Grandma - and those timelessly stylish French femmes - have always had it right. When it comes to fashion, they cherry-pick the trends for what best flatters their own body type and complexion, pay more for better quality fabric and construction, and always always choose quality over quantity. However, in today's fast-fashion, 15 Minute Trend world, that has seemed downright boring and out of date.
Until recently.
Over the past year or so, savvy fashionistas have been returning to fashion (& grandma-approved) basics, showing that one dress can see a girl through any number of occasions, seasons, and even an entire year (we particularly loved Sheena Mathieken's Uniform Project using a single chic Eliza Starbuck LBD). Valerie Elizabeth, aka the Society Stylist, also proved that with the right canvas, it's possible to create endless numbers of looks simply by being creative with layers & accessories. By rocking the same Little Black Dress for 31 days straight last year, she demonstrated that you don't need a closet stuffed to the rafters to look good; rather, you need the right high-quality foundation pieces and classic staples which then return the focus to your creativity - and you!
This year, she invited other fashion bloggers to join the fun. "Throughout the 'Experiment' I often was asked if anyone could do what I was doing and people mentioned they’d love to see how other fashionistas would style their LBD," she explains. "So this year, in honor of the one year anniversary of “The Little Black Dress Experiment” we reached out to 31 bloggers and style icons across the nation to see how they would style their Little Black Dress." Each of us received the same Ann Taylor LBD - plus other cool sponsor goodies including a black messenger bag from Saddleback Leather Co., a gray "infinity" scarf by Donni Charm, Spanx, Heelys Skate Shoes, Hard Night Good Morning daytime moisturizer with SPF 20, and fabulously fun fuschia "Jelly Bean" watch by Michele. Our mission? To each show how to take the same staple piece and make your own!
Here's more about how we chose to style our new LBD:
Because we love a classic - icon, color scheme, fashion item - we decided to combine them all in a single look! The crispness of black & white always brings to mind Jackie O at her most iconic & stylish, and we added some zing to our Ann Taylor frock (which is currently 20% off just for you) with a vintage zebra print belt and one of Patricia Fields fun graffiti clutches we picked up for a song on HSN.com, plus our fab new Michele watch.
For more on the look and how we intend to dress it up and down this Fall, be sure to check out SocietyStylist.com!
- Lesley Scott
[DISCLOSURE NOTE: Everyone in the "tour" is participating voluntarily and no one - including me - is being financially compensated for their involvement. I will note however that each blogger is being provided the Ann Taylor dress to style for her look, as well as a number of gifts from tour sponsors to include in our looks or to review separately, during the month of August. Here is more about the individual sponsors, plus links to their sites, FB & Twitters. ]
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