Talk in my last column of lace- and otherwise scantily-clad women on the Fall ’09 Runway generated conversation among some of my friends and my editor about Cornell students’ most frequent occasion for getting scandalous: going out. I was going to say: “Friday and Saturday nights,” and then I remembered how the weekend apparently starts on Wednesday. As if there were not enough to figure out, getting dressed to go out is complicated by our lovely fall / winter weather.

Although I did just seem to endorse “being scandalous,” let me put this out there — and pardon me for being blunt to the X-treme — just because it’s after 10 p.m. and not Sun - Tues does not excuse or necessitate looking like, or in fact worse than, a cheap whore, regardless of how abstractly en vogue your shoes are. Was that fairly clear?

Having said that, I want to back up a few steps and say that going out is an excellent opportunity to cross or at least approach certain boundaries that are inappropriate for daywear. One of the reasons you can be a little more risqué is because of general cultural expectations, the origins of which I cannot pinpoint. But a situational advantage of the night and the types of places we tend to frequent when we go out is that they are dark; this means the effect of see-through or sheer blouses is tempered but still maintained. Remember that suggestion can be just as alluring as putting it all out there, so don’t automatically rule out draping and more architectural clothing; night is more formal so you can embrace that.

Here are just a few general points I’d like to make:

— The weekend, and especially the night time, is a time for relaxation but also for fun. It’s an opportunity to re-invent yourself, so take some risks, and don’t take yourself too seriously. (It’s also a fun opportunity to play with make-up!)

— Figure out your bra situation. Please. It will make you and everyone else around you so much more comfortable. No one wants to see either your heavy-duty, push-up, built-up squeeze-in bra nor the entirety of your bare breasts escaping out the top of that shirt.

— If you have to wear absurdly high, pointy-heeled shoes, and you insist on drinking, control your intake such that you do not step on other people’s feet with them. It really, really hurts. Really. And it damages the other person’s really sweet, reasonable kicks. Also, try not to spill on people; remember, not everyone at this school takes their once-worn clothes to Wegman’s to be dry cleaned.

— Black is safe, and sexy, yes, but not the only color in the world. Try a jewel-toned shirt with black bottoms, for example.

— Too much perfume / cologne just makes the tiny living room we’re all squeezed into more difficult to breathe in, so go easy on it, unless it complements stale tequila (lime scent, maybe?)

— Just as with everyday dressing, life is more fun if you try on a few different personalities. Yeah it’s fun to wear a skirt and heels out, but what if you went hipster for the night? Try some sweet kicks, skinny jeans, hoodie and a scarf. Or if that’s your normal wear, why not try a skirt in lieu of your jeans? Or try a lady-like belt or a pencil skirt to contrast a sheer lace blouse. If you typically dress up during the week, how about some baggy boy-style jeans, an A-shirt, chandelier earrings and a messy up-do?

Some quick words about going out in cooler temperatures: The challenge is to not freeze outside and not burn up inside where it will still probably be a million degrees. The additional trickiness comes with not losing one’s outerwear. Especially if where you’re going the coat-check is a large icky pile on the floor, the object is to have as few outer garments as possible, like a warm, washable coat, preferably with a hood and zip pockets (for your gloves). And general rule: don’t bring / wear anything you would be terribly distraught about losing.

On shoes: weigh seriously the benefits of high heels or flats without traction against the plus side of not breaking your nose after you fall on the ice (I really hate to bring this up prematurely, but do recall that we have some serious snow time coming up). Indulge your fancy-footwear fetishes now before the slush comes, and when it does, have some durable but cute shoes with good traction.

Basically, when you leave the house to go to the bars, to a frat, to a house party, ask yourself, “Am I comfortable in what I’m wearing?” (If you’re gonna be awkward all evening because of what you’re wearing, it’s not worth it.) “Will I be comfortable with it when I see the pictures of me on Facebook?”, “Am I having fun?” and, most importantly, “Can I dance in this?!” Cause gettin’ on the Good Foot is all anyone really needs.