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Almost everyone owns a black dress. It is always chic and looks great, but some of us may get tired of wearing this same old dress to event after event. Instead of just buying another dress, you should consider revitalizing it with simple accessories!
Sprucing up even the plainest black dress should be no problem after reading some of these tips!

Low on accessories? Try this!

If you don’t have too many accessories, try doing something creative with your hair! Braids are beautiful and in this year. You can take this as far as you want. To keep it simple, just add a little braid at the beginning of a hair line of a side part, or two braids on a middle part, then either leave it or pull it back in a bun. You could also crimp your hair or do unusual waves. My all time favorite thing to do is simply to put a flower behind the ear. It could be a fresh flower or a fake attached to a bobby pin (try this site http://store.latebloomerboutique.com) everyone will be focusing on your hair, they will forget that you are wearing a simple black dress!

Try a Belt!

The belt is the most under-estimated accessory, but it changes everything! A very plain dress that looks okay can turn into sultry and sexy outfit! Belts define the waist and give a woman a nice shape. Adding a belt is the easiest and best way to update a dress while becoming even more flattering. If you tend to be on the heavier side or have an undefined waistline, try a wide belt; otherwise, any would work. Try a belt that is not black to look shapelier. A red, silver or a white belt would be wonderful. You could even try to match your belt to your shoes if so desired.

Shoes, Shoes, Shoes

Another way to go from boring to stylish is to get some amazing shoes. Shoes with interesting details and preferably some color besides black (though black could work with the right design). Strappy sandals, mules, or lace up heels would bring life and style to your look. To take it further, look for details such as feathers, gems, buckles, or bows. Look for colors and patterns such as stripes and checkers.

Shawls, Scarves, and Cardigans

Try a shawl, a scarf or a small cardigan to transform a bland black dress into something much fancier. Shawls always add elegance and sophistication to any outfit. It is important that shawls and scarves should be of high quality. A beautiful silk or woven shawl/scarf with a bold color or interesting pattern would be perfect for that black dress.
If you want low maintenance style, wear a lightweight short-sleeved (or long-sleeved if it is cold) cardigan, preferably cashmere, cotton or lace. There are many styles to choose form including a wrap shirt. The wrap tops are especially beautiful with a dress!

Jewelry and Bags

Last but not least, add earrings, necklace, bracelet and a beautiful bag to a dress to transform it to fabulous! If the dress has a high neckline, skip the necklace and wear earrings with as much detail as you want. Chandelier earrings are always great with a black dress! If you do wear a necklace, try wearing colorful stones such as coral and turquoise. Pearls are ok, but it is too expected; try something new!

If you want more jewelry try a bracelet or even an arm band. I like cuff bracelets but you definitely can do much subtler ones. Adding Color is refreshing.
To top it all off, choose an evening purse/bag or a clutch. I love ethnic prints like these bags by Coleccion Luna (www.coleccionluna.com). Details such as hand paintings, stones, crocheting, and beads are a must and pay attention to the fabric! If you do opt for a simple bag, get high quality fabric such as satin and silk.

With these simple adjustments, you will look fresh and gorgeous!

Wagon Wheel Chandelier

Chandeliers are beautiful.  They can add a bit of sparkle and je ne sais quoi to any room.  You can buy chandeliers from a myriad of places, and there are all kinds of chandeliers from which to choose:  crystal, wrought iron, alabaster, etc.  Some chandeliers are exquisite in their own right, but I always add at least one special thing to make a chandelier my very own. 

For example, crystal chandeliers are pure gorgeousness. The crystals on these chandeliers catch light from every direction making it virtual bling for a ceiling. For such ornamental delights, you may need to add only solid colored or patterned lampshades that match the color scheme and decor of the room.  In addition to making your crystal chandelier more unique, adding shades to a crystal chandelier grounds the light fixture in the room and prevents the visual floating effect that can occur with all-crystal chandeliers. 

On the flip side, you can take a plain, nicked hued Williamsburg style chandelier and dress it up quite a bit.  You can find this type of chandelier for under a hundred bucks at your local home improvement store.  You can make this less than hundred dollar chandelier look like a million bucks by adding accessories to it.  You can buy crystals by the strand from a chandelier parts or lighting store, or you can purchase garlands of beads that abound in the holiday section of a craft store at Christmastime. 

Although green and red garlands of beads scream “Christmas,” clear, pearlescent, silver, gold and copper multifaceted beads are multifunctional.  These beads can dress up an otherwise plain chandelier.  You can also find pastel colored strands of beads in the holiday section of a craft store that would look quite charming on the chandelier of a young girl’s room.

A garland of beads from the holiday section of a craft store can be bought at a fraction of the cost of a strand of crystals made especially for a chandelier.  If you shop the after holiday sales, you can save even more money on these “chandelier” accessories. Moreover, while specialty lighting stores have a limited style of chandelier accessories, the holiday section of a craft store or any other store will have tons of shapes, styles and colors from which to choose.  Be on the lookout for ornaments that can act as decorative accents on your chandelier as well.   

Once you have purchased the accessories for your chandelier, experiment by hanging the beads in different ways on the arms of the chandelier.  Do you want a strand of beads to form a “u” between each arm of the chandelier, or do you want to divide and cut the strand of beads?  Perhaps, you will want to hang the cut strand of beads from the crown of the chandelier past each arm of the chandelier and back up again.  Maybe you will want to wrap a strand of beads around the entire body of the chandelier including its arms. 

Twisty ties can be used to keep the strands of beads in place when testing different ways of arranging the beads on your chandelier.  When strategically placed, twisty ties can be used without notice in the final creation of your newly accessorized chandelier.  Fishing wire or very thin bendable wire can be used, as well, to secure strands of beads and ornaments to your chandelier.   

In addition to the strands of beads and ornaments, you can add ready-made fabric lampshades to your chandelier, and embellish the lampshades with fringe, beaded trimming or ribbon to add more style or glitz to your chandelier.  You can purchase these items in any fabric or craft section of a store. 

However, not all chandeliers need to sparkle in order to be splendid.  If you want to add a chandelier to a nautical themed room, you can cover the arms and body of a plain chandelier with seashells.  A season inspired chandelier can be made by covering the arms of a chandelier with a garland of artificial flowers and ivy for the spring and summertime, autumnal leaves for the fall, and pinecones and holly for the winter months.

Also, keep in mind, if you find a chandelier that is lovely in shape but in the wrong color, you can always paint over it.  Home improvement stores and craft stores abound with painting kits that produce metallic shades and faux finishes such as marble, rust, antique and stone.  The creation of a beautiful and unique chandelier is only limited by your imagination.  

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