A quick hack for looking A Bit Dressed Up? Just add a dash of shine | Jess Cartner-Morley

Jess Cartner-Morley on fashion: a quick hack for looking A Bit Dressed Up? Just add a dash of shine If you want to add some glitz to elevate your look, try shiny earrings, metallic shoes or a snazzy belt O nce in a while, it is fun to pull out all the stops and get properly dressed up. To wear something gorgeous and probably impractical, do your makeup carefully, rather than in two and a half minutes, and coerce a family member into taking a photo before you leave the house. It is awards season, and red carpet fashion hoopla is all around us. But for those of us who don’t have an Oscar nomination, the nights that call for weapons-grade glam are few and far between, especially at this time of year. Which is fine by me because, frankly, who has the time? In real life, for most of us, quick styling hacks when you want to look A Bit Dressed Up are way more useful than a ball gown. Accessories that elevate your look from blah to belle, easy tricks that give your outfit a sense of occasion. These, not the bells-and-whistles party dresses, are the real treasures of your wardrobe. A glimmer of sparkle is the fastest way to put your look – and, by extension, you – in a party mood. Like pouring champagne into tall flutes so that it catches the light, adding an element of shine to your outfit makes it feel instantly celebratory. The entire jewellery industry is essentially built on this logic, after all. And it can be as simple as earrings. You can put a major pair on with an otherwise unremarkable outfit five minutes before you leave the house, take them off the moment you get home, and feel just that bit more pulled together in between. M&S has a pair of gold-and-monochrome charm drop earrings , featuring wonky pearls and tiny gold fish, that would feel like £20 well spent. The best shortcuts to a style upgrade are those, like earrings, that don’t pose the logistical problems that come with a party dress. They don’t require you to rethink your underwear and you won’t catch a...