3.1 Philip Lim Juicy Couture Alice + Olivia
I love dresses that showcase the back. In my opinion, the small of the back is one of the most subtly sexy spots of the female body. It's alluring and (for the most part) never strays into skank territory. How to pull this off? Don't let the hem rise too high nor allow the back to dip too low. The end result of this look should be demure and enticing; if you show too much skin, it's the fashion equivalent of telling everyone that Dumbledore dies in the sixth Harry Potter book before they read it. If you go for straps, try to keep it simple (explanation to follow shortly). In the case of the Philip Lim dress, the basic cross-strap and higher backline allow for the shorter length of the dress (but not for those boots, which horrible stumpify what are probably mile-long legs). The Juicy Couture is a sweet choice because it doesn't bare very much skin -- as opposed to a halter design, the shoulders are covered and the back rises safely above her waistline. The Alice + Olivia dress is probably my favorite; the sheer paneling is so unexpected yet it brilliantly updates the little black dress. It's one of the most clever ways to straddle sexy and classy. (All three pieces are available from Shopbop).
Heaven & Earth Asos
Feeling a little shy? These dresses lend a bit of intrigue without committing to it. They are equally seductive with the addition of charming details; the Heaven & Earth dress offers the ever-sexy lace, which serves the ironic purpose of covering up, while the the piece by Asos features discreet draping and soft material. Nevertheless, the sneak peek doesn't decrease the captivating capacity of showing a little back. The cut-outs still amp up the typical dress and add a dose of skin that a dress without them might not have. (Lace cut-out dress by Heaven & Earth, available at Asos, and blue jersey dress by Asos, also featured at Asos).
Alice + Olivia Zimmerman
I actually liked this Alice + Olivia dress at first glance. Then, when I was thinking of a good description of it, all I could come up with was "S&M! S&M!". I think it's the thick black straps that, although they're not pleather, remind me of pleather, which reminds me of anything I've ever watched on Sex & the City concerning S&M. Hence, S&M. Combined with the up-to-whoa hemline, even the most innocent shade of white can't save it.
The Zimmerman dress proves my earlier point about the necessity of simple straps. It's as though she sat on a brocade Louis XV chair, wandered (with it) into a paper shredder, and got tangled in the remains. Exaggeration aside, I still don't understand how I could figure out which hole to put my arm through. Although, could you imagine the sort of Spiderman-esque tan lines you'd acquire with that?
