What to Wear When the Dress Code Reads Black Tie

Shop the look: 1. H&M coat, $70; hm.com 2. Charlotte Chesnais earring, $1,923; matchesfashion.com 3. Stella McCartney dress, $2,195; net-a-porter.com 4. Halston Heritage clutch, $149 (orginally $345); theoutnet.com 5. Stuart Weitzman heels, $398; stuartweitzman.com

We're all about the office-to-event outfit change (throw on jewelry, step into heels, swap your work tote for a clutch, and voilà), but when there's a black-tie dress code situation involved for a VIE (very important event), well, that's a game-changer. What you need is a beautiful creation of a dress, like this to-die-for satin-velvet Stella McCartney number, and then you're pretty much set. Round it out a coat in the same color family (to up the chic factor ) and shiny gold extras (a single statement earring, a sculptural clutch, metallic sandals). Don't have a black-tie affair on the horizon? File this look away for future winter weddings, galas, or any other VIEs that are bound to make their way onto your calendar this season.