Dress • Missguided (under $30!) | Moto Jacket • High end version here, lower cost faux options here and below |  Shoes • Christian Louboutin | Sunglasses • Ray-Ban | Lip Pencil • M·A·C Burgundy | Lipstick • M·A·C Dark Side

I don’t know about you, but when I put on a black moto jacket I feel a bit “Bad-A.”  I can’t help it.  This iconic jacket has always been associated with bad boys and fast motorcycles.  You don’t throw one over shoulders, especially in a black dress, if you’re going for soft and demure.  No, you want to be edgy, maybe a little intimidating.  If that’s not you (it’s not me) sometimes it’s fun to let your alter ego take a walk on that wild side.

You can really ride that wave with a pair of black leather booties (plain leather would be edgier than suede), but I’ve chosen to go a bit sleeker with nude pumps.  Besides offering a touch of sophistication to this edgy look, nude pumps lengthen your legs to help achieve a longer, leaner look.  It’s like losing a few pounds without dieting.  I’ll show this dress next week without the jacket, but with both nude pumps and black.  Let me know if you think the change makes much of a difference.

Speaking of this dress, it has the coolest knit texture to it.  I almost passed – Really Helen? Another black dress? – but the pattern convinced me otherwise.  That and the less-than-$30 price tag! I’ve included a couple of pictures above that I think really capture the pattern.  For reference, I’m wearing a size 6 which is about right.  In some styles I wear a 4, so if you’re not sure, you might be better off ordering a size up.

Basically, that’s it – a simple black dress, an iconic moto jacket, nude pumps, maybe a burgundy lip – and you’re a force to be reckoned with.  Are you ready?