left | right

Lara popped this one into the suggestion box:

Is there a non-black alternative to the LBD? Black on my upper body depresses me, and I don’t like color blocking either. Then the modesty issue, sleeves and at least below the knee, please. So many beautiful LBD, but not for me. Any suggestions would be most helpful. 

So let’s start with the general: What can you wear if a black sleeveless sheath leaves you feeling cold or looking pallid?

Try navy instead

Navy seems to be a controversial color that many women associate with casual dressing, prepsters, and/or sailboats. And I’ll admit that many navy evening dresses look a bit odd. However, navy has all the darkness of black with none of the cold lifelessness. Navy pairs beautifully with loads of colors – as this post on complementing navy proved – and if you pick a simple navy dress with minimal detailing, you can load on the fun and funky accessories to complete your look. I suppose this might not fly at actual black tie, but anything less dressy than the dressiest should be just fine. read more