What’s there not to love? Besides the slimming effect, it’s a very versatile piece. Dress up by complementing it with pretty jewelry and accessories – a simple black party dress can be transformed into a gorgeous evening dress. Put on a smart black jacket with some simple accessories, the same dress can be a presentable piece for daytime work wear.

Following our previous fashion blog post on ‘The staple statement – black dress’, here’s a follow-up post to showcase the different styles you can choose from. It’s best to not always get dresses from one kind of category (e.g. casual style) so you have dresses that caters to a variety of occasion. Perhaps this is one of the reason why most ladies (we’re not spared either) open their almost-bursting wardrobe and complain they have “nothing to wear”. Yes, there may be many dresses and clothing in the wardrobe but perhaps they are of the same genre so you may feel that there’s “nothing to wear”.

There are many ways to category dresses, by length, by cutting, by occasion, by material, etc. Let’s just focus on occasion for this post. If you’ll like us to categorise it in other ways, do drop us an email (more@ministryofretail.com) or Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/ministryofretail) message.

1. Casual Style

How to identify dresses of this category? Simple. Look at the material, it’s usually stretchable cotton material. Length wise, it’s usually short (with the exception of some midi and maxi dress). Casual style clothing are usually basics (think tank, spaghetti and racerback) that allows layering.

If you find that you have a lot of dresses that fit the above description, it may mean you have too many of casual style dresses. You may be thinking you have “nothing to wear” when you are looking for a dress for work, cocktail party or more formal occasion. Time to cut down on dresses from this category and work on the others.

2. Dressy Casual

Going for lunch/dinner at some restaurants? Most likely the attire appropriate would be dressy casual (read: no slippers, shorts and tees). Material wise most likely your pick would have to be chiffon, lycra or fabric with elastane. Go for cutting that you like, be it simple or funky.

3. Day-to-day Work Wear / Smart Casual

Although different company, country and occupation may require different dress code, it is always good to pay attention to your dressing. It only takes 3 seconds for someone to form a lasting first impression of you and another 10-20 more impressions to undo that first impression. If your boss or superior sees you in jeans and too-short skirts (looks casual and relaxed), they may have the impression you are someone who is laidback and lacks the drive. What you deem as dressing comfortably may affect your promotion and pay rise (oh dear!).

For day-to-day office wear, you should be choosing smart casual pieces. This means most likely you don’t have to be in pant suit, skirt suit or have a jacket on. If your workplace encourages female employees to wear skirts (perhaps to project a feminine image), forget pants, opt for dresses and skirts!

For smart casual pieces, choose from polyester material (try to avoid cotton, please). Length wise it should be appropriate (no super-mini length) but does not necessary have to hit the knees. If slits and details on the back are inappropriate for your workplace, you might want to put on a matching cardigan or jacket.

Have you identified the category of black dress you’re lacking? No more excuse to open your wardrobe and declare “I can’t find anything to wear”!

**All items featured in this post are from Singapore’s Online Korean fashion retailer, MinistryofRetail.com.**
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