Guest Post: A Stylist’s Guide to Choosing the Right Little Black Dress
The little black dress first appeared in American Vogue in 1926. However, it was Audrey Hepburn who made it iconic when she wore an LBD in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”. I guess we can thank Holly Golightly for turning the simple and sophisticated little black dress into a timeless classic.
In the never ending battle between quantity and quality, fast fashion syndrome predominates our fashion experience. We are constantly bombarded by new trends of low priced clothes made of low quality materials. Because of the poor quality, consumers are bound to regularly buy new clothes. However, if you want to have a timeless LBD in your wardrobe, you need it to be timeless in the literal sense too. Opt for a high quality dress that you can wear for years to come.
If you’re about to spend money on the perfect LBD, here’s how to choose the right dress.
Body Type
The first thing you should take into consideration is your body shape. If you have a pear or apple shaped body, empire waist and A-line LBDs are ideal for you. Any kind of a belted dress or a dress that accentuates your waist is the right LBD for a rectangular figure. I think strapless LBDs are what women with an inverted triangle body shape need. Finally, you’re a lucky girl if you have an hourglass body shape as any kind of dress that accentuates your curves will suit you perfectly.
Fabric
The best fabrics for dresses are cotton voile, cotton lawn, rayon challis, double gauze, knit, silk, satin or wool. You have plenty of choices, but the trick is to find a fabric that suits both the season and the occasion. If you plan to wear a LBD during summer or spring, chiffon, satin or cotton are a good choices. On the other hand, choose wool, polyester or velvet during the colder months. For a formal occasion choose silk or satin which can be matched with various embellishments. For a semi-formal occasion, I think the best fabric is rayon challis or cotton. Choose cotton, wool, double gauze or knit for casual looks.
Occasion
Make sure that the shape of the dress suits the occasion. You could go for an elegant and sophisticated LBD for formal occasions and a more casual version for other events. However, I think that the best possible option is choosing a little black dress that can transition from formal to informal and back again. Simply change your make-up, accessories and shoes to best suit the occasion.
This guest post is by Peter Minkoff. Peter is a fashion stylist and a writer located in Brisbane, Australia. He is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Creative Design and has worked as a wardrobe assistant for many local fashion events. He plans to start a freelance styling business. Follow Peter on Twitter for more fab styling tips.
