Style & Fashion

The little black dress is every woman’s best friend. But it’s easy to get caught in the trap of selecting which dress to buy and forgetting all about accessorising it until the last minute. With the usual round of Christmas parties coming up, it’s worth spending some time thinking about how you will make your black dress uniquely yours – as well as discovering how you can dress it up to be worn on more than one occasion.

Jewelery is an excellent way to finish off an outfit, and it doesn’t have to be the expensive kind either. Costume jewelery is often made to very high standards, and even if you don’t have pierced ears you can usually find clip on earrings to complete an outfit. Think about less obvious accessories too, such as a brooch or pin.

Choosing a specific colour to complement a black dress is a good way of making it look completely different. You might like to select a colour that matches your eyes, for example, or blends in with a purse or clutch bag that you already have. The type of engagement you are attending may dictate which colours would be more appropriate – a fun office party may suit brighter colours, whereas a more formal dinner may call for understated pastel shades to complete the look. Think about the kind of parties you are likely to be going to and buy your accessories accordingly.

Clever use of accessories can also make party dresses more affordable. Instead of feeling obliged to buy a brand new party dress for every occasion, you can buy one or two more expensive dresses and change their overall look by purchasing a wider range of accessories that you can mix and match as required.

Accessories don’t always have to be small either. A shawl or pashmina is a fairly inexpensive item to add to an outfit, it can look very elegant, and it will also solve the problem of having to find a coat that will go with the black dress you have already bought.

You might be thinking that solid colours are the best way to accessorise a party dress, but patterns can also work extremely well. They can also help to disguise the fact you are wearing the same dress, if you go to more than one party where some of the guests are the same.

In short, the little black party dress is a very versatile item to have in your wardrobe for the upcoming party season. But make sure you devote some of your shopping trip to buying all those accessories as well, in order to get the best out of your outfit. You can then be assured of having a festive season to remember.

Andrew Regan

party dress