Fashion for Older Women: How to Accessorize Your Little Black Dress

The black dress – long or short – can be a little intimidating. Let’s break that thinking right now! Join us in discussion with fashion expert Melanie Payge who will demonstrate some fabulous looks with a simple black dress. Enjoy the show!

Margaret Manning:

Hello, everyone. Welcome to the special fashion edition of the Sixty and Me show. I’m in Milan, talking with fashion expert Melanie Payge, and we have the help of our friend Loius.

Today we’re discussing the essential basics in our wardrobe, with a focus of accessorizing our little black dress in such ways that it fits all kinds of situations. So, Melanie, let’s see how shoes and jackets can change the look of a single dress.

Melanie Payge:

I’ll begin by saying that a black dress can be very versatile. Louis, our model, is outfitted in a beautiful black dress which can be accessorized with a necklace of pearls or something else that you like, to turn it into an evening gown.

If you complement it with shoes with diamonds or rhinestones, and with a shawl, you have the perfect outfit for a big opening gala.

Sometimes we might want to wear sandals during the day. Obviously, you wouldn’t want to wear a long dress if it’s really hot. In mid-season though, a long dress could go well with a funky jacket like this one by Gianluca.

Here the designer has taken a print of the moon in a very nice light cotton. You can put this jacket on to fit the style of your dress into a very casual day outfit. You can wear a pair of cute beach sandals and just have a nice time while staying cool and fresh with just one dress.

If you needed to use the dress for an important luncheon or a day party, you could wear a wide-heel shoe in beige and a blue jacket with a bit of shine and color.

Then, if you you’ve taken this dress on vacation, and you have to wear it for the evening as well, you could change your shoes with ones that have rhinestones which match your jacket, and your dress is ready for another occasion – be it day or evening.

Margaret:

It’s amazing how much a pair of shoes can do to transform an outfit.

Melanie:

It is. The same goes about changing the jacket. That’s really a nice way to make the whole look come together. Our next look is going to be quite chic, because you don’t want to go for elegant all the time.

Margaret:

I know many women in our community would think, “I don’t own a long dress.” But these looks also work really well with a black dress that’s below your knee.

Melanie:

They do. Or they could work with a pant suit as well. I think a lot of women feel comfortable in a dress because it’s easy to wear, it flows nicely and it’s something that you can travel with. Many women want to have just one piece in their luggage when they’re traveling that they feel comfortable in.

A simple black jacket goes really well with this look. You don’t want to have too much color going on because the accent here are the colorful shoes, which make the dress look fantastic.

At the same time, if you’re going for an elegant evening look with your black jacket and dress – and maybe you’re going to have on your diamonds – you can wear a different type of special shoe which changes the outfit completely. It goes from funky and chic to extremely elegant.

So that’s how accessories can change the look of a simple black dress.

Margaret:

It goes to show that you can take a very simple black dress – short or long – and turn it into something that really expresses who you are. This has been a fantastic demonstration. Thank you so much for those tips, Melanie. Thank you, too, Louis. Take care. Bye.

What do you think about owning a black dress? Where would you wear it? Do you have one or more favorite black dress looks? Please join the conversation and share your fabulous black dress ideas!