Brrrrr – It’s cold out there: If granny won’t lend you her mink stole, there’s plenty of faux fur that does the job, not quite as warm, but certainly adds a certain glamour to an evening outfit. Alternatively, a dark winter coat around your shoulders, cape-like will work just as well. Evening pashmina’s are a good accessory if you are being dropped and collected right at the entrance, otherwise you’ll need something warmer when standing around late at night searching for a cab.

Handbags at dawn: Nothing will ruin you outfit more than a handbag that’s not fit for purpose. Invest in a simple black evening clutch with a shoulder strap.  Why the shoulder strap?  Because you can’t put your bag down and you may be holding a glass and want to nibble a canapé; a difficult manoeuvre with purse clutched in your arm pit.

Jewelled evening bags are gorgeous, but often so tiny that they’ll only hold your house key, lippy and the all important £20 note for emergencies. Forget the phone and the fags!  Worth a thought beforehand, no?

To bra or not to bra: Tonight’s the night…..you’ve got the strapless dress lined up and go to the office wearing your usual soutiengorge – (I love this French word for a bra – literally meaning hold-under-throat). The you remove your bra later in the day whilst getting dolled up you notice the indentations on you shoulders – not a good look with a strapless dress. So always remember when getting up in the morning – strapless dress means either no bra or wearing a strapless bra during the day.

Spanx versus support hose: I’m not a great advocate of heavily fortified undergarments. That extra flesh has to go somewhere and you need to be careful that it doesn’t just spill out ruining the line of a close fitting dress at mid thigh or giving a back roll. We advise just simple hold-in tights resulting in no VPL and gives a super smooth silhouette. Tip: always wear a new pair (Wolford are best) as once worn they lose their elasticity.

Jewellery tips: Watches – don’t wear one, unless you have a delicate evening watch,.

Bracelets: Diamante bracelets, beware! They are often sharp and will catch on satin or chiffon ruining the evening dress.