Video: How to Dress for a Formal Occasion

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About the Expert

Erin Busbee

http://www.busbeestyle.com/

Ever since Erin Busbee was a little girl she has had a passion for fashion and beauty… dressing her friends and family, including her poor baby brother and styling hair for any and all willing participants. It’s a love she has carried into her professional life. For years, Busbee worked as an award-winning producer for WCBS-TV in New York, where she routinely researched and wrote about fashion trends. She also collaborated closely with top magazine editors/writers from the most elite fashion publications like “Vogue,” “Elle,” “In Style,” and “Lucky” Magazines. In 2005, she founded Hewitt Media Consulting through which she personally trained CEO’s, entrepreneurs, magazine editors and TV reporters. Her consulting sessions always included fashion and beauty pointers, helping clients shine for their major TV appearances. Erin didn’t stay behind the scenes; she has been front and center with extensive experience on camera. She worked as an anchor/reporter in Watertown and Rochester, New York. She also became the entertainment/fashion reporter for WCBS-TV where she kept up on all the hottest trends. In 2007, she took on the role as host and producer for Hotnewz.tv, a revolutionary Internet news program focused on the young and hip college crowd. Erin created and wrote a weekly segment for Hotnewz called “Fashion Fix.” It gave viewers the inside scoop on, what else, fashion! Recently, Erin moved to the Texas Hill Country and started her image consulting business “Busbee Style”. Busbee Style is her newest baby, a passion for sure! Through Busbee Style, Erin does personal shopping, fashion styling and closet organization. Now, Erin is dressing and styling all types of Texans from cowboys to socialites.

Transcript

Hi, I'm Erin and I'm a fashion stylist. It's not everyday we get invited to attend a formal or black tie party. So, this is not the time to just grab something out of your closet. For a formal occasion, you really need to step it up. Our model, Brittany is wearing a gorgeous floor length gown by Laundry. This navy one shoulder stunner is from Neiman Marcus. Formal basically means you have to wear a floor length or a longer gown. I chose this fitted simple silhouette to really highlight Brittany's curves. I'm also a big fan of minimal formal gowns. I think when you start adding rhinestones and ruffles, you dive into potentially dangerous tacky territory. The dark navy color keeps her looking long and lean. I love navy as an alternative to black. It's still slimming but slightly different and will stand out in the inevitable sea of black. I also love to pick out evening wear dresses with a little glitter. This dress has a tasteful amount of sparkly beading along along the side seam. Other interesting even wear color choices, metallics and reds. I absolutely love a gold gown. There's a reason this color always shows up on the Oscar and Golden Globe red carpet. It's incredibly glamorous. The same is true of red. Red always looks red hot at a ball or Gala. I think red also works well with many different skin tones. Our model's dress makes such a statement on its own, I wanted to keep the rest of her look pretty simple. I chose a delicate black and rhinestone heel, a pair of crystal drop earrings and a bracelet. Keep in mind when purchasing your dress, if it doesn't fit perfectly in the store, you will have to have it tailored. And tailoring is expensive. For a formal gown, it can be 100 dollars or more. Department store tailors can be as much as double the price of regular tailors. So, my advice, look for a reputable and affordable tailor outside the department store. That should help save you some cash.