LBD Experimental

Every woman should own a Little Black Dress, that goes without saying.  And if you've never heard this before then the women in your life did you a serious disservice when you were growing up.  Not to worry, we can remedy that situation easily with today's post.  The reason a little black dress is a closet necessity is that it is perfect for any occasion and black is so easy to style.  You can dress it up with pearls and pumps or dress it down with stud earrings and flats, either way you can use just the basics and at the very last minute and still look amazing.   

If you do not have a little black dress, get one.  Now.  Or at least after you finish reading this post.  You wardrobe will thank you, and you brain will thank you when a last minute something or other pops up and you don't have to stress because you've got your go-to fabulous dress hanging in the closet and on-call 24/7.

FemmeLuxe is one of my favorite collaboration partners and if, like most of the world, you've been spending more time at home lately, FemmeLuxe has some amazingly comfortable Joggers, T-Shirts, and Loungewear.  And, if you are in need of a fabulous little black dress, FemmeLuxe has you covered there too.  For today's post I'm going to showcase a dress that I chose because of its decidedly experimental flare--the Black One Shoulder High Neck BodyCon dress--Sabrina.  

This Sabrina dress comes in red, pink , and white too, but when trying something new you can't go wrong with black. I never worry anymore when I try a new style from FemmeLuxe, because I have loved everything I've styled with them, but I do understand that trying new things can be a little intimidating.  Sometimes starting with a very safe and versatile color like black makes trying a new style a little more encouraging.  So, never fear and let's dive in to today's Little Black Dress style.

A few things to note about this dress and why I chose it for this month's FemmeLuxe collaboration.  We've already discussed the need for a little black dress, but in addition to being that this Sabrina dress has some really interesting design choices going on and they make it a unique, stand-out dress even though it is a neutral color.  First of all, a bodycon dress is all about confidence.  Wearing a bodycon dress gives the air of self-assurance, even if you are feeling a little less than assured when you put the dress on.  

Trust me though, when it's the right dress you will feel more confident by the end of the evening, but if you need a little extra confidence boost, I would recommend some shapewear.  Shapewear undergarments have come a long way in the last few years and they can do amazing things for your figure, so don't be afraid to try one out to help give you the look you want.  For today's post I'm wearing the Empetua high waist shaper shorts from Shapermint and they just add a little toning and smoothness to enhance everything the Sabrina dress is already doing for my shape.  No shame in it, ladies, you're just making the most of what God gave you. 

Moving on to the long sleeves and mock turtle neck in this dress, they give a look of classic elegance.  Then as the eye travels over the dress the surprise of the cut away shoulder adds a look of modern sophistication.  The cherry on top of this dress is the ruched mesh fabric at one side of the bust.  This is such a great design choice to add that lovely bit of texture it creates even more visual interest at the cut-away side of the dress.

For styling, I could get playful, but I decided to keep it understated and simple as though this were a last minute invitation to an event and I needed to look stunning with little time to plan.  So, I chose my trusty peep toe patent pumps.  For jewelry pearls are always a classic choice, but for this dress I went with some statement earrings in the form of these black enamel paisley numbers.  

When it comes to make-up, here again I wanted to keep it simple.  You should really choose one feature to enhance, usually eyes or lips, but not both or else end up looking rather bawdy.  So, I did a very simple make-up facial make-up choosing to focus on bright lipstick instead of a complicated eye make up as a time saver.  And there you have a basic Little Black Dress Style with a pretty amazing LBD.

Shopping Info:  Black One Shoulder High Neck Bodycon Midi Dress--Sabrina from FemmeLuxeFinery.co.uk, Empetua™ All Day Every Day High Waisted Shaper Shorts from Shapermint