LBD

It's time to talk about what to wear when you're going out in the evening! Fun subject, but sometimes fraught with stress especially if you're a little bigger than the average lady.  The main thing that gets me about evening wear is who wants to buy a dress or dresses that you almost never get to wear?  Who out there owns a cocktail dress and honestly gets a lot of use out of it?

This is where the Little Black Dress comes in so terribly handy.  Every woman has heard those words, but maybe not everyone knows exactly what a little black dress entails.  But, it's pretty much just what it says.  It's generally a cocktail length (to the knee) black dress.  Period.  Black is flattering, simple and elegant and can give a dressier impression for evening, and it's kind of a blank canvas color.  If you get the right black dress, you can wear it to a whole range of different evening occasions.  Some black dresses can even be dressed down with  a blazer or cardigan and a change of shoes and accessories, depending on the dress.  Some LBDs are a little shinier than others, of course, and you wouldn't want to wear a beaded dress with spangles to the office, but to each her own, right?  I'll give a few examples of LBDs and then some nice alternatives to the LBD that can be just as versatile and talk a little about why. 

This is the "Stop Staring" swing dress from Unique Prom.  It's a prom website, which makes me cringe a little, but the dress is rayon, which is one of my favorite fabrics, as it hangs and moves so much nicer than polyester, but is still a real bargain.  It's a little pricey at $166, but I think it's so incredibly cute for a person who wants to inject a little element of fantasy into their evening wear.  And it can be dressed up or down for the occasion.  For instance, imagine it with some less dressy accessories, something whimsical with a splash of color:

And you could wear this to a casual party or to dinner and a movie and you'd be looking sharp, but not so formal.

But imagine wearing it with more dressy accessories:

And it's good to go for the ballet or opera or something else more formal.  I put in a colored shoe there because I'm think it's really easy for an outfit to become boring if its all black-black-black.  I like color.  You could do a silver shoe instead, though.  Also, a note:  If you're wondering what makes a shoe more or less formal, look for a narrower heel.  For jewelry, more shine and something more delicate.  Colorful, chunky jewelry is more casual.

Another black dress: 

Chiffon Petal Gown from Nordstroms.  I love this dress!  I love the layered chiffon ruffles.  I love the defined waist and the v-neck and cap sleeves.  It's elegant and very, very feminine, and definitely qualifies as a little black dress.  Because it's so feminine and delicate, it'll be a little trickier to dress down, but I'll try. 

There's how I would dress it down.  It's still pretty dressy, but the off white lace over it makes the whole thing sort of old fashioned and romantic and the cosmos bib necklace gives a little whimsy.  Some pink or pale blue shoes would have been nice, too, and dressed it down more, even.  And to dress it up, you could just use the same dressy accessories as the outfit above.  Or a very delicate lace shawl would be lovely with this dress.

So, just rapid-fire, here are a few great little black dresses:

Ralph Lauren from Macys.  Once I bought Kate a Ralph Lauren dress for a dance (from an outlet store).  The quality was fantastic.  It had all this internal structure built into the dress that really helped support and smooth everything out.  This photo reads navy to me, but Macy's website assures me it's black.  GREAT LBD,  The shirring of the fabric to the side and under the bust will forgive a multitude of little lumps and bumps. With some heels and a sparkly necklace, a bracelet and a clutch purse, you could dress it up for a night out.

A cool faux wrap dress designed by Michael Kors.  A wrap dress is every woman's friend.

Crossover Ruched Dress from Kohl's is a great buy and an example of something sleeveless.  The little drapey bit on the side is pretty cute.

Sleeveless embroidered dress with Jacket from Macys.  Why not try a little navy dress instead of a little black dress?  Navy and charcoal are my favorite neutrals.  I find them so tailored and proper looking.

Or, you could repurpose a nice suit for evening.  Put this one-button suit together with a low cut, silky camisole or a sequined tank top, some hot shoes, sparkly accessories and a clutch and you can paint the town!

Last but not least, why not a little red dress?  It's fun and different and if the dress is simple enough you can wear it in other contexts, too!