The little black dress is a must have for any woman wardrobe; it is as important as one great pair of shoes. The little black dress is a simple yet classic garment that can be worn during any season. Dress it up or dress it down, the little black dress can be used for any occasion. Your imagination is your limit when choosing a little black dress.

The LBD can be worn for any occasion; you must simply add the right accessories. Go from day to evening by changing from a pair of casual flats, to a great pair of pumps. The key to finding a little black dress that can take you anywhere – find the dress that flatters your body. Find the perfect length depending on your body type. A mini dress is great on petite women, while a knee length LBD is great for someone great legs. If you have a small waist, find a dress with mid-section detail to flatter that area.

Pair the little black dress with a length coat in the winter, or a great pair of strappy high heels in the summer. Pull out your orange cape and hat for a fall stroll or put on a great pair of flats for a spring picnic. There is no limit to what you can do with a LBD. If you have a business meeting, put on the pearls. After work, replace them with a chunky turquoise necklace and enjoy!

In this era of economic downturn and low wages, it is nice to know there is one garment standing out as a piece you can wear any day of the week. Accessories are inexpensive, and easy to add to your ensemble.

A New York woman put that notion to the test when she decided to wear a little black dress every day for a year, and simply use accessories to change the look. Sheena Matheiken wanted to find out how created she could be with just one dress to work with.

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In the 1920’s the little black dress was made popular by fashion designer Coco Chanel. Coco published a picture of a simple black dress in Vogue in the mid-20’s, saying it would become ‘Chanel’s Ford’ and every woman would want one. The little black dress was attainable to all social classes and Vogue predicted it would become a uniform of sorts for all women. The film industry also had significant influence on the popularity of the little black dress because the dark color was easily seen on television and would not distort the picture, as many colors would do. The little black dress has never lost its popularity through the years.

At a girls night supper last week we got into a hilarious conversation about the unintentional fashion errors we have made of late.  One of the girls went to a friend’s 40th wearing a beautiful turquoise halter neck, open backed sheer silk dress, feeling like the proverbial million dollars.  She sauntered in there, mingling amidst about 100 others, knowing her husband and a few other were having trouble keeping their eyes off her only to discover it wasn’t the dress that had them gawking, more the fact that her hold-it-all-in-apple-catcher-buy-a-size-smaller-knickers were showing some 4 inches above the opening at the back of her dress!!!! Not so sexy after all I think.

It reminded me of a time a friend grabbed a can of Femme Fresh in haste on the way out to a do, had a quick squirt up her dress and under her arms only to discover under the lights later she was covered in glitter and sparkling from head to foot like a 70’s disco ball.  Oh what a joy to find your daughters glitter party hair spray in your dressing table basket!!! Thank goodness no one could see up her dress, although good to know that she was dressed for a party under the ball gown too!!

For everyone, the fashion faux pas’ are a lifelong hazard.  I’ve known the girl who comes out of the ladies with her dress tucked oh so neatly into her pants, the one with loo paper trailing from an L K Bennett kitten heel and the one where the neon flashing lighting came on the dance floor and revealed her dress to be completely transparent, which meant everyone knew she was wearing either no knickers or the big comfy grey ones!!! My personal favourite and no name will be mentioned to preserve the secrets of my nearest and dearest, goes to a bout of over enthusiasm on a dance floor at a  ball and not realising that my friends “dance partner” right there on the floor at her feet were her own “chicken fillets”.  Oh, how we laughed – what else is there to do?!

There are thousands of us working Mums all looking at 7 weeks of our children at home and wondering what on earth are we going to do! Easter and Christmas are somehow manageable with a bit of help from family, a bit of paid for help and maybe a club or two but the summer holidays are a different ball game!

I have two gorgeous children aged 5 and 8. Never have I seen two more excited children at the prospect of breaking up this Friday. For me – the white knuckle ride is about to begin – I am now entering into one of my busiest periods of the year – my summer sale on the basically black site, the new autumn winter stock arriving, all the new seasons photography to be done in time for September and if that lot isn’t enough, the buying of my Spring Summer 2010 collection THIS August. It really is completely bonkers! Don’t get me wrong – I love what I do and I wouldnt change it for the world but the plate spinning really starts when the holidays do!

As the summer holidays approach, I can feel the panic rising! I see the children getting more and more excited at the prospect of not going to school and then I feel the pressure of how can I make their holidays everything they are expecting them to be. I have decide that the only way to approach this is by taking one week at a time. Of course, it will all get sorted – it always does! What else can one do? I went to a childrens party at the weekend and nearly all the working Mum’s there were in the same boat as me. It is quite a juggling act! Funnily enough, one Mum who was not working and has two younger children than the rest of us pointed out that she is looking at 7 weeks, with no nursery or time AWAY from her two children! I guess that is the other side of the coin! Whilst us working Mums are frantically juggling child care and trying desperately to squeeze in quality time with our children, others at home are going completely nuts and cant get away from their kids!

There is a balance there somewhere – its just a question of trying to find it!

When I launched basically black last year, I knew the school holidays would be tough but so far I have managed to strike a balance and make sure the children dont suffer. I guess I put more into what I do when I know the children are sorted out so that when I have them, I know I can relax and enjoy quality time with them.

I find talking to friends who are also working is a great help. It usually helps me to come up with ideas for the children that I may not have thought about or make me realise that what I am doing is ok and just the same juggling act they are all doing! The joys of being female hey! I dont hear many Dads fretting about the summer holidays! I wonder why??

1.  Think about all the shops you would love to visit to see what’s on offer in their sales.

2.  Remember back to the last time you went sale shopping and how stressful it was.

3.  Remember trawling through hundreds of crowding clothes rails desperately searching for your size and the let down of never finding it!

4.  Remember the hot, untidy, disorganised changing rooms and how sweaty they made you feel!

5.  Remember finding the most fantastic bargain which made your heart leap but realising, after a futile search, they don’t have your size!

6.  Remember the disgruntled sales staff who are loathing every minute of this godforsaken sale!

7.  Remember how you make a mental note every time you actually go sale shopping, never to do it again!

8.  So why go………………………?

9.  STAY AT HOME! Get yourself your most favourite, most relaxing alcholic drink……. sit down………. and switching on your computer.

10.  NOW start sale shopping!

NO SWEATING

NO CROWDS

NO DISGRUNTLED SALES STAFF

NO SMELLY CHANGING ROOMS

NO HASSEL

SHOP ONLINE! – undoubtably the most relaxed approach to sale shopping without going out your front door (or leaving your desk).