STYLE TIPS: How to update last year's party dress

With the party season just around the corner it's time to get your outfit sorted! A new dress is always welcome, but isn't it a shame to waste that perfect LBD (or other colour) from last year? Ofcourse nobody wants to be wearing the same clothes in two years worth of Christmas photographs, but there's a cheaper, more creative alternative to splashing your money on new threads. And not only that, you can add your own touch and create something nobody else will have and totally fits your style!

If you take a look at the current trends, you'll see a lot of lace, sheer fabrics, embellishments and stars. All these things you could easily incorporate into your own look. Wanting to add some sexy, sheer touches to your strappy dress? You could wear a pretty blouse underneath or over it, changing it from showing off your skin to a flirty hint at what's underneath.

Black Chiffon dress at Miss Selfridge £39

The same goes for adding lace. Another way to add some lace is to sew a collar onto your dress. This will make it feel very feminine and vintage. If you're not a dab hand with a needle and thread you could wear some lace gloves, pin on a lacy flower brooch.

Pearl Lowe for Peacocks  £35

Embellishments will take a bit more time to add, but the results can be stunning. Adding pearls, sequins or rhinestones will really glam up a plain outfit. If you're not handy enough, or not patient enough, to sew on your embellishments you could glue them on with a glue-gun or use a tool for adding on your rhinestones. Be careful that you use glue that is compatible with your fabric and also strong enough so that your hard work won't come of with the first washing! This is a really fun way to decorate your dress because you can add all kinds of designs and use all kinds of items. They don't need to be the classic pearls or shimmers, you could add buttons, beads, studs, anything you'd like. You could add pearls in a bow shape along the neckline for a cute, vintage look, place rhinestones all over for a stunning sparkling effect or studs for a harder edge. This really is a good way to put your own personal stamp on your clothing.

Rise Boutique jewelled neck dress at Tesco £55

And then finally, maybe the biggest current trend, stars! They're fun, festive and can be anything from flirty to edgy. Easy ways to add stars to your existing wardrobe is to find some transfers to iron on, or make a mold out of cardboard or plastic so you can paint them on yourself. You can't really do either of these well on sheer fabrics. It's best to try this out on items made out of cotton or jersey. Of course you could always just add some jewellery or accessories with stars!

Black Star Pussy Bow dress at Matalan £24

The easiest and still inexpensive way to update your wardrobe is to add new accessories. A statement necklace, some fingerless gloves, a cool hat, all these things will jazz up last years outfit without much effort but with maximum effect. Have fun and be creative!