The Art Of The Little Black Dress

My love for Boden basics (one of those great stores where you get good quality, and while they are a little pricier than places like H&M, you can always find a Boden discount code floating around on sites like MyVoucherCodes!) is well documented (here, here and here for example), and since arriving in Los Angeles, I have found that style wise, both with my sartorial choices and by beauty regime I seem to have become embedded in the cities laid back attitude and I've become a lot less high maintenance than I used to be. As a result of this, I seem to be accumulating many more basic pieces in my wardrobe, and something I think I need a few more of here simply because I can wear them just on their own, are little black dresses. 

Hannah Dress: £90.30

While I do need more warmer weather ones for every day (though it is, thankfully, starting to cool down a bit here now), it is rather chilly in the evenings, so what would be my every day layered long sleeves in England now become my going out for dinner or desert with friends without needing to remember a jacket dresses. Yes, going out for desert is a thing here, a tradition I think we need to get going in London; last night with my roommates we drove up to Beverly Hills for the Sprinkles Cupcake ATM (it is 24 hour!) and the adjacent Sprinkles ice cream parlour - I really recommend a scoop of the Vanilla and Morello Cherry ice cream in a red velvet waffle cone. And then a cupcake from the ATM to take home with you! 

Broderie Top Dress: £149

Anyway, back to the dresses. Desert runs aside, a simple black evening dress with lace sleeves is suitable anywhere  for any age from about 18 to 80 so is the ultimate investment piece. They also suit most evening climates, so something like this beautiful number is my excuse to keep on buying Winter clothing from Boden even when it is 25 degrees outside, it is October and your family back in England are lighting the wood burning stove in an attempt to bring some warmth into the rapidly cooling house. 

Annabel Dress: £139

I could talk about accessorising, like with jewellery and shoes and bags for these black dresses, but sometimes I think with a little black dress less is more - look at the incredible hair and makeup looks in these lookbook photos. The first look is basically howI dress in London; loose hair, natural makeup but with a little darker emphasis on the eyes, a wool or knitted dress, tights and long brown boots. The perfect, simple, everyday look.

Since arriving in Los Angeles and finding my hair goes rather mental in the heat I've been mastering the art of the elegant up do, but I'm no wear near as stylish as the model in the second and third photos. A classic up do like that can really class up any black dress at any time of the day, with natural makeup for every day wear, and a blod red, pink or coral lip to bring the look from day to night in just a few minutes.


What are your tips for getting the most out of the classic little black dress?

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