So your LBD (Little Black Dress) probably doesn’t get many outings these days, considering you are spending most of your time head down, bum up – or should I say head down, baby’s bum up – looking after your kids.

Nights are more likely filled with bottles of milk than bottles of champagne.

For this period in your life where practicality is super-important but you still want to look good, it’s well worth taking a leaf out of Angelina’s book and adding a different type of LBD to your wardrobe: the Long Black Dress.

Ange slipped the nannies a $20 to clear out for this shot…

Love her or hate her, the woman is a genius:

• Black hides most stains and marks from grotty kids (except milk stains…ew!).
• A long dress with a good cut will skim over lumps and bumps, especially if it is an empire cut.
• Black is always slimming.
• Instantly stylish and classic, even the most inexpensive LBD gives you an air of sophistication.
• Versatile – easily tweak the vibe with accessories.
• Highly trans-seasonal (just top with a cardi, sweater, jumper, or slip on a long-sleeved t-shirt underneath, depending on the style)
• PLUS, it hides your legs if you haven’t had time to wax!

Worth the investment

Reluctant to buy anything new at the moment, as you have just had a baby and your body is ‘not quite itself’?

Or, if you are planning to have another baby soon, are you about to double dip into the pregnancy clothes box?

If you buy a super long stretchy Long Black Dress, I can guarantee it can take you from the extremes of pregnancy and into seasons beyond.

WHOA WIDE LOAD! My LBD stretched to the limit at 8 months pregnant.

The same dress...taken recently by the child that stretched my dress, and my tummy!

When I was first pregnant, I bought a jersey LBD from GLUE store for about $100.

It was a trapeze style with wrap-around belt that tied over my humongous bump.

I can, and do, still wear it several years later.

Cost per wear? Approximately $1.39. Well worth the investment. Genius!

And I’ve just bought an empire style LBD with a few sequins around the neckline from Tree of Life for just $50.

Worn it a couple of times on days when I’ve felt totally frazzled, and somehow managed to look like less of a maniac.

Make like Ange, the genius, and style it up with aviators, sandals, cuffs or stacks of bracelets.

The Long Black Dress by mrs fox featuring flat sandals Southward Bound Sandal, $28 Chinese Laundry Women’s Retouch Gladiator Sandal, $54 Matisse Women’s Dawn Gladiator Sandal, $49 Double Wrap Triple Row Mixed Gold Studs Cuff, $100 ASOS Studded Leather and Bone Bracelet Pack, $14 Alkemie + Snake Cuff, $190 Ray-Ban Metal-frame aviator sunglasses, $240 Timeless Metal Aviator – Metal Frame – SUNGLASSES – Jessica Simpson…, $40 Brad Pitt stylists own.

Or for an easy summer style, be inspired by this woman I spotted out strolling the other day.

Fedora + sandals = smooth summer style. Grocery bag optional.

Angelina a genius – what do you think? 

Sharing is Foxy!

•