I will be attending a fairly formal function this week with my husband. He will wear his mess dress. I have a little black dress, which fits fine, but falls just above my knees. My knees are not my most attractive feature. Should I wear black hose and black shoes? Any suggestions you have are welcome. I don't have a lot of options as I have lost nearly 45 lbs in the past year and am starting over with my wardrobe. Thanks.

Congrats Ruby on your weight loss!! You look great from your pic :) I am new to this site but got a brainwave. Maybe a dressy belt (like a silver/gold jewel type belt) will draw the eye upwards and dress up your LBD. I am not sure about hose, etc. Hope to hear another idea about hose color/shoes because now I'm curious! Thanks Lauren

Also, a necklace or jewelry that draws the eyes up would be good. I've read that above the knee is universally flattering, so you probably don't look as bad as you think. Yay for the weight loss! Love, Helen

Thanks Lauren and Helen! Both are great suggestions! Thank you for your encouragement!

Yes, black hose and shoes.

What I have learned since I originally posted this is that black is not a good color for me (at least not as a main color close to my face). I am a red headed, light brown eyed autumn. What I am trying to figure out now is what color dress I should get as my basic dress, to replace my LBD. I am leaning toward brown, but I don't think it is going to be easy to find one. Any other suggestions?

What about a dark green? What's your favorite color? I like brown's also, but have a hard time finding the right shoes & accessories to match. Are you sure black doesn't work for you? I always thought the LBD was universal for all types. Good luck, & let us know what you choose! Amber Boyle aboyle143

Thanks, Amber. Maybe it was just the dress - it really wasn't a flattering style for me. I will keep an open mind about black, and keep looking for the perfect dress! I think dark teal is about my favorite color. I do have a dress in that color that I like, but it is pretty dressy. Thanks again.

Sure! Oh, and dark teal! That would be pretty as well! I'm wearing a shirt that color right now! I am blonde, (used to be natural) not red head, but I love green, and every time I see a red-head in green, I always think it is just so strikingly pretty! A dark, like Hunter or Ivy, maybe not light or bright like Lime or 'Citron' {?} but who knows, lights/brights may work on you! Maybe next time you're out, you could try something, even just a shirt/blouse that is a dark green & see what you think. Should be quite easy to find this time of year! Amber, aboyle143

I like the colors purple or eggplant on redheads. It's everywhere in the stores right now and compliments so many different skin tones and hair color. I like sheer black hose and black pumps - always looks classy. Good luck.

My LBD is brown. Black washes me out and I need to wear more intense make-up than I like to wear in order to not look sick. I had no problem finding a lot of good choices in brown if that's what you decide on. Although teal or another green shade should also look lovely on you. To be honest, I think as long as the color is one that is flattering on you and that you can integrate into your wardrobe of accessories, it doesn't matter what color it is. I'd go shopping for a style and fit that flatters you and meets whatever other criteria you have and then see what colors it comes in. Personally, I have a harder time finding the right fit than I do finding the right color so I focus on the harder part first. YMMV, of course. If you want to wear the black for awhile even though it doesn't flatter your coloring, can you wear it with a scarf in a color that does flatter? Or with a jacket/cardigan in the right color? Or a big, colorful statement necklace? Sometimes those can make a huge difference.

My LBD is brown. Black washes me out and I need to wear more intense make-up than I like to wear in order to not look sick. I had no problem finding a lot of good choices in brown if that's what you decide on. Although teal or another green shade should also look lovely on you. To be honest, I think as long as the color is one that is flattering on you and that you can integrate into your wardrobe of accessories, it doesn't matter what color it is. I'd go shopping for a style and fit that flatters you and meets whatever other criteria you have and then see what colors it comes in. Personally, I have a harder time finding the right fit than I do finding the right color so I focus on the harder part first. YMMV, of course. If you want to wear the black for awhile even though it doesn't flatter your coloring, can you wear it with a scarf in a color that does flatter? Or with a jacket/cardigan in the right color? Or a big, colorful statement necklace? Sometimes those can make a huge difference.

Ruby do you know what colour season you are? That would help you know what colours you can wear a lot of. I am a Summer so I can't wear black either on my top half but I am looking for a LBD in navy blue. I found that the colours I really liked were mostly summer colours so if you don't know your seasonal colours perhaps you could just look for a dress in your favourite colour. Re wearing black: occasionally I do want to wear black near my face so I either wear a collar of a different colour or wear a scarf.

Anne of Green Gables was a red head and she wore green.


The reason green works for people with red hair is that red and green are complementary colours. They're opposite one another on the colour wheel.


Green, brown or grey would work for you IMO.

I vote for green, or a warm brown.

If you go geeen, go for a more mossy green rather than a jewel tone. I think you should give eggplant a try, too. It is a rich color--more interesting than black, but still dark and slimming.

I'm in love with chestnut brown now and think it'd look great on you.

Thank you all for your input. I appreciate the suggestions, and will continue to look for the right dress!