A Guide to Elegance: A - Adaptability

This week's entry is Adaptability. It's a short piece, only a page really, but an important lesson. In it, Dariaux discusses how one goes from morning to evening, a difficult challenge today for women.  Men don't seem to have this problem since a suit is always acceptable.

For women, she suggests something very similar to what most magazines would suggest - a low cut dress with a jacket over it in a dark color (she specifies wool) and accessories in your daytime handbag that can convert the outfit to evening, including an evening bag and jewelry. I've always wondered where one stashes the large bag when they go out for the evening...do you leave it at the office? I suppose if you're taking your car you can leave it in there, though this doesn't work in, say, New York City where people are more likely to take a cab or subway to their evening destination.

My favorite part, no surprise, is the shoes. She advises that "patent leather and fine calfskin pumps are chic all around the clock", advice that holds true now. She warns against suede shoes, which are strictly daytime, and strappy sandals, which are for evening. The first time I read that, I scoffed a little at the idea, but more and more I think she's right. I have a pair of wonderful suede open-toed black heels that I really like, but if I'm getting dressed up for an evening, they feel drab.

Overall, her advice is that adaptability requires planning and forethought, which is still quite true and applies to far more situations that just what you're wearing. It is far easier to take things as they come if you know you're ready, no matter the outcome. It is because of this that I started keeping an umbrella in my car, in case of rain (important on the coasts or in the desert during Monsoon Season), as well as a pair of flats in my glove compartment. If I have to change a flat tire in the rain, I don't want to be worried about my shoes!

All of this ties back into her overall theme, that elegance is as much an attitude as anything else. If you are confident in your ability to handle what comes at you with a smile and a laugh, then you are truly adaptable.