Video: What to Wear With a Black Cocktail Dress

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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. A black cocktail dress, also known as the little black dress, is one of the most popular dress options out there. That's because they are so incredibly versatile. I think every woman should own one, or ten, LBDs. Our model Heather is sporting one black dress option. She has on a show stopping mini from Intermix. This little black dress is simple, but far from boring. The plunging neckline and the shorter hemline give this dress a super sexy quality. There are so many great things about an LBD. The dark color makes them generally more slimming and flattering on almost all body types and skin tones and as I mentioned before they are versatile. You can wear an LBD out to dinner, to an event, a wedding, sometimes a funeral and of course, a cocktail party. But the best thing about a black cocktail is all the different ways you can style it. For example, I can easily put a belt around the empire waist of this dress and create an exaggerated hourglass shape. I can lose the belt and layer on lots of pretty pearls or add a statement necklace. You can also mix up the look with your shoes. For an edgier look you can try an ankle boot or a knee high boot. For a more demure, ladylike look a closed toe pump. Tights will give you a longer, leaner line because it keeps everything monochromatic. But in the spring/summer you can certainly wear bare legs too. And don't forget about layering. You can always wear a jacket or a blazer over your black dress or even a pretty blouse under it. So you see, when it comes to your black cocktail dress, or LBD, there are no limits. It is truly the perfect blank canvas for so many fun accessories. So don't be afraid to experiment.