By AnnMarie Proudfoot

Dear Ask the Stylist

I picked up a faux leather dress in H&M a few weeks ago for my Christmas party. It looks more expensive than it was fits perfectly and is really comfortable to wear, and I would probably wear it again. I was thinking of wearing it with black tights, suede ankle boots and a black blazer.

However now I’m panicking like mad that I will be totally off the fashion radar, as the trend seems to be for velvet and lace for the party season and I’m wondering if what I was thinking of wearing with it makes me look like I’m heading to a funeral instead of out for the night? I would really appreciate any help you can send my way, before I run out and spend money on something that I’ll probably not wear again and that everyone else is already be wearing! G.

Hi G

Firstly, don’t panic, we’re here to help!  To start, you are not off trend; you can’t go wrong with black as a base colour. I do understand your concern that all black can look a little funeral like or can tend to make us look a little pale in the winter.

Before running out to buy a whole new outfit, let’s work with what you have. The dress sounds great and for €20, what a bargain! I think you have the basis for a really nice outfit; I would just add a little colour or design into it, to lift the overall look.

Here are four options to add to your current outfit. I have taken examples from ASOS, River Island and Topshop, but if you can’t get to these stores you should be able to pick up similar options from other high street stores.

1. A statement scarf . This Aztec print scarf will work great with all black.

2. Statement tights.  They will add interest and a bit of fun to your outfit. Wear some stacked up bracelets with this look.

3. A statement bag. Gold metallics look great with black. Team this with stacked bracelet from above.

4. A statement belt.  Adding a belt over your blazer with give it a nice feature and also add a good shape to your figure.

Hope this helps. Let us know how you get on with the outfit. Enjoy your night out!

AnnMarie

 This Ask the Stylist was brought to you by stylist AnnMarie Proudfoot – read more about her on Proudfoot Style.

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Firstly, what a cute dress! Thanks for sending in the pic. The dress in itself is your statement piece so I’d advise keeping the rest of your outfit pretty neutral.

Wear red or burgandy shoes and you risk looking like Mrs Claus. Wear white and the outfit will look too summery, although you certainly shouldn’t rule out this dress for summer. Red and white epitomise a 50’s, retro look and this dress would look fab with a pair of espadrille sandals or a pair of wedges (both excellent if you want some height) or gladiator sandals if you prefer flats. If you’d like to go for a more casual summer look, wear with canvas shoes like model Agnes Deyn did last summer with a red and white polka dot dress.

The fact that the pattern is a tiny polka dot reiterates the fact that you should tone down accessories, and by toning down, I mean the use of colour. As this is such a chic and classic print, it’s all the more reason to keep the chic in the rest of your outfit! No black or metallic’s needed here, dear reader.

But back to the Christmas party –

If you want to jazz up the dress and arrive at the party in style, go for a fake fur “gilet”/ vest in a neutral colour – Penneys do some lovely ones with sleeves. When I wear mine, everyone ends up stroking it; it’s so nice and will add the glamorous factor needed to wow your colleagues at the Christmas party!

Nude Shoes

If you’re after a sharp, sophisticated look, the best fit shoe wise would be nude shoes. To be specific; patent, peep toe shoes in a nude colour (also referred to as camel or beige). Nude is great for elongating your leg ( in winter, wear with sheer tights), as an otherwise coloured shoe in metallic or black would “break up” your leg too much, thus shortening your legs.

See how Eva Longoria wore nude shoes in our “Trend we like: Nude” article – the emphasis is kept on her dress and her legs appear longer.

Despite the fact that nude is seriously on trend for this year and next, it will always be one of those basic, staple colours that you can WEAR WITH ANYTHING (even jeans), so there’s no need to worry about these shoes going out of fashion. So, when all the mistletoe has withered, you’ll still have a sexy pair of shoes for the next party, the office, or friend’s wedding.

Christian Louboutin is the king for your nude patent peep toes; in fact Dannii Minogue has worn her camel Loubs consistently on X Factor this year (€585 online at mytheresa.com or €585+ at Brown Thomas). If your budget doesn’t stretch this far, Miss Selfridge (pictured) has come up trumps on the high street, with their nude pumps (£40, €45 approx). (update 1st April 2o1o – sold out).

One final tip on the shoes front: Peep toes and rounded shoes are great for apple, hourglass and pear body shapes. Pointy shoes are better for column shapes (same shape up and down), and taller, mannish figures.

If you don’t like the sound of classic patent pumps with a 4.5” stiletto heel, you could choose a pair of studded sandals, which also come in beige. Balmain’s ones rocked the catwalk this season, while the boutiques and the high street are offering them too. Again, I like the ones from Miss Selfridge (£65, €73 approx), but as usual, there’s plenty of studded sandals out there to choose from including from Penneys.

Where to Buy Nude Shoes (updated on 1 April 2010)

Aldo Withey £60,

Zara €34.99

Nine West at Kurtgeiger.com, €65

Nude wedges are available at Gina at Brown Thomas (€510 )

Partee nude patent wedges €135 at Cocobelle and also at Reiss.

Nude shoes, Nando Muzzi at Cocobelle (Royal Hibernian Way, Dublin 2) €335. They also stock the most amazing Steve Madden peep toe ankle boots called Huntley (€220) and Tricked t-bar nude shoes (€165).

LK Bennett have peep toe, closed toe court shoes and nude sling back courts, various prices.

Just check which shade suits you best. Some are on the browner side of things, really a taupe, some are cream and some a rose beige. If you’re very pale go for a rose (pinky) beige or grey beige and the darker skinned you are, you can pull off the darker “taupe” shades of nude.

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