Welcome to the inaugural post for How To Accessorize. Okay, I’m kind of lying because I did one in April about how to accessorize an outfit for a wedding, but you probably forgot about that one, didn’t you?

Today’s example is how to accessorize a day dress, and to look and feel like a lady. This outfit was from last Saturday when I went to afternoon tea at the Mayflower Hotel in downtown DC. Can I say if you want to really feel like an adult go to tea at a fancy hotel. At the Mayflower there was just something about having your own personal pot of wildly fragrant tea and little finger sandwiches and deserts that made me feel like a grown up – and a responsible one at that! HA! Who knew tea could do all of that?

So for the day I decided to go with a great day dress. This is a little black and white cotton dress I picked up at TJMaxx for $25. I always suggest that you have a simple a-line dress that looks great on you for those occasions when you need a “lady dress” like high tea or going to the theater during the day. People don’t dress up anymore and they should, I try to look my best whenever I can. I decided to pair my dress with peep toe high heels, a great hand held clutch and a brooch. Nothing says lady to me like a great brooch. You know your grandmother and your mother have one in their wardrobe stash and you should too. A great brooch can add a bit of character and color or sparkle to any outfit. Most of my brooches are bugs like dragonflies or bees and this particular sparkler is a Swarvoski crystal dragonfly. I love it!

For the makeup, I decided to go simple but add a punch of color. I used Bare Escentuals matte foundation to give my skin a soft and smooth matte finish, just a little bit of Bobbi Brown bronzer on the cheeks instead of blush and I decided to make my eyes the focus. I used Sephora eyeshadow in a gorgeously vivid green and then swiped on Chanel Glossimers in Unity to keep the rest of my make simple. I also wore my Burberry watch since it’s very slim and sleek and I tend to wear it when I’m more dressed up than my normal jeans and t-shirts.

So what would you have paired with this dress? Do tell…

For ideas on brooches and high heels that go perfectly with a lady dress scroll below.