Urban Girl Squad Event: Day-to-Night Styling Made Easy

We featured Urban Girl Squad founder Amanda Hofman as our Renegade Chick of the Week back in June and earlier this week, Lucy and I eagerly entered Roni’s, a trendy boutique in the NoLita neighborhood, to attend our very first UGS event.  Hosted by Roni’s and the Ryan Darius Salon, the theme of this event was day to night styling made easy.  The night included cupcakes and wine, a girl’s best friends, and useful takeaways to help us look our best.  Roni’s stylists gave us tips on how to transform our work attire for a sexy date or a fun night out with the girls.  Then, the lovely ladies at Ryan Darius Salon demonstrated how to sculpt our tresses in our sleep without the use of heating tools such as blow dryers, curling irons and straighteners, which can severely damage our hair.  Here are some of the valuable secrets we learned:

Fashion Day-to-Night Style Tips

1. Use a camisole under low-cut dresses and tops that are NSFW (not suitable for work).  Removing the cami instantly adds a little bit of skin, and allows you to be ready in seconds.   For example, the Roni V-Neck Wave Dress is the perfect LBD, suitable for work with a cami, and without for a dinner date or dancing.

2. Blazers, especially the brightly colored variety, bring an outfit together and add a little bit of office formality, while still showing off your style.  Layer a versatile blazer over a dress to keep warm and stay appropriate in the office, and remove before heading out at night.  You can even keep it on hand for a cool night.

3. Belts are the accessory of the century!  Make an outfit more formal with a jeweled buckle, or add a bit of personality by pairing a colorful belt with neutral attire.  Belts also help cinch your waist and add the illusion of that coveted hourglass figure.  For instance, the Roni Francesca Dress, is a functional piece that can be worn comfortably loose during the day or belted for a dressier look.  As an added bonus, the elastic gathered bottom gives a puffy effect when pulled to the hips and worn short, as seen on the model, but can also be worn long.

4. Shoes can totally transform an outfit.  Think: wedges, sandals, flats and in a few weeks, boots, for casual, and pumps, pumps and more pumps for night.

5. Be creative!  Even a collar adjustment can change alter an outfit.  Take Roni’s Layered Collar Dress.  Wear it with a low collar for work or heighten the collar, add a brooch and jeweled belt, and you are one elegant lady!

Hair Styling Tips

1. Two must-have products: Dry Texture Spray and Beach Wave & Shine Spray.   According to Rosemary Djuravcevic, Eva Humber and Dawn Marino, the Ryan Darius Salon experts, these two products should be part of every woman’s arsenal.  They recommend the Oribe Hair Care Line, and explained the dry texture spray adds instant volume to even the finest hair and the wave and shine spray is perfect to apply to towel-dry hair prior to night styling as shown below.

2. The sock bun is one of the hottest hair trends this season, and can be achieved with a tube sock or an affordable hair donut, which can be found at many beauty supply stores.  The best part about this bun is that you can style it while wet at night, fix it in less than five minutes in the morning, wear it for work and then pull it out.  You will achieve beautiful rolling curls perfect for going out at night.

3. Another way to get that desirable care-free curl is to braid your hair at night.  Like with the sock bun, towel dry hair, apply product, and braid hair loosely at the side of your neck.  You can also add tiny braids for texture and detail.  Adjust and wear as is for work, and then take out the braid for instant curls.

4. The Kim Kardashian face frame.  We are all familiar with the signature mid-part and loose wavy face frame, but can’t imagine how to achieve this million dollar look.  The secret?  Towel-dry hair at night, apply product and part hair in the middle.  On each side, start to twist hair from the part down towards your ear, gathering hair as you go until you have gotten all strands. Curl ends into a circle and secure with a pin at the nape of your neck.  In the morning, take out pins, shake hair out and voilà!

We had a fabulous time at our first Urban Girl Squad event and couldn’t wait to share all of this awesome fashion and hair styling advice.  We are looking forward to many more Urban Girl Squad events, including the next one on our agenda, the Cocktail Party of the Summer.  Sign up here.  We hope to see you there and are excited to network with more amazing women!