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When I tried this on, I thought it was a slip and I needed a good old fashioned silk slip to wear under a black silk dress. But I was surprised to find that it was of a substantially heavier silk, almost a charmeuse, that looked like a dress. Not a dress I would wear on its own, mind you, but a dress nonetheless.

I admit, I feel too bare in this dress without something over it. Maybe, I mean maaaaybe if I were on a cruise (which I never want to take) I might could see wearing it, but doubtful.

Ralph Lauren offers this black slip dress on their website. And they want a pretty penny for it. Wow. Mine is also Ralph Lauren, but found for $40 at a designer liquidator. It does have that early 20th century pre-flapper feel to it. Drape on some diamonds and show up at Downton Abbey to get a rise out of the Dowager Countess. (Style Vault Insiders, I've added some very wearable and affordable cami dresses to the March Style Notes, more suited for today's life.)

Oh my goodness I feel so much better. Here's the thing, all you women rolling your eyes at me because I'm wearing a thin, flowy slip and calling it a dress, and you're thinking you could never wear it, I beg to differ. That's the secret! That's the surprise! The bias cut does all manner of wonders for hiding curves and ripples. And the right slipdress is more dress than slip; actually not a slip at all.

I love that fashion is finally offering stylish options for curvy women (we say curvy rather than the pejorative term plus-size). I'm amassing an index for our shopping service of the best sources for curvy, petites, and talls (along with every other size) that have good quality and tasteful options online and in stores. It's not an easy task, given that the landscape is littered with cheap, tasteless options everywhere you turn. You can click on this image to shop the slipdress here. I haven't seen it in person, do can't vouch for its quality. But I love the bias cut shape and color.

These new silhouettes in fashion, the looser/less clingy styles, are so much easier to wear. A jacket with some heft to it, like this leather piece, complements a breezy slipdress.

You can also wear your slipdress as a skirt. Once again, I'm opting for a hefty counterweight to the silk with a Western leather shirt.

Here you can see how the way a slipdress is typically cut, on the bias, so it skims your shape without hugging or gripping. This is the kind of dress that falls away from your body, not bandaging it.

I get a lot of questions about wearing belts. Barbara and I both wear them and love to dress our clients in them. The key is to keep the width in proportion to your frame. I have very little space between my hips and chest - I'm high waisted. So this belt, about 2 inches wide, is about as wide as I can go. The more space you have, the wider you can go. I'll wrap it around my waist to get a clean, waist-nipping look, or drape one on my hips for a more casual look. You'll see this a lot in our blog posts.

You may find a slipskirt (not a real word) is more comfortable for you than a slipdress. Less bare. The other great thing about a slipdress or slipskirt is that you can wear them longer without looking dowdy. Why is that? Let's all say it together this time : the bias cut. That keeps it from looking like a shower curtain.

But if you wear something long, give yourself some shape back by cinching in your waist.

I like this slip skirt because it actually gives me a bum! But if you have a large bum you want to conceal, a slip dress or slip skirt will work great with something a bit longer falling to just below your bum, where the fabric of the skirt will start to fall away from your curves.