Little Black Dress styling

This season, I haven’t only browsed online retailers, but also the corners of my closet, and I rediscovered forgotten things I own and love. I’ve also come to the conclusion I love styling black with red.

I’m not one to wear an LBD that much, but I do know the importance of having one in our closets — it makes dressing up for occasions this much easier.

The thing is, LBDs are made for party season, the time we find ourselves in now. And when all else fails, the little black dress is there to get you ready in no time. My outfit proves it. Overall, it can’t be any simpler, yet, it adds just enough drama to blend in while standing out. That’s effective dressing for me.

When in doubt, here’s my formula for dressing for a party: a little black dress, tights, accessories (like a clutch), jewelry, and shoes. I’m breaking everything down below.

If you can believe it, I’ve had this little black dress for 14 years now! I bought it from Asos many moons ago, because I liked the style and the fabric, which has a velvety look (though it’s not velvet), giving it a luxurious look and feel. I haven’t worn it much, I have to admit, but even after all these years, I did not want to part with it. I think I’ll keep it still.

The clutch I’m wearing is just as old — a Jasper Conran find. I have been a fan of snake print and snake-embossed details forever, and this clutch was an immediate yes because of its color combination of white, grey, red, black, and brown, making it extremely versatile. Reason why I’ve held on to it all these years.

For jewelry, I went with a red coral necklace (this one is similar, but I like this one and this one as well), and the pearl earrings I can’t stop wearing!

For recreating the look, I love this velvet mini dress, adore this fit and flare mini dress, and this satin-twill mini shift dress. I also adore this mini dress for its classic silhouette. Check out more little black dresses below.

For party season, I highly recommend pairing an LBD with sparkly tights or shimmery tights. These metallic tights and these shiny ones are also great options.

As far as shoes, I went for black heels (for comfortable heels, I recommend these, these, and these — save 15% with code SF-EM-15) that perfectly blend into my black tights, thus elongating my legs. For another outfit, I wore red shoes, creating a contrasting look. My red shoes were a local find; try these, these, or these if you also want to add contrast.