STYLE GURU STYLE: Dressing Up

March 19th, 2015 at 2:00am

Spring Break came and went and the Pittsburgh weather is finally on the up and up (so it seems). Though many of us visited places with a warmer climate over break and returning to this weather isn’t ideal, it’s definitely better than what it’s been. I happened to travel to California during break for my cousin’s wedding, which was the perfect opportunity for me to pick out a fancy dress that didn’t require layering. As I was searching for what to wear to the wedding, I stumbled upon Giambattista Valli’s fall 2015 ready-to-wear collection. What stood out to me the most amongst the neutral colors dominating the collection was the addition of sequins and shine. I’m never one to typically go for the full glittery dress, but I liked the subtlety of this addition to the collection.

So, I scoured the Internet and stores and came across this dress from Free People, which seemed to mimic the shiny detail of Valli’s collection in a way that I loved. While the dress base is black (my favorite), the gold and silver detailing gives it some interest—something I’ve probably needed. The neckline of the dress also drew me in, as it’s one I’ve been loving and has been featured in many of the collections for fashion week—though a less dramatic version of it. High necks are super flattering, especially for those of us with a smaller chest (hence why I’ve added a bunch to my wardrobe as of late). To add some accessories to the dress without going overboard because of the gold detail, I wore an upper arm cuff and put on some flash tattoos (which I am obsessed with and I always want to have them on my body), as well as adding a red lip (my go-to). I paired the dress with a pair of lace-up black suede heels, which, because of the chunky heel, actually turned out to be super comfy and easy to walk in—I’ve always been drawn to lace-up shoes, shirts and dresses.

Though this dress is pretty dang summery—which suited the California weather—this look can be applied to many formal occasions in the upcoming months. For those of you who haven’t had spring break yet, it’s the perfect moment for a fun night out look like this.

Get My Look: 1. An intricate and shiny dress. 2. Lace-up heels. 3. An upper arm cuff.

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