One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is (finally!) having an excuse to get dressed up. Sure, I’ve been known to use morning drop off as my personal runway, but the holidays are a LEGIT dress up opportunity. One where no one’s going to ask you if you just came from a wedding simply because you’re wearing sequins to pizza (where else am I supposed to wear them?!?!).

It’s the one time of year, you’re encouraged to pull out the sparkle and all the stops. Now, I know for some of you this is stressful and I get that! And what I don’t want to happen is you spend a bunch of money on an outfit for your company’s holiday party that you only wear once (although if that’s something you’re into, how about this fringed, sequin dress or this 70’s style maxi dress!??).

Instead we are going to bling the holidays out of your favorite LBD (little black dress). Because here’s the thing about LBDs. They can totally handle whatever you want to throw at it. Last year, I wore this actual outfit to our holiday party but also ADDED black fishnets, a gold purse, and a ridiculously furry coat and it looked smashing (at least that’s what EVERY SINGLE PERSON at the party told me #superstar).

Having said that, you have to promise me you WILL NOT pair your LBD with black tights and black shoes or boots unless you are absolutely dripping in accessories. It’s a fine line between Holiday Cheer and Funeral Chic, k?

To get started, what I want you to do is this: Go into your closet and pull out every accessory you love and have always wanted to wear, but couldn’t find the right place, and start trying them out. What we’re looking for are pops of color and texture to jazz up the black.

Remember your black dress can handle a lot so try putting on more than you probably feel comfortable with and see what happens! Also, no one is watching so if it looks ridiculous, WHO CARES. I often put together some crazy stuff before I finally work out what actually looks good so this is a great place to take risks.  I mean, they’re only accessories. ????

Still haven’t found the exact right combo? I’ve put together some easy ideas to jazz up your black dress. The best part? You can wear them all again and again! That’s why I love using your black dress as a base instead of buying a whole new outfit – more wear, less moolah!

Seven Accessories That Will Take Your LBD to the Next Level:

1. A dramatic collar: I love a good collar, because they look like they’re part of your outfit, but, tricky, tricky, they’re not, which means you can wear them again and again.

And, I couldn’t decide which of these I liked more so I put them both in. The first one from Baublebar is ladylike and refined while the second is over-the-top glamour and would be a talking piece for the rest of your life (and a steal at $40!). Decide how you want to feel for the evening and go for it.

2. An over-the-top cardigan: I’m obsessing over this black, fur one from Zara, but a black sequin one would also be AMAZING (and would look great with t-shirts after the fact).   

3. Statement Earrings: You gals know I LOVE a statement earring – they’re such a fast and easy way to amp up your outfit with little investment and little risk. There was no way I could decide on one, so I gave them all to you. ????

-These blue metallic foil earrings are such a talking piece and on sale for $30! I have a similar pair in silver and wear them all season.
-These silver jewel earrings are classic and classy (not two words you often hear around here!) and look timeless.
–Disco balls? On your ears? YES, 100 times over.
-Don’t these look like gold ornaments for your ears? And classy AGAIN. No idea what’s going on around here.

4. Rock a fishnet stocking. Or some sort of fun tight. The thing we want to see here is texture, which adds drama and fun and moves you away from sad and dark. ???????? not ????.

5. Add a dramatic purse. I am so buying this gold fringe one for our holiday part next week and expect to see it EVERY DAY because it is ROCK STAR. Studio DIY’s gift clutch is also adorable and would be such a great talking piece.

6. Add a dressy coat. Now is absolutely the time to purchase that leopard print jacket (☝????TARGET) you’ve been eyeing. It will elevate your dress and your school drop-off yoga pants.

7. Buy some glitzy shoes or boots. This one is always my favorite and not just because I’m a shoeaholic. It’s because you can genuinely wear them over and over and my experience is that truly special shoes never go out of style (or they always come back, which is why I have A LOT of shoes.)

-These rose gold heels would look EPIC with some fun, black tights and your LBD. Seriously, they are all you would need to rock the night away.
-You’d be surprised how versatile a silver boot is (I wore mine yesterday with jeans and a t-shirt). This heeled version is dressy enough for a holiday party, yet everyday enough for date night.
-I had to include these because SEQUIN, HOLLY HEELS?!?!? The world truly is a magical place.

What do you gals think? Are you on board with fancify-ing your LBD? If you do, send me a pic over on Instagram!

This post contains affiliate links. You can read more about what that means and our site policies here.

Photos by my holiday treat MILOU AND OLIN PHOTOGRAPHY.