in a jumpsuit form. It's $375-$435 at Nordstrom and other retailers.

The Fold

hot pink dress with folded, draped detail at the top and an asymmetric diagonal(ish) line going down the front of the skirt, ending in a front slit

Man – we have featured so many drool-worthy dresses and blazers from The Fold over the years, it's hard to say which is my favorite, but this hot pink dress may just be it. SO. FABULOUS. One of their iconic dresses, the Arlington, is also great for day-to-night looks.

The pictured dress is $595 at TheFold.com.

What are you looking for in a day to night dress, readers?

Accessories to Help You Make Your Work Outfit Cocktail-Ready

Clutches

I always think switching your bag from a tote to a clutch instantly helps to make your outfit more cocktail-ready… some of our latest favorite clutches are below. Check Quince for more affordable versions in leather (and Poshmark in general!), and look to Kurt Geiger, Boden, and Olympia Le-Tan for fun/twee/playful clutches. My $.02: go for a clutch big enough to fit a pair of foldable flats!

festive heels

As of Dec. 2024, these are some of our latest favorite party shoes — also consider using shoe clips on some of your regular shoes if you're on a budget! These under $50 ones are best sellers at Amazon…

Statement Jewelry

Stay tuned for a mini-roundup of fun statement necklaces. As of 2024, our usual favorites include Alexis Bittar, Karine Sultan, and Bauble Bar; Nordstrom also has a whole category for them.

3 Comments

  1. Anyone else have Day-to-Night Barbie as a kid? She had a sparkly pink bodysuit under a pink, velveteen skirt suit. The skirt reversed to a pink tulle number. Et voila! Day to night!

  2. I would never in a million years wear Black Halo to work unless I were a Fox News anchor, a Republican congressional staffer, or one of the eye candy female commentators on men’s sports.

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