So you have been invited to that all important event and you can’t wait to go. You have spent hours trying on and shopping for evening dresses and have finally found the perfect dress. All that is left to do is to decide on the accessories to wear. No matter how gorgeous the dress, the right accessories can make or break the outfit. Accessorising an evening dress is key to looking amazing, so pick your accessories carefully and don’t forget to try on the whole outfit in advance to check that it looks as good as you hope.

This beautiful satin gown (pictured above) is really striking and a feature in its own right. It therefore needs subtle and stylish accessories that do not detract from its beauty. A simple pair of black heels and black cover up is all that is required, perhaps a simple and plain black clutch bag. The detailed neckline would look best without a necklace or with a very simple pendant necklace and small hair accessory perfectly balances the pattern on the lower half of the dress.

Each type of accessory should be considered carefully and chosen to balance and compliment the dress. You should also consider the outfit as a whole to ensure that you are achieving the right balance of accessories and dress. Often with evening wear accessories less is more and the most stylish look is achieved with just a few simple pieces.

Here are some of the key accessories to consider when putting together your evening outfit.

Jewellery -as mentioned before, less is often more. Think about the colour, sparkle, length and shape of your jewellery. A complicated neckline will need a very simple necklace that hangs at just the right height. A small diamond (or similar) pendant is very elegant and looks great with almost any type of evening wear. Before you select earrings decide how you will have your hair. A pair of long earrings will usually look better with short hair or an up do.

Cover up -when travelling to and from an evening party  or during the evening, you may feel slightly chilly and want to cover up. You may also feel slightly self conscious of showing your shoulders and prefer to cover them. Boleros are the most practical and stylish type of evening cover up but wraps also look really good and formal with an evening gown.

Underwear -whilst not strictly speaking an accessory, underwear is an important part of your outfit and contributes towards its overall success. Make sure you choose underwear that does not show at all and streamlines your shape.

Handbag - A small clutch bag is the perfect handbag to carry when wearing an evening dress. For a simple dress pick out a beautiful beaded clutch, for a more elaborate dress a simple black clutch will be perfect.  

Hair -If you have medium length or long hair, an up do will look really formal and compliment your evening dress. You could choose a feather or sparkly hair accessory which will draw peoples eyes towards your face. Remember to balance and co ordinate with any jewellery that you are wearing.

Shoes -black high heels (if you can walk in them) are the best option for evening wear. Other alternatives include gold or silver heels or embellished ballet pumps for those that cannot wear heels.

The Oscars is always a big event in terms of films and fashion. Everyone wants to know what each of the stars will choose to wear, who will look and the best and who will look the worst. The Oscars are a major occasions when every body attending gets the chance to get really dressed up and what they wear will often become a key inspiration for prom and evening dresses over the coming year.

The Oscars or the Academy awards  are held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which is the worldâ??s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. Oscars are awarded in a variety of categories including best picture, best actress and actor, writing, costume and many other areas involved with film.

Each year there is always one dress that catches everyone’s eye and makes the wearer the centre of attention. There are also always some dresses that don’t look so good but usually get just as much attention. Fashion designers fall over themselves to provide the Oscar nominees with the most beautiful dresses from their collections or bespoke couture pieces. Most of us dream of wearing a beautiful Oscar gown that is just the perfect shape, colour and fit. A ball or formal evening event is the perfect opportunity to get dressed up Oscar style in a dress that is fit for the red carpet. But without the designer dress and stylist to help pick it out, how can you ensure that you look perfect in your evening wear?

Looking at the dresses chosen by the celebrities is a great way to get inspiration and ideas of what to wear. Some of the highlights of this years Oscars dresses were Cameron Diaz in a bejewelled and sparkling nude gold Oscar De La Renta gown, Jennifer Lopez worked a Sculpted Armani Privee dress, Kate Winslet in stunning silver strapless Yves St Laurent, Demi Moore in a blush, tiered Atelier Versace gown and Anna Kendrick in a blush pink draped Elie Saab couture gown. Matt metallic, nude, peache and pale pink were all popular choices this year with a scattering of traditional black, navy and even some bright jewel colours.

We can also learn from the sucesses and mistakes of the celebrities when they dress for the red carpet. Here are some of our top celebrity red carpet stylist tips:

• Do pick a dress that compliments your colour and body shape perfectly. It is not so much about finding the right dress as finding the right dress for you.
• Do think about the overall package. Hair, make up, shoes, jewellery and bag are almost as important as the dress.
• Don’t  under dress. If you are attending  a very formal event , then a knee length shift dress will not be dressy enough, a full length gown will look much more appropriate and glamorous.
• Don’t over accessorise. If you have an elaborate dress it only needs very simple accessories. If you have a very simple dress, then you can choose one statement accessory, perhaps a stunning necklace or earrings.
• Do consider choosing something slightly unusual (but always flattering), that way you will avoiding looking like everyone else.
• Consider alternatives to an evening dress. Evening skirts and tops can look just as amazing. 
• Sometimes less is more and the most stylish dresses are the most simple
• Don’t expose too much flesh, the best Oscar dresses leave a little (or  a lot) to the imagination
• Choose the right underwear – shape wear will help to give a streamlined appearance and the right bra is vital for a strappy, strapless or low cut dress.