UPDATE Note 10/6/2019: This post, together with the others in the LBD series, was originally “built” with embedded Polyvores.  When Polyvore disbanded, all my illustrations disappeared, so I’m working to reconstruct them as best I can, using Pin images, etc.  So my apologies for missing illustrations you may stumble across, and that the links to the product sources are no longer present.

This month, in honor of Dressember, we’re talking about some ways to make our wardrobes — particularly the dress portions of our wardrobes — go further.  One of the staples of versatility is the “little black dress” — whatever color your little “black” dress may be.  (In my case, it’s brown, so that’s what I’m using in my examples.)

Let’s take a look at three different ways you could style the “little brown dress,” through different uses of color.

Base Color + One Other

This first option shows what you get if you use accessories that are the same neutral as your dress, plus a single other color.  In my case, it’s teal.  This particular image is styled using pieces I actually own.  Those are my first and favorite jewelry pieces purchased from Trades of Hope, and a simple pair of brown leather flats.  (The ones in the picture aren’t my actual shoes; they’re just representative.)

Monochromatic Metal

We get a very different feel if we decide to stick with a single metal for the accessories.  Your metal will depend a lot on your coloring and, in a related vein, the color you chose for your dress.  I’ve intentionally chosen accessories here with pretty simple lines (all this jewelry is from Trades of Hope, as well), and the result is that this outfit is a good middle-of-the-road option that could look “dressed up” or “dressed down” enough for a variety of settings.  It would work okay in a setting where people are wearing jeans, it would be okay work attire, and it would work for a dressy date (as long as you don’t need super-formal).

Two Colors

And you get yet another feel if you choose two colors that contrast with your neutral and carry the pair throughout your accessories.  (Please pardon that these earrings turned out to not quite match the other pinks.  The images were doing weird things, so just imagine they do.)  Because of the colors I’ve chosen, this one gives a much more playful impression, although it’s still not super-casual, because of the materials used in the jewelry.

There are other color schemes you could employ, as well.  For instance, you could go full-on monochromatic.  Or mostly monochromatic with a single pop of color — like a belt or shoes that contrast.  And using the same color concepts, but different colors will give you a different effect.  The pink-and-purple option, for example, with blue and green substituted, would make for a completely different outfit.  Use dressier accessories for a dressier option, more casual accessories to dress it down.  The possibilities are vast!