How To Style a Black Dress

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No closet is complete without a black dress in there. It’s the type of clothing you can wear to a formal event, a funeral, or something casual, so let’s say it embodies the word “versatility”.

However, there’s a problem with versatility. For the versatile style, it is harder to style it. For example, when it comes to wearing something like a simple black dress, you might wonder how you should wear it. Do you dress it up or down? What accessories go with it for which occasion? And the shoes! Which shoes do you wear? Once the questions start flowing here, there’s pretty much no end to them.

The good thing is, when it comes to fashion, there’s an answer for every situation, and those are the answers we bring you today!

In this post, we’ll be doing a complete rundown on everything you need to know about styling a black dress, so the next time you pull yours out, you’ll know exactly how to style it, no matter the occasion!

5 Types of Black Dresses You Need in Your Closet

Before we get into how you can style your black dresses, let’s quickly gloss over 5 types of black dresses you need to have in your closet.

Little Black Dress

Little black dresses have been a must-have for decades now. That’s because they can pretty much be worn on any occasion. If you’re investing in a little black dress, go for a plain chiffon little black dress. With it, you’ll have the option of accessorizing it to make it casual-chic or super formal or keep things simple by just wearing it as is. The possibilities are endless with the right LBD!

Long Black Dress

While having a little black dress, you can’t ignore the impact a long black dress can have. If you’re the type who only wears short dresses on casual occasions, you can invest in one or two longer ones for formal occasions. However, that doesn’t mean that they can’t also work for casual occasions. You can also get a flowy, casual long black dress, so the cut matters here. Try flowy for the casual days and more form-fitting versions for the formal days!

Simple or Busy Black Dresses

Finally, we have the two categories that will complete your black dress closet. When you’re looking for dresses, pick a simple one, so you have more room to switch up the look with them and one that’s super flashy and out there that you can save for special occasions. That way, you’ll be able to wear a black dress on any occasion, just as long as you know how to style it right!

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Ways to Style a Black Dress – How to Accessorize a Black Dress?

Now that we’ve discussed the types of black dresses you need in your closet, let’s review the best ways to style the dresses.

Black dresses can quite literally be worn anytime, anywhere. That also means you must know precisely how to style them for every occasion so nothing looks out of place.

Below are some of the main ways you can style black dresses:

Casual – How to Style a Black Dress Casually?

Before you try wearing black dresses any other way, you need to know how to wear them casually. People often mix up casual with totally simple and bare, and that’s not the way to go. When you style black dresses casually, they still need a little accessorizing to bring together the whole look, so things don’t look lazy.

When styling a black dress to be worn casually, you can elevate the look and make things much more put together by adding the right accessories. Start with a crossbody bag to give a casual feel to the look. With it, match some designer bracelets, cufflinks and a few rings. In a casual setting, pairing the dress with studs or mismatched earrings would be much better than wearing a bib necklace. Instead, wear a necklace with a simple pendant necklace to keep things in line with the simpler, casual look.

This way, you will still look put together without looking like you’re overdressed for a simple lunch.

Formal

How to Accessorize a Black Dress for a Formal Event?

There are various ways to style a formal dress and wear it casually. We’ll start things off with a simple long black dress, as you’d do better at most formal events with a longer one. Here, you can choose a form-fitting black dress and pair black or contrasting pump heels to elevate the look. After that, try out a statement necklace that draws the eye up. That way, your dress will have a moment, but you won’t get drowned.

To take things one step further here, find some statement studs, something like a sparkly gem, or simple white pearls, whatever you end up more comfortable with. Then, throw on a nice studded bracelet and a ring, and wear your hair sleek (updo or down), and you’ll have a super put-together formal look!

How to Accessorize a Black Dress for a Wedding?

On the other hand, if the formal event is something like a wedding, which is somewhat of a semi-formal event, you don’t necessarily have to go as heavy on everything. For example, you can leave the necklace and use a simpler pendant. For the final touches, you can wear your hair in soft curls instead of wearing it super sleek to achieve a softer, semi-formal look. With it, your entire look is complete, and you have a put-together look using a long black dress!

Office-Appropriate

Many people think that black dresses can only be worn outside the workplace when that’s not the case. You can wear a black dress to your office too, but you must be mindful about which one you’ve chosen and how to style it. First of all, pick a thicker fabric. It can be stretchy and easy to wear, but it’ll be better to have it on the thicker side. Next, look for a midi dress, something with sleeves would be best, but you can go sleeveless top. Pair the dress with a short blazer to make it more office-chic to turn things up a notch, but you can work it without that too. Finally, get some simple black heels or flats, and throw your hair in a bun for a complete office-appropriate look!

Summer

No summer is complete without a wardrobe full of lovely summery dresses. But at the same time, nothing comes close to the look of a gorgeous black dress on a summer night. In this case, you’re looking at a flowy chiffon dress. You can go for one of all lengths here; as long as the fabric is flowy and the cut is on the looser side, the whole thing will look great! Since the summertime is about layering as little as possible. Just pair the look with a few lovely bracelets stacked together or a solid bangle. The simplicity of the look is what will make it light and summery!

Winter

Just because the winter gets cold doesn’t mean you can’t wear your favourite black dresses. For a daytime look, layer a chunky sweater over your clothing and pair opaque leggings with something like the doc martins underneath.

If you want to wear the same dress for a night out, swap out the leggings for sheer ones and the boots for thigh-high boots instead. With that, you can layer a long coat on top and accessories using layered necklaces, rings and long earrings, and you’ll have a completely different look wearing the same dress!

Black Dresses – True Staples for Life

Black dresses are those pieces in one’s closet that would work for any person. As long as you keep the suitable dresses in your collection and have all the different accessories, it would help if you styled them differently. Then, you’d be able to wear the same dress in many different ways.

With all the information outlined in this article, you’ll know which dresses you need in your closet, which settings they work in, and which accessories you should keep swapping around for different looks! Next, you must try to create different looks with your black dresses.

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