Oh the little black dress. It comes in a variety of shapes and silhouettes, always bringing instant elegance and femininity. For this winter season, I was fortunate to find a ‘little black dress’ that would keep me warm and stylish (not always the easiest combination!).

From designer brand “AliceGoHome” found on YESSTYLE.com, this fashion find is also a steal at only $22.50. This design brings a beautiful winter charm to the traditional little black dress. Want to see more? You can view it directly by clicking here. Love it!

Let me go ahead and state how rare it is that I will wear a turtleneck. With my long dark hair, the last thing I need is for my neck to vanish completely. But it is cool outside and this dress has such gorgeous lines it is impossible to resist. I do love a challenge, and so I dove into my jewelry box to search for something that would embellish this feature while keeping within the elegance of the look.

Wow, this just goes to show how much an accessory can change a piece of clothing. This golden plate of a necklace is very bold and glamorous, yet when paired with such a sleek and clean design it creates a beautiful balance. The shape around the neck enhances the lines that would have otherwise have been lost within my hair.

Now, if you have a lighter shade of hair or a short haircut- then this dress would look just as dynamic without the accessories. My best option outside of the accessory is to do an updo (which I certainly will), but with the cool weather right now I want my hair down to keep me warm. And I do love to accessorize so this became quite the treat!

Back to the dress, because truly this dress is the star. A nice solid color goes such a long way when the right lines are in play. Just look at this dress- beautiful clean lines, form fitted with long sleeves, a long neck, and a short ruffled lace finish to keep the balance right. When there is a lot going on up top, I like to keep it short and simple on the bottom. This is a great example of a combination of this thinking-

The top half has the most fabric, but with clean and smooth base (no designs, patterns, or rich textures). Because there is so much facbric up top, the bottom portion is short to balance it. Since it is smooth and clean up top, this allows room on the bottom portion for textures and volume.

This is one of my fashion rules. You never want too much all over- it looks like a mess. It is all about balance. The lines, porportions, colors, and textures must all be balanced just right.