This season’s varied dress styles prove that the classic party piece is anything but a Sugar Hut (TOWIE’s much-loved nightclub) favourite. With a little help from our favorite AW15 high street and high-end lookbooks, we show you the LBDs we’ll be wearing this season.

Here’s The Deal:

Velvet

The marmite of fabrics – women seem to have an allergy to it or love the luxe look of the material – velvet is the most opulent party choice. Go full throttle with a swing silhouette and voluminous sleeves or mute the rich fabric by wearing a velvet slip over a fine black polo neck jumper. Velvet dresses with lace or embroidery, meanwhile, allow you to mesh two key trends on the dance floor.

Victoriana

Let lace or ruffles creep up the neckline of babydoll dresses that sing of Dickensian glamour. Flat point-toe pumps are a failsafe footwear choice, while ankle or above-the-knee boots will ward off the chill on wintry evenings. High-neck maxi dresses will need a heel and drop wrist clutch to heighten the bewitching effect.

The slip

For the ultimate Kate-Moss-in-the-Nineties look you need only a slip dress for Saturday nights. Make sure you have a supportive strapless bra in your arsenal, and buy a roomy fit so that it doesn’t cling. Beginners can wear a tee or fine knit underneath.

Bohemian

For fluid party fare look for loose cotton dresses that boast ruching, lace-up neck detailing and voluminous sleeves. Add ankle boots and delicate stacking jewellery for company.

Lace

A lace overlay is a clever antidote for those who dislike baring their arms in an LBD. Others will find much to like in slip dress styles shrouded in delicate tulle. Keep accessories to a minimum, unless you are pairing with hard-edged, grungy pieces à la Sandro.

You Might Be Wondering:

What Is Little Black Dress (LBD)?

A little black dress (LBD) is a black evening or cocktail dress, cut simply and often quite short. Fashion historians ascribe the origins of the little black dress to the 1920s designs of Coco Chanel and Jean Patou intended to be long-lasting, versatile, affordable, accessible to the widest market possible and in a neutral colour. Its ubiquity is such that it is often simply referred to as the “LBD”.

The “little black dress” is considered essential to a complete wardrobe by many women and fashion observers, who believe it a “rule of fashion” that every woman should own a simple, elegant black dress that can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion: for example, worn with a jacket and pumps for daytime business wear or with more ornate jewelry and accessories for evening. Because it is meant to be a staple of the wardrobe for a number of years, the style of the little black dress ideally should be as simple as possible: a short black dress that is too clearly part of a trend would not qualify because it would soon appear dated.

SOURCES:

telegraph.co.uk/: The new little black dress code

en.wikipedia.org/: Little black dress