Can a black dress be casual?

The gorgeous little black dress sitting in your closet doesn’t have to be relegated to evening wear a few times a year. Leverage the dress’ versatility!  You can dress up or down, depending on the occasion.

Here are five tips on how to turn your little black dress into a more casual daytime outfit with any of these simple ideas. Try experimenting with your dress. What works best with the dress depends a lot on its style, cut, and fit.

1. Consider the shoes:
You can dress pretty much any outfit up or down depending on the occasion. If you want a more casual look, then look to your feet. Instead of wearing some glamorous stilettos, wear some cute flats, ankle boots, or even nice sneakers. Pretty much any flat you want to wear will transform the dress into a more casual affair.

2. Wear a jacket:
To make your dress look less evening or formal wear, throw on an over sized jacket or blazer. It doesn’t even to match precisely. Any over sized jacket, coat sweater, or blazer can do the trick.

3. Add other layers:
Depending on the weather, try adding some layers either on the dress or under. Try a tank top, long-sleeved or short-sleeved t-shirt as an under layer. Depending on the dress, a smart white button-down shirt could look great. If it’s winter, try a turtleneck.

4. Minimize accessories:
For a more casual look to your little black dress, keep the jewelry and accessories to a minimum. Jewelry and bling tend to dress up an outfit. If you want to wear jewelry, keep it simple.

The real beauty and advantage of a little black dress – and why every woman should own at least one – is its versatility. Get creative. Dress it up or down with these and other simple ideas! The most important thing is that you feel great in the dress, irrespective of how you wear it.

I show 5 cute yet super-easy unique ways to wear a little black dress that any girl can rock! Who says you need a new dress every time you go out? Re-wear this wardrobe essential and create a different outfit each time!

Hey gorgeous! Every girl knows that a little black dress is a wardrobe essential. But it’s not just for parties or night-outs. You can style an LBD in so many different ways. It’s a really versatile piece that can work for anything from casual dates to lunches to shopping to travelling – basically anything.

Personally, I love to carry this LBD when I travel and I accessorize it differently every time. I create comfy day-time looks that I can walk around in. And in the evenings, I accessorize it up a little to create cocktail looks.

5 Ways to Wear a Little Black Dress for All Occasions

So today I want to show you ways to wear a little black dress in five different ways that any girl can rock!

1. Classic Evening Look

This evening look is the easiest and most common way is style a little black dress. Just add black stilettos and a cute pair of earrings and you’re good to go! Pumps are, of course, the best shoes to wear with a little black dress if you want a classic look. Or go for strappy heels. You can add a glittery pink or red lipstick or smokey eye makeup.

This classic LBD look can be a great idea for dates or an anniversary dinner. Or it can work for a black tie event or cocktail party, for which you can add pearl necklace or statement diamond earrings. I showed this look in my last video about what to wear on a first date.

2. Street Style/ Casual LBD Look

Wondering how to wear a black dress casually? You can wear your LBD over a t-shirt and sneakers for a very casual yet chic daytime look. Accessorize with a cross-body bag and stud earrings.

3. College Look

Another casual way of wearing a little black dress is to add a denim jacket. This look can go from day to night by just slipping into heels. How to wear a little black dress in winter? Instead of a denim jacket, add a leather jacket for light winters.

You can go for a black color hose to wear with black dress and black shoes. For a colder weather, you can try this next look…

3b. How to wear a black dress to work?

Well, instead of the denim jacket, just pair your LBD with a black formal blazer. Be sure to choose a plain LBD. Go for black or grey trousers underneath it, and accessorize with a structured handbag and pearl studs. Skip the eyeshadow.

4. Glam/ Trendy Look

A glam and trendy way to style a little black dress is to wear it over skinny leather pants. I tucked it in a little bit in the front to make it look like a hi-low top. You can also make this a grunge look by adding black eyeshadow and messy hair. Or you can try Goth makeup with it.

If it’s winter-time and you’re wondering what to wear over black dress, try a matching wool jacket for the fail-safe look. To spice it up, go for a leopard print wool jacket, or a white down jacket if it’s really cold. Pair it with black boots over the leather pants.

5. A Pop of Color

One of my favorite ways to wear a little black dress is by adding color through accessories. Either keep it colorful or match them all in a single color. Adding color to a plain black dress is a beautiful way to create new looks each time, and it’s a very Instagrammable way to rock an old dress!

You can also try a colorful scarf. How to wear a scarf with a little black dress? Well, we have a whole guide to scarves here: How to Style a Scarf | 5 Different Ways to Use Scarves

So that was my guide on ways to wear a little black dress. I hope you found my looks helpful.
Which one was your favorite? Comment below! And I would love to see your LBD look.
So tag me in your Instagram pic @shilpaahujadotcom. Muaah!

Also read our other articles on a little black dress:

– What to Wear with a Black Dress | 5 Casual LBD Outfit Ideas
– What to Pair with a Black Sweater Dress: Casual Spring Outfit
– How to Accessorize a Little Black Dress from Day to Night

Shilpa Ahuja

Shilpa Ahuja the editor-in-chief of ShilpaAhuja.com, which she founded with the goal of inspiring confidence in the modern working woman through fashion. Other than defining the direction of the magazine, she also writes about fashion & beauty trend forecasts, industry analysis, and opinions.

Shilpa’s work has been published in the University of Fashion blog and Jet Airways magazine. She is also an artist, illustrator and cartoonist. She is also the creator of Audrey O., a comic series that represents the lifestyle of millennial women. She enjoys creative writing and world travel. Her art has been exhibited at Harvard Graduate School of Design and the Aroma Hotel, Chandigarh and been published in Chandigarh Times.

Originally from Chandigarh, Shilpa also has a degree in architecture and has worked in interior project management. She is also the author of the book “Designing a Chinese Cultural Center in India”. Shilpa has a Masters in Design Studies degree from Harvard University.

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