4 Genius Styling Tips to Dress Down a Cocktail Dress

Within the fashion industry, there’s no shortage of styling tips available, but as far as they go, mixing prints has always been on the daunting side of the spectrum—but not anymore! Annabelle Fleur of VivaLuxury has broken it down for even style novices to grasp. Her teaching method? Styling special pieces from RedValentino’s fall collection—all available on the brand’s newly redesigned website and ecommerce site—proving that mixing, matching, and dressing down evening pieces can be easy as long as you follow a few basic rules.

Scroll down for Fleur’s RedValentino looks and styling tips. 

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Have a cocktail dress you want to wear during the day? Fleur says a simple solution is to throw on a cute sweater to tone it down and help make it more daytime appropriate.

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“Even though this circus-embroidered number is a cocktail dress, it works for daytime when you throw on some oversize, edgy shades and chunky platforms,” explains Fleur.

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If you haven’t been able to master mixing prints, don’t give up just yet. There are a few key things you should look out for. "Find prints that have base colors that complement each other,” explains Fleur. "Any other colors that are found in both pieces can help tie everything together.”

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Whenever you mix patterns, like print and sequin, you should always think of the colors. "The rule I generally follow when mixing prints is pairing colors together rather than patterns. A print paired with sequins creates a very rich, textured look that’s both fun and flirty,” says Fleur.

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Group Executive Director, Branded Content and Beauty

Caitie Schlisserman is an L.A.-based executive director with over a decade of branded content and editorial experience. She joined Who What Wear in 2014 as the first branded content editor and has worked her way up to overseeing a team of talented branded content editors and the beauty department of the media revenue team. Before Who What Wear, Caitie helped launch FabFitFun's first subscription box and worked at a beauty startup where she assisted in successfully launching the editorial department.