At DesignMyNight, we look at Autumn as a cheeky opportunity to upgrade our wardrobes with some stylish outfits. With London Fashion Week just gone by we got in touch with Little Black Dress for styling tips and advice on this season's must have dresses. There’s also a recommended bar for each outfit so you have no excuse when it comes to painting the town red.
Old Queen's Head, Angel
The volume was turned up on the heavy metal trend this season. Touch-me textures, hi-shine fabrics, ornate embellished dresses, thick coatings of sequins and beads, get your rocks on with dazzling metallic cocktail dresses and sparkling long evening dresses. Go heavy on the embellishments and adornments, dip dresses in gloss as seen at Monique Lhullier and smother with Jenny Packham and Oscar De La Renta inspired foils. It’s the ultimate show-stealing trend in evening and occasionwear. Shimmer and shine takes on a new guise for AW15 for a season full of look-at-me party dresses and there's no better place to show them off than in the Old Queen's Head. It pulls a trendy crowd come weekend making it an ideal place for hedonists .
This heavy metal trend dress will keep you the centre of attention at The Old Queen.
Style tips:
- Take on heavy metal embellished dresses for any occasion. Fun, short sequinned styles are perfect as Christmas party dresses, with long glittering dresses ideal for more formal parties. When the occasion arises for such a show-stopping dress – go for it.
- Let an embellished dress do the talking and keep accessories to a minimum, adding a simple earring and minimal shoe is all you need for such a loud dress.
- Take it easy - If the thought of a full length embellished dress makes you feel a bit scared (it’s definitely a bold look!) then opt for a classic black dress with small concentrated areas of embellishment and shine. Easy does it…
Baroque
The new season brings with it a magnitude of midnight inspired colours, proving that the summer sun has well and truly set for AW15. Party dresses in deep purples, after-dark blue hues and gothic inky blacks are an obvious and great occasionwear option. The little black dress has been thoroughly revived for the new season so make sure you get some night vision with going out dresses updated with teasing flashes of skin. A spectrum of standout purples deepened into dark blues at Erdem, whilst Issa chose to compliment panels of both navy blue and black and Givenchy went back to black with the season’s most gothic of dresses. Retreat to the dark side and shop heavy fabrics and long dresses with sheer panels, interesting textures and uneven hemlines – good for a seductive flash of leg on Baroque's boisterous dance floor.
Dazzle amongst Baroque's party crowd with this Little Black Dress favourite.
Style tips:
- Lighten up and show some sex appeal by seductively baring some skin in dresses with sheer sleeves and panels and deep v necklines – a key silhouette for the season.
- A smoky eye is always a winning beauty look. Mix up the usual black and instead opt for matte midnight blue or dark charcoal and keep hair natural and straight with a centre parting, as seen on the Issa runway.
- When it comes to shoes, black ankle boots as seen at Erdem, complete that catwalk look and add an edgier feel to evening dresses – perfect for winter nights too!
Barrio East
Set to be the biggest trend of the season, dare to be different and forgo the classic black dress and instead opt for a little red dress. From sultry scarlet to deep and wintry shades of wine, high impact reds flooded the AW catwalks, punctuating almost every designer collection. If you buy into one colour trend this season, make it red and embrace the most festive hue going.Colour-blocking was championed at Christopher Kane with a collection jam packed with reds in every shade. When it comes to the style of the dress, anything goes, from lace dresses to embellished dresses. Turn heads in the lead up to Christmas in long red evening dresses or dance the night away in the perfect red party dress. Barrio is also known for it's bashful colour scheme so your little red number will fit right in.
The perfect party dress in the months leading up to Christmas.
Style tips:
- Go all out glamour and seek beauty inspiration from the silver screen icons of the 40s. Curl hair with a side parting, add a flick of black eyeliner and a red pout.
- For a look straight off the catwalk, go top-to-toe and match your shoes to your dress or make a statement and clash with black as seen at Dior.
- Choose a shade based on your skin tone. Show trend and fashion prowess if you have pale skin by trading in bright reds for mature claret – look to Monique Lhuillier for the ultimate colour inspiration - and if you’re olive or dark skinned you’ll pull off brighter reds with aplomb.
Salvador and Amanda
Hemlines went low for AW15 and gave us a reason to take evening glamour to whole new heights. Finely pleated and ultra-glamorous at Balmain to minimal yet highly luxe at Carolina Herrera whilst Marchesa fell for feather trimmed waists and Jenny Packham played with short dresses topped with long layers of chiffon. Nothing makes an entrance quite like a floor-grazing maxi dress. From fun and girly designer Holly Fulton to eveningwear specialists Marchesa, long evening dresses swept through many of AW15’s most-loved collections. Timeless monochrome and classic black to lace and scatterings of sequins, featuring thigh-high splits and deep V necklines, long dresses always guarantee your very own A-list moment and what better place to showcase this beauty than at Salvador and Amanda intricately detailed venue.
A sophisticated outfit matched for Salvador and Amanda's lavish atmosphere.
Style tips:
- Wearing a maxi length dress doesn’t have to mean covering up completely, cleverly show off hints of skin and choose long dresses with daring thigh-high splits, sheer panel and hems or a risqué low cut v-neckline – there really is a shape to suit everyone.
- Accessorise a long evening dress with a fine choker or bracelet, or if you’re feeling brave, a statement pair of earrings. We love the massive drop earrings seen at the Marchesa and Holly Fulton shows, the perfect finishing touch for a glam occasion look.
- Redefine your waist and cement your AW15 style credentials by adding a belt. Championed at Balmain, a thick buckled waist belt feels fresh again when teamed with a sultry evening maxi dress.
Punch Room at the Edition
Lace is a perennial Team LBD favourite. Whether on trims like at Chloe or completely covered as seen at Monique Lhuillier, there was no escaping its prominence on the AW15 runways. It’s the most decadent fabric for the most dramatic of eveningwear looks and should be a staple in any going out wardrobe. From gothic and girly as seen at Oscar De La Renta to lady-like and Victorian inspired as championed by Alberta Ferretti, it’s even more important to ace it in lace this season. Shift dresses and short lace styles to long evening gowns and lace inserts, in black, midnight blue, purist white and racy reds, the little lace dress is acquiring iconic status which deserves to shine in a venue like Punch Room at the Edition. It's a slick reservations only bar and can offer you an exceptional evening of hand crafted punch cocktails and vintage music.
Be confident in lace this Autumn while taking in Punch Room's unique surroundings.
Style tips:
- Work lace from boardroom to bar with a timeless shift dress, an ideal work Christmas party option. Take off the tights, add a pair of killer heels but steer clear of accessories – designers favoured a minimal approach when it came to styling lace dresses.
- Don’t be afraid of colour. Update this wardrobe classic with nude hues and power pop reds or for extra style points mix dark blue and black for a winning, fashion-forward combination – look to leader of sexy dresses, Balmain, for inspiration.
- Cleverly conceal and reveal with lace inserts. Make deep v necklines more wearable with lace trims or short hemlines more modest with longer lace overlays, like the beautiful lace dresses seen at Dolce and Gabbana.
