I spend some time this weekend cleaning out my closet, which got me thinking about the necessary items of clothing that every girl should own- a pair of jeans that fit perfectly, a basic white cotton tee, a smart professional outfit for interviews, and of course, a little black dress that makes you feel like million bucks. It also got me thinking about all the unnecessary stuff that clutters up our closets, but that is a topic for another post. I have lots of good stuff in my closet, as well as lots of unnecessary stuff, but what I seem to be lacking is the perfect little black dress. Sure, there is a lot of black in there- but what I am talking about is a show-stopper. The kind of dress you wear that puts all eyes on you when you walk into a room. I’m talking about this dress:

In both the long version on Natalie Portman and short, cut-out version on Ashley Olsen, I am absolutely gaga over the neckline of these Balenciaga dresses. The effect is almost like an attached bib necklace- yet way sexier than that sentence implies- it’s unexpected, modern and chic. I am now on a mission to find a dress for myself with a similar dramatic neckline. Unfortuntaly, no matter how many dresses went in the Goodwill bag this weekend, I can’t really justify a Balenciaga purchase…

The eye catching combination of a plunging neckline and criss-cross detailing on this Elizabeth and James Crossfront Technical Chiffon Dress, at thousands less than Balenciaga, makes this dress a totally justifiable splurge.