Perfect Little Black Dress

Ladies, we all have one.  Yes, I am talking about the perfect little black dress (LBD).  In short (or long), it’s a wardrobe essential and a woman’s secret to looking fabulous.  How do we know that it’s perfect?  Because every time, note EVERY time, we wear it, we feel sexy and chic.

The perfect LBD is timeless style – a woman’s signature statement.  It’s an investment hence we will search near and far for this prized possession.  It can be something as classic as the black shift worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.  Or it can be something as sexy and daring as a Victoria Beckham’s dress.  The only rule for this fashion staple is that it fits your body perfectly to highlight your assets.  Ladies, we want to own the room when we enter in our fabulous little number.

Beautiful women come in all sizes and shapes.  To play up your best features, you should seek out a LBD that flatters your figure.  Therefore, it’s important to identify your body type in order to understand what style will enhance your shape.

Women with a top-heavy body type look great in dresses with a draped or slightly blouson top and a fitted skirt that hugs the lower half of your body. This compensates your upper body by playing up curves where you are slimmest.

Apple-shaped women should avoid dresses with fitted tops or plunging necklines that emphasize a disproportionately larger upper half.

Women who are rectangular in shape look boyish rather than feminine due to the lack of a well-defined waist and a flatter chest. These women should look for dresses that create the illusion of a more feminine shape.

Dresses with an empire shape works with this body type by giving the visual effect of a waistline where there is none and a naturally fuller bust. Because women with this body type usually do not have big bosoms, they can wear daring scoop- and V-necklines without running the risk of looking too risqué.

Pear shaped or bottom-heavy women benefit from dresses that accentuate the bustline as they tend to balance out the proportions of the upper body relative to the naturally curvy lower body.  Dresses with fitted tops and straight skirts flatter pear shaped women.

Women with the voluptuous hour-glass shape typically have large breasts, curvy hips, and a small waist.  These women should try on dresses with V-neck fitted tops structured with darts or panels and an A-line skirt that flows out over the hips.

Regardless of your body type, choosing a little black dress that is simple but well structured, made of “seasonless” fabrics like a fine wool crepe or rayon crepe, with a hemline that hovers around the knee will stand the test of time.

Once you’ve found the perfect LBD with a classic shape that flatters your body type, you can wear it many times over (even in the same week) simply by accessorizing.

For a professional office look, throw on a cashmere cardigan or fitted blazer over the LBD and finish off with a strand of pearls.

Step out for a night on the town wearing the LBD with sexy metallic stilettos, sequined clutch, diamond earrings, and a faux fur shrug.

Go shopping in style wearing the LBD cinched with a thick belt, a brightly colored scarf around your neck, and a pair of tall boots.