I’ll assume you’re sitting down right now, but if you’re not, you’re going to want to take a seat! I’ve got a big revelation for you about the little black dress.

Very few women look good in black! To truly look your best, you want to choose shades that complement your hair, skin and eyes. That said unless you have black or very dark hair, black simply isn’t that attractive on you. I know it’s not great on me at all.

Now then, I’m not telling you to get rid of every piece of black clothing in your closet, but at the time of year when you want to look dazzling in your party clothes and other holiday attire, why limit yourself to the little black dress?

One of the reasons the little black dress (and black in general) is so popular is that it’s versatile and not completely memorable like some other colors. So what can you wear instead?

If you want to wear your party dress multiple times over a few years, follow these guidelines:

1. Choose a dark color such as navy, sapphire, forest green, aubergine (eggplant,) wine/maroon, and brown.
2. Stick with a simple style, with few details.

To decide on your color, first take a cue from your eye color. Blue eyes? Choose navy/sapphire. Green eyes? Forest green will look amazing! Brown eyes? Of course, brown is gorgeous on you, and most likely very unexpected!

If wearing your eye color doesn’t please you, look to your hair color. For example, I have blue eyes, but wearing navy doesn’t make me happy. (I love it on other women; it’s just not for me.) Surprisingly, I found out a few years ago that my natural brunette hair color has green undertones, and ever since I’ve been enjoying green.

While red isn’t exactly a dark neutral color, I’ve found my gorgeous red headed clients look fabulous in wine/maroon!

I encourage you to experiment and try on a variety of colors to find your magic shade.

Next, you’ll want to choose a dress that’s fairly simple. So forgo lace, bows, ruffles and other frills or complicated design lines. Instead, your accessories, wraps, hairstyle and even lipstick color will provide the variety and interest in look. And when a dress is simple, it’s much, much easier to change the look with what you wear with it…giving you the look of a whole new outfit each time.

Instead of relying on the little black dress over and over again for holiday parties, a stunning dress in a color that complements your natural coloring will be just as versatile. And just wait for the boat load of compliments!