When you go out for the evening, it’s a commonly held premise that black always fits into any occasion. So if you don’t know what the dress code is or you just can’t find anything in your closet that seems to be working out, just wear black!
Age doesn’t matter because black always looks chic. As part of my Fall/Winter Evening Series, this subject fills in the gaps as a fail-safe category. There are at least 50 ideas here to help you out and most likely I’ll be adding more in the future. So you’ll never have to wonder what to wear on your nights out!
I have a black dress (or nine?!) that doesn’t get enough wear simply because black seems to be more dressy in my mind. But practically, I know it can be dressed down. So I decided to explore the many ways to do that. I’m sharing with you what I came up with. I have around 30 ideas below for how to dress down a black dress!
A black dress is basic and functional. Age doesn’t matter because a black dress fits all ages, sizes, seasons and occasions.
It can be layered or bundled for warmth in fall and winter. In spring and summer, casual accessories are the key to a laid-back look. The following ideas for how to dress down a black dress start with warm-weather outfits and gradually transition to cold-weather outfits towards the end.
A sleeveless blazer will help you keep your cool during spring and summer business events. But it can also be layered during cold weather, and it doesn’t have to be restricted to business. It is really quite versatile. There are so many ways to wear it that age doesn’t matter.
Treat this piece as you would your favorite jacket with sleeves. Look for one in a neutral hue, like khaki or black, that hits mid-hip. It should be tailored at the shoulders but cut away from the body. Then layer a fitted top underneath — a simple tank or blouse with a high neck works best. Finish with slim trousers to play up the menswear vibe, or opt for a sleek pencil skirt for a feminine contrast.
The sleeveless blazer is chic, refined and elongated. You can mix it with sweatshirts, sweaters, shirts, blouses, turtlenecks, etc.
The following outfit combinations are based on a black sleeveless blazer. As much as possible, I will refrain from calling it black so that it can be a formula you can easily translate. But if yours is not black, simply substitute the colors of your choice.
There are three categories of outfit ideas below. First, there are outfits for business; then there are casual outfits; and finally, there are evening outfits.
I was saddened by the news that Karl Lagerfeld died in Paris earlier this week at the age of 85. I’m glad he was with us for so long, but his talent will be missed in the world of fashion.
He designed for Fendi for 54 years, and is known particularly for his career as creative director for the house of Chanel for 36 years. Shortly after his death, his successor was confirmed as Virginie Viard. She was his longstanding right-hand helper in his work for decades.
Lagerfeld worked straight through to the end, although he was unable to attend the Chanel Haute Couture spring/summer 2019 show in January because he was “too tired.” Viard stood in his place at that show. It has been reported that Lagerfeld was working hard on the women’s autumn/winter 2019 Fendi collection up until his death, giving notes from his bed. Three days after his death, that final collection was shown in Milan.
Besides his designs, another thing I enjoyed about Lagerfeld was his witty and wacky thoughts as evidenced in his quotes…some thoughtful, some humorous, and some that implied the eccentricity that drove his unique creative career. Looking through his quotes for this post, I had a lot of good laughs. Lagerfeld held strong opinions and stated them boldly. Some are outrageous, controversial and not put politely. Those I skipped.
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