The Party Season's On It's Way

Add some glamour this party season with former Miss Great Britain, fashion label owner and style guru Leilani Dowding’s fashion dos and don'ts...
In so many facets of life today, it’s (to borrow a phrase from Beyonce) us ‘girls who run the world.’ So it was appropriate to see so many empowering, strong and individual fashion messages strutting down the catwalks in London, New

York and Paris this autumn.

The trends are still feminine but seem more adult and polished than in recent years. I’m loving that glitter and metallics have also made a big come back. Perfect for party season!

Now I’m a girl who loves a good party so I’m super excited that the holiday season is just around the corner. I also love fashion so I’m lucky as a model to get to try on some of the most gorgeous dresses from some of the world’s most famous designers. They probably have some of the most amazing price tags too I can hear you thinking. Well that may be true but that’s the beauty about looking fabulous, to look fabulous you don’t need an equally fabulous bank account.

You just need to know what suits you and experiment a little. A boring little black dress can suddenly spring to life by throwing on a sparkly belt or a colour popping heel for example. It’s just a case of making your clothes work for you and NOT you working day and night to afford the most expensive clothes.

When I came up with my own dress line Leiluna, I designed dresses that I loved to wear myself. I love dangerously low backlines but covering your front up for example. I know how to be sexy but not too ‘in your face showing too much flesh sexy’ and this is an important rule to remember when dressing for a party. You want to stand out from the crowd for all the right reasons, not the wrong ones.

Therefore my top tips for this season’s ladies evening dresses are:

- Go Metallic. Metallics are big news this season and they look great on everyone.

- Attention-grabbing colours like red and canary yellow are ‘oh so avant guard right’ now. If you don’t like wearing bright colour party dresses, team your LBD with bright red shoes or a bright red lipstick.

- DO shop savvy for quality investment pieces if you can. Remember that LBD you invest in now can be worn again and again if you team it with a contrasting belt or colour-popping heel.

- Do get your sparkle on. Glitter, diamantes, sequins are all super hot right now. They’re fun, pretty and you’ll find yourself in the party mood the minute you put them on.

- Don’t suffer needlessly in killer heels (there’s a reason they’re called that). Buy heels a half size bigger and invest in Scholl Party Feet.

- Do try on styles of dresses you wouldn’t normally. It’s amazing how some people get stuck in a rut. Dresses can also look so different once they’re on.

- Do accessorise correctly. Experiment with belts, clutches, hosiery, shawls, hats, broaches, jewellery… you name it… just experiment. You never know what can work until you try.

- Do always take a good friend whose advice you trust. You really do need to know if your ‘bum looks big in this’ or if that belt makes you look more Bob the Builder than Brazilian supermodel babe.