The Right Way to Pack for a New Year's Eve Hookup - Elle

Victoria Beckham leather shoulder bag, $2,995; Elizabeth and James Cynnie bag, $645; Valentino clutch, $2,075 ^[1] ^[2] ^[3]

If you might celebrate New Year’s morning in someone else’s bed, your purse needs more than the usual keys/Visa/phone combo. But it’s hardly chic to storm a crowded dance floor with a boxy tote on your shoulder—and just as uncomfortable to emerge from a hazy hookup cocoon into winter weather in last night's bare legs and high heels. The solution? A well-chosen evening bag…and some secret weapons stashed inside.

Luckily, there are a slew of deceptively roomy clutches and smaller shoulder bags on the market right now. One favorite: Valentino’s ^[5] large wristlet, which gets bonus points for its studded leather strap, which helps prevent a left-the-purse-in-the-cab calamity. Prefer a shoulder bag? Victoria Beckham ^[6] and Elizabeth and James ^[7] have great options that are sleek enough to go from day to evening…and evening to late night…and late night to 10 am…

As for the contents, here’s the deal: Your secret weapon is a foldable nylon tote bag. They weigh nothing, they take up zero space, and in the morning, you can throw your heels, your underwear, and even your evening bag inside. Two that work: Kate Spade’s “Treat Yourself” tote, $16,^[8] and Baggu’s Tote Be bag, $8.99 ^[9] . Pack a pair of ballet flats—the thinner, the better—and save room by placing their soles together, with the leather facing out. Topshop’s vibrant patent ballerinas, $32 ^[10] are super-slim and weigh less than a lipstick. And don’t forget a pair of tights—the sturdy, opaque kind that protect your legs from wind chill. DKNY tights are $20 for a two-pack ^[11] and have the same durability as the kind you wore in grade school. (Sadly, no pink hearts on these, but it’s okay.)

Et voila, you are all packed for your first 2014 liaison… though if you decide you’d rather delete the sexts and dance with your friends instead, that’s amazing, too.