The party season poses some quandaries. The escalating demands on your diary require you to regularly swap office chair for bar stool, but rarely with the liberty of a trip home between. So what you wear needs to work twice as hard – and be twice as versatile – to take you straight from work to play.

The key is simple pieces that can be styled both ways. Enter the folks at menswear e-tailer Combatant Gentlemen, whose affordable collections are slick enough to carry you from quarterly reports, to your first Negroni, with a handful of subtle tweaks. It’s time to stop being a dull boy, Jack, and learn how to #HolidaySmarter.

Dress To Impress: From Day To Night

The Camel Coat

Outerwear is the key to your transition from office to out. But in your choice of coat lurks a series of pitfalls, ready to trap the unwary man. Steer too formal and you’ll be swerved all night, as people worry that you’ll find a way to steer every conversation back to year-end projections. But head too far towards casual styles and your colleagues will confuse you with the intern.

In the sweet spot sits the camel coat. Like its namesake, it’s a coat designed to weather every environment: the neutral tone is less stuffy than black or navy, but still sits pretty over any other shade; the mid-thigh cut is more modern and easier to move in than a knee-brushing overcoat; and because it’s single-breasted, you can wear it open to reveal the dressed-up-or-down outfit underneath.

To maximise versatility you want to take a cue from your tailoring and steer slim. Skinny fits are fine for the office, but are too formal for off-duty. And you’re best off leaving that oversized thing to Kanye, unless your CV is similarly avant-garde.

Combatant Gentlemen’s take keeps things classic with a soft shoulder and nipped in silhouette that pairs as happily with tailoring as jeans. So neither your boss, nor your date, will be left with the hump.