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Going out adapted to to mean just that: going out. A few drinks after manoeuvre. Something hot, wrapped and sauced on the way home. Stinging flashbacks the next day. It was a unaffected time: you’d switch shoes in the loo when work was done, true your stomach with a pint of milk and head aimlessly into the darkness. But going out has changed and the going out spectrum has grown – clubs may be oppressive, but alternative parties and venues are opening in their place. Equable the festive office party has become a high-profile event, filtered and parted with unfettered abandon on social media. Language here going out has changed accordingly. Now you have the option to go out, go out-out or – on say, New Year’s Eve when apt partying is law – even, out-out-out. And there’s a world of difference between them.

The record of the phrase “going out-out” is up for debate. Some cite the Robert Frost ditty Out, Out–, a meditation between death and life. Some talk all round Macbeth whose speech after the death of his wife – “Out, out, succinctly candle!” – was a comment on the futility of life. Others look to 2009 and comic Micky Flanagan’s skit on the difference between going out and usual out-out which started a legal spat over highbrow property, when the directory enquiry company 118 118 acclimatized the phrase in an advert.

Us? We’ve been going both out, and out-out-out, for years – we neutral never had the vocabulary for each. Now that you do, it’s time to have a bit of fun with what you’re abrading, to rethink your approach to sequins and outerwear after-hours. Whether you’re after a post-work pint or are vouchsafed to the straight-thru-crew, let your wardrobe help you. MF

Going out

Yes, in spite of in party season™, sometimes you just go out for dinner with colleagues. What to wear? Fashion has got this covered – see the return of 90s masterpiece, the jeans and a fancy top. A staple of after-dark dressing around the period Mariah Carey released Heartbreaker and three inches of exposed spare tyre were de rigueur whatever the weather, it’s back this salt, endorsed by Vogue and seen on the catwalk at Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen. Still assured, no midriff is required these days. Instead, you’ll inadequacy a high-waisted mom jean, as seen on Victoria Beckham. She wore hers with a combo unite T-shirt, but you can be a bit jazzier than that – it is nearly Christmas, after all. Mull over shiny fabric, a feather trim or, to really nod to the late 90s note, a sequin cami and pair of wedge sandals. LC

Going out-out

Arguably the proto-party mindset, this is the category of going out you’ll be most familiar with. It involves some preparation, an acceptance that overpower laid plans may go awry and a look that is both assigned to the party without being too sensible (if you can handle 20 primes’ annual leave, then you can handle 3in heels into the wee hours). A fun fit is ideal, so take your cue from Isabel Marant who eminent the “boardroom look” into something more pinched and gentle. Topshop’s velvet version is slick and affordable. If you want a put on clothing, go for something long and shimmery à la Bottega Veneta and whack a long-sleeved T-shirt underneath if you’re diagraming to go three parties deep. Pair both with milk-white boots and some fun earrings. Finally, don’t be a tool. Pace yourself. MF

Effective out-out-out

With fashion rediscovering hedonism, the Stride of Shame – coming home in the wee small hours, when everybody else is going to work – has been reclaimed as a triumph to whoop about. Handy, since New Year’s Eve and other Christmas dos are now on the field of vision. What to wear on a night out that may well turn into a confounded weekend? It sounds counterintuitive, but now is the time to think practically. You craving something that brings the party – but also keeps you supportive of and even comfortable. Smart party girls (see Kate Moss, Rihanna) about sequins, but with a polo neck underneath, sparkles, but on a low tilt, hemlines below the knee and, the stealth secret weapon, sleeves. You’ll also trouble a coat that brings the wow – from our experience, nights with these can involve a lot of waiting for Ubers, or loitering outside newsagents while consociates inside procure essential pickled onion Monster Champ. And, hey, you may as well be glamorous while you wait. LC

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