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"  It used to be pretty simple come nightfall. &amp;quot;Cocktails&amp;quot; spelled a knee-length dress and heels, while &amp;quot;black tie&amp;quot; was shorthand for a curvy, floor-skimming chiffon number. That, however, was before the latest evening-circuit shakedown, in which shorts have supplanted the pencil skirt and silky, droopy pants have given a big shove to the Grecian-goddess gown.  So when did it become OK \u2014 cool, actually \u2014 to appear at dinner in frayed denim short shorts boosted by merely a vest and sexy heels? It&amp;#039;s probably not a coincidence that the phenomenon coincided with Riccardo Tisci&amp;#039;s recent decision to elevate leather leggings to near-haute-couture status at Givenchy. Or Stefano Pilati&amp;#039;s crowning a pair of baggy, peg-legged sequined pants the main event of Yves Saint Laurent after dark. Designers are behind the push for redrafting evening rules, and forward-looking women have already happily climbed on board.  &amp;quot;People just aren&amp;#039;t taking evening dressing so seriously anymore,&amp;quot; says Jenny Le, manager of Opening Ceremony in L.A., where Rihanna, Kanye West, and Nicolas Ghesqui\u00E8re have all taken a twirl in the changing rooms. It could be argued that no one in L.A. ever took getting dressed up very seriously, but as Le explains, &amp;quot;People are getting more daring and out of the box rather than falling back on that perfect dress and satin clutch.&amp;quot;  Just look at the red carpet, usually the land of cleavage-and-gown plenty. Ashley Olsen and Keira Knightley are working snug tuxedos, and Blake Lively is wearing short silk rompers, while Maggie Gyllenhaal is flip-flopping from backless silk jumpsuits to voluminous pants.  &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s not about being appropriate and asking yourself, Well, what do you wear to a day party or a night party?&amp;quot; explains designer Alexander Wang, whose unscripted downtown designs and gaggle of rule-breaker girlfriends epitomize a new etiquette-less trend. &amp;quot;Those rules don&amp;#039;t apply anymore.&amp;quot;  But that is not to suggest that you should show up to a glittering gala in your yoga pants. Looking freshly unexpected need not mean transmitting the careless disregard of today&amp;#039;s airport riffraff. Wang, for example, proposes a drop-waisted silk trouser and printed wool tank top with snakeskin boots as evening or party fare. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s about putting those different textures together, mixing it up, and making it richer,&amp;quot; he says. &amp;quot;You&amp;#039;ll still get that festive, sparkly aspect, but it&amp;#039;s not so predictable.&amp;quot; DJ Leigh Lezark of the Misshapes has a fondness for high-waisted, tightly rolled shorts and tights for night. &amp;quot;People should get out of that boring long gown,&amp;quot; she advises. &amp;quot;A lot of women think black tie means floor-length dresses, but I&amp;#039;d put on an Herv\u00E9 L\u00E9ger bandage dress. It&amp;#039;s not what you&amp;#039;d conventionally think of.&amp;quot;  A rule-breaking approach to evening is not just for those lurking in Hollywood or New York&amp;#039;s Lower East Side. Deena Abdulaziz, a retailer and international social thoroughbred, insists on looking original. &amp;quot;I wear shorts for evening all the time,&amp;quot; she says, &amp;quot;but I don&amp;#039;t do casual. Even at Disneyland, I don&amp;#039;t look casual.&amp;quot; Abdulaziz once wore a &amp;#039;50s-style lacy white cotton dress to a very formal wedding in Saudi Arabia, where she lives. &amp;quot;Cotton isn&amp;#039;t associated with evening,&amp;quot; she admits, &amp;quot;so I stood out in a very fresh way.&amp;quot; It&amp;#039;s worth noting that her twisted approach to dressing also works in reverse. &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;d wear sequins in the morning,&amp;quot; she declares. &amp;quot;In fact, I once wore them on a flight from Paris to New York at 9:00 a.m.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;There are very few rules nowadays,&amp;quot; says veteran Bazaar fashion stylist Melanie Ward. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s all about being fearless and having the confidence to go there.&amp;quot; With the world&amp;#039;s greatest designs available at the snap of her fingers, Ward prefers an evening look of a pair of silk charmeuse pajama pants hanging off the hip, which she wears with a tank top and heels \u2014 a combo that, incidentally, is emerging as a colossal trend for next spring. &amp;quot;Very louche,&amp;quot; she says, &amp;quot;and you can throw a tuxedo jacket on over it if you like.&amp;quot;  Maggie Gyllenhaal, the new poster girl for pants, sported Proenza Schouler&amp;#039;s drapey ones at this year&amp;#039;s CFDA Awards. &amp;quot;I felt great that night,&amp;quot; she says. &amp;quot;Nothing feels better on your body than a pair of silk pants.&amp;quot; &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s how to dress for evening in a different way,&amp;quot; explains Lanvin&amp;#039;s Alber Elbaz, who showed soft satin pajama pantsuits for resort. Top the pants with a T-shirt to take down the drama, or pair them with a loosened double-breasted jacket for a more formal look. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s very intimate, whether you&amp;#039;re alone or with someone else,&amp;quot; Elbaz says. In fact, dressing in pants takes not a single sting out of the sex factor. Erin Wasson, a model and fashion designer, says, &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;ve always felt sexier in a man&amp;#039;s three-piece suit than anything else. It says, Don&amp;#039;t fuck with me. It&amp;#039;s very powerful.&amp;quot; Working on fashion&amp;#039;s extreme fringe, Wasson is now into extremely droopy pants from Comme des Gar\u00E7ons and Balmain for evening. &amp;quot;The skinny leg with that exaggerated dumpiness in the crotch is hot,&amp;quot; she reveals. So is a wickedly high heel, which is mandatory if you wear pants at night.  Fashion mavericks like Lezark and Wasson are already ahead of the curve, off discovering their newest looks. Lezark&amp;#039;s Empire-waist jeans by Cheap Monday (cut, rolled, and worn with opaque tights and a ruffied blouse) are her evening staple. &amp;quot;I also like pulling old things out of my closet, like a button-down collared shirt, just throwing on a belt, and adding some heels. That makes most things evening-fied.&amp;quot;  With the right accessories, practically no outfit is off-limits for nighttime dressing. (Just pair them with killer shoes.) With the right touches, the same could apply at breakfast; just swap in a flat. Versatility, after all, is fashion&amp;#039;s holy grail. &amp;quot;These days, a girl can put on her sparkly dress to go dancing at a fancy party,&amp;quot; says Wang. &amp;quot;Then she might hop off to a neighborhood bar in it, then sleep in it. And then she could wake up the next morning, put a hoodie on over it, and go get some coffee. It&amp;#039;s not what you wear, it&amp;#039;s how.&amp;quot; "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/trends/a344/what-to-wear-at-night-1208/>