From Cali to Paris: in Search of The Perfect Little Black Dress

Little black dresses have rocked the world since Audrey Hepburn. Every woman should have at least a couple in her wardrobe, in my opinion, because these dresses can be so versatile. They are easy to accessorize and a classic design will last you many, many seasons. Just ask Lisamarie: she bought her first little black dress in 1988 1958 (it's payback time for this holiday post).

I have selected a few dresses from seasonal to classic, from reasonably priced (no, really) to impossibly expensive!

High Street

Zara's one shoulder black dress is on trend and affordable (just don't ask me how much, I can never find prices on that website!)

Unlike Mango's website with prices everywhere! This one shoulder dress is a little more festive and will look better on curvy women than the previous one. Yes, it costs $139.90, just in case you're not paying attention.

Banana Republic ($98)

Classic and comfortable, this dress may not be the most exciting in the world but it's the perfect outfit to take you from the office to a night out with different accessories and jewelery. And what's even better? It's a great shape for curvy girls.

The designers' corner

The Hot Chick look by Canadian Carlie Wong ($380) for her Spring 2010 collection. If your legs are looooong and lean, this design is for you.

This sparkly number is from Naeem Khan's fall 09/10 collection. This American designer became hot property after dressing Michelle Obama last year. His style is usually quite mature but elegant. The shape here is classic, and again, should last for a few seasons. On top of that, I never get tired of glitter. EVER. I bathe in it. Daily.

This is what I call the Hot Bitch look, I would totally wear this at the office...if I had a few thousand dollars to spare right now. Good thing that Michael Kors is gay...Lisamarie and I would fight over him. With clothes like that, I just know I would be his dream woman. From Michael Kors Pre-fall 2010 collection.

And last but not least, a flirty and printed dress from the Spring 2010 Christian Dior collection. At this point, you don't even care about the price, do you? You know you would need to take a small mortgage to afford it.

Custom Made

Well, instead of taking a loan to buy a beautiful, fitted dress...I just ordered one from a tailor. Inspired by this Christian Dior dress (worn here by Dita Von Teese) it cost me $440 (for our Toronto readers, go check out  the Wardrobe Workshop), not cheap I'll admit, but the dress fits like a glove and I'm planning on wearing it forever! Or at least until next season. Same thing.

So go, get yourself a couple of black dresses, they are well worth the investment!

-Christelle-