the fundamentals of fashion: Daywear Metallics and Studio 54

Metallics have been one of the shining stars (forgive the pun, couldn't resist) of this season, what with the Studio 54 and metallics for daywear trends. While metallics sit easy with the Studio 54 look as it is essentially a clubbing look (for the uninitiated, Studio 54 was a famous disco in New York City during the late 1970s to mid-80s, where illuminaries of that period hung out), the metallics for daywear trend takes a little more, er, shall we say, strategy? and needs to be paired with heavier materials such as brocade and jacquard or/and in more conservative shapes in order not to attract unwanted attention.

Case in point: The Mango dress on the left, while a good piece for those wanting the Studio 54 trend, is strictly night time wear. Please don't attempt to wear it during the day or risk looking like a clubber that overslept at the disco only to have woken up realising that it was already noon. The Alice + Olivia dress on the right is more versatile and can be worn in the day with wedges and a great tan. Dynasty-style broad-rim hat optional.

The fine line between what is appropriate metallics for daywear and what is only appropriate for nightwear present themselves again with these two dresses from Cacharel and French Connection respectively. The Cacharel dress is a bit too shiny and would look a little strange worn during the day, whereas the gold lame of the French Connection piece is subtle enough to be worn as daywear, but would look equally good for night...

...and is to be dressed up or down using footwear.

These yummy thong sandals (very "in" this summer) would do nicely. From Tapeet and Dolce Vita respectively.

Little Black Dress advocates wanting to tap into the metallic trend can have their cake and eat it with these two pieces from Alice + Olivia and Marc by Marc Jacobs respectively. Note that black and metallics don't really go together well for daytime. But when night falls, bling it on!

Fans of the Little White Dress needn't feel left out. This piece from Celine is little, white and metallic enough to keep any hardcore LWD dresser wanting a piece of the metallic trend happy. Be warned though, even though white is typically a "day-time" colour. This would look better at night. Then you could really shine. Heh. Somehow, whenever I look at this dress, I think of Barbella.

If you need a dress for a more formal occasion, but would like to glam it up a little using metallics, you can try those two dresses. They demure cut ensures they are safe enough for summer weddings, while the quiet sheen is unique enough to let you stand out from the crowd.

From who else but Madame Weddings herself---Vera Wang. This lovely option is from her Vera Wang Lavender label.

From A + Eve by Adam + Eve.

It might be a little late for this now, as the weather heats up, but I really like this metallic coat from Zara. It has a nice elegance about it and would look great over a dress to the opera.

And then, of course, there are metallic separates...

While this (from River Island) would look fine either for day (pair with shorts and sandals) or night...

I suggest leaving these two (from Tory Burch and Topshop respectively) for when the sun sets. Reason being that the Tory Burch piece is a bit too shiny for day, and plunging neckline plus electric colour plus sheen makes the Topshop top too outlandish for daywear.

That said, you could pair the latter two tops with these shiny short shorts and look REALLY Studio 54-ish. Especially when paired with high heels and big hoop earrings.

From Miss Selfridge and Alice + Olivia respectively.

And there's this pair which takes metallic very literally...

From Miss Sixty.

And of course, if outfits cut in metallic cloths are too much for you, there's also the option of having a touch of jewelry on your outfit, or having metallic accents in footwear or handbags.

For instance, these respective Brian Reyes and Burberry Prorsum pieces tastefully incorporate the metallic trend without being too loud, and can be easily worn day or night.

Regarding footwear...

...as mentioned above, thong sandals are huge this season and would nicely provide a touch of class to any outfit. These are from Manolo Blahnik and Anne Klein respectively.

Lastly, while I'm not a fan of fullblown metallic handbags handbags, I am partial to a touch of metallic here and there on a bag such as this D&G Dolce And Gabbana one or this Kate Spade one respectively.