Smart Casual

So it's my friends birthday party tonight and as much as I'm looking forward to catching up with people and relaxing after a very full on week, there's one aspect I'm not excited about - the smart casual dress code. Heels? Dresses? Will I be scoffed at for wearing jeans? Oh the quandary. At least with smart, you're safe - everyone will make an effort. But with smart casual, you really don't want to be the overdressed one... A few simple things I stick to when trying to pick an outfit! 
1. Choose one statement item. An oversized necklace, quirky shoes, bright skirt or bag is a good starting point. Then you can tone everything else down, but still have obviously made an effort. The rest can be fairly plain & easy! 
2. Less is more (in terms of showing flesh..). Sometimes in an attempt to show they've made an effort people feel the need to get their boobs/bum out. I'm not really a fan of this - I just end up feeling self conscious all evening. You can pull of any outfit if you have enough confidence! Think Sandy in Grease - if she'd worn those leather trousers looking a bit shy, Danny would definitely not have shaped up. 
3. Hair & Accessories. Little touches show you've made an effort - but subtly. E.g. - my hair always looks like I walked through a hedge backwards (what comes of not owning a hairbrush..), so tonight I've given it some curl and an Alice band. The gold hoops are out (standard), and the posh watch is on. Just need to grab the umbrella and I'm ready! 

This is what I've ended up going for tonight - Skirt is obviously my statement item (thank you Miri for the lend!), and the top is a V neck H&M which I'm wearing backwards & cropped at the back. Zara wedges of course, and about to grab my plain gold chain strap bag, and favourite green bomber!