Another reader request comes from Cynthia. Cynthia is an associate at an IP law firm in Texas and is worried about an upcoming party thrown by one of her firm’s largest clients. It’s a pretty fancy dinner; no ballroom gowns, thank goodness, but a black suit affair. She wants to go with a black dress, but wants to dress it up a little because everyone and their donkey will, presumably, be wearing a black dress.
So, let’s see if we can’t help Cynthia out.
Boy, was this a doozy. I went a little crazy with this one and picked out red shoes and a red handbag, as well as gold shoes and a gold handbag. Both work; it’s up to your personal taste now and whatever you think would be most appropriate.
Flirty Little Sleeveless Squareneck Dress (SALE) ………. $65.00
Arnoldoa shoes in Gold (SALE) ………. $34.98
Arnoldoa shoes in Red Suede [Croc] (SALE) ………. $59.98
Alfani Genova Cut out Handle Clutch (SALE) ………. $37.99
Jessica McClintock Leaf Embossed Clutch ………. $41.00
Faceted Round Petals Ring ………. $4.80
Mischa Assorted Bangles Set ………. $6.80
Laser Cut Floral Cuff ………. $6.80
Hoo, boy.
Okay, let’s get down to it.
The dress. If Congress were to pass a bill and Obama were to sign it into law that one Huma Rashid could only ever buy dresses from Victoria’s Secret, I’d be surprisingly okay with that. Sure, I’d miss Anthropologie and ModCloth, but, come on. Victoria’s Secret’s got a great arsenal of amazing dresses that are appropriate for all sorts of occasions.
This is an LBD with an interesting squareneck. Love squarenecks. They’re daring but not really. You don’t have the Bobsey Twins on full display, but you’re flashing the collarbones, which is sexy in its own right. All hail the many variations of the LBD.
The great thing about the squareneck is that it creates these pseudo-lapels that are a great place to put that red and gold rose brooch. I was trying to find one like mine, which is a pretty bouquet of red roses with gold stems and leaves and such, but I couldn’t so this one will have to do. Raid your mom or your g-mom’s jewelry box; you’re sure to come up with something you can use.
The brooch is gold and red, which means you can go two ways: red accessories or gold ones. Or black ones, I guess, but where’s the fun in that?
If you went gold, these shoes from Aldo’s are lovely. Not a gaudy gold, thank goodness, but a nice, shimmery, pale-ish one. They match up quite nicely with the squarish gold clutch.
If you wanted to paint the town red, the same shoes come in a red crocodile style for a little extra. They go well enough with the square red clutch up there.
As for the jewelry, I figured the other items were a bit pricey for the budget I usually stick to for BCSs, so I hopped over to Forever21 and picked out a few things so you could get the gist of it.
I picked the gold flower ring (with reddish/pinkish tones) as a nice oversized cocktail ring, which, remarkably enough, are still popular. Personally, I hate rings. I hate things on my hands. I do too much with my hands to worry about trinkets messing up my rhythm (that’s what she said). And when I do wear rings, I wear tiny, delicate ones, or single-stones. Nothing oversized at all. But whatever.
The bangles add interest. They’re black and gold, so they tie in with the dress. The cuff is the same way. All these accessories work with this outfit. Add a pair of big old dangly earrings and you don’t have to worry about a necklace.
Hope this gave you some good ideas, Cynthia! Have fun at the party.
Just a disclaimer, but if you’re going to be wearing a large piece on your fingers, stay away from wearing too many bangles or large thick bangles. It’ll be too gaudy. If you want a ‘BAM’ statement, pick one or the other, or pick one and go with something else smaller.
It’s kind of like chandelier earrings and a statement necklace. It takes away from what’s really important – your face, because both pieces of jewelry are so large that they clash with one another and makes the person you’re talking with not know where to look.
Just my two cents.
I LOVE VS DRESSES, BTW. I saw her face and went, BAM this is a VS dress. hahaha. yay hoooooooooma. great post.
Ack. I’m kicking myself for making that mistake! You’re right – if you’re picking an oversized piece like dangly earrings or a big ol’ cocktail ring, best to let it speak for itself.
This is what happens when one doesn’t wear too many rings and only slaps on the occasional leather cuff bracelet when one remembers. 😛
What would I do without you, Sue?