The famous little black dress, or LBD for short, has been around for decades. Likely you have one– or even two– hanging in your closet right now. The beauty of this wardrobe staple is that you can dress it up or down and wear it for any occasion.

In theory, the LBD is the perfect solution for any fashion crisis. In reality, though, I’ve found it more difficult to implement. I own three black dresses: one decidedly formal, another decidedly casual, and that last one is just simple enough to be both. A perfect LBD can be deceptively difficult to find.

In this little two-part post, I’m taking my perfect LBD for a spin to show you how to go from day to evening with just a few small changes.

Starting a look from a blank canvas, in this case a plain black dress, and working from there is one of my favorite ways to create an outfit. I stuck with a cooler color palette for this look, but I couldn’t resist adding a bright pop of purple in my watch!

I love a nice button-up shirt, and throwing one under your LBD and belting it is an easy way to jazz up a plain dress. Belts are the quickest and easiest way to define a waistline and create structure in an outfit. As for layering, the trick is to make sure your necklines work together; in this case a high neckline is the perfect companion of a collared shirt!

Finish off by throwing on a hat and some flat booties and you have the perfect outfit to take you to brunch, errands, or even just to class!

Photographer: Anna Richards

Dress: Three Dots — Hat: Old Navy — Earrings: Modcloth — Shirt: Nordstrom —Boots: American Eagle — Belt: GAP — Watch: La Mer Collection