Little black dress

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A little black dress from 1964 worn by Anneke Gronloh at Eurovision 1964 Anneke Gronloh 1964 Eurovision dress.jpg
A little black dress from 1964 worn by Anneke Grönloh at Eurovision 1964

The little black dress (LBD) is a black evening or cocktail dress, cut simply and often quite short. Fashion historians ascribe the origins of the little black dress to the 1920s designs of Coco Chanel. [1] It is intended to be long-lasting, versatile, affordable, and widely accessible. Its ubiquity is such that it is often simply referred to as the "LBD". [2] [3] [4]

Contents

The little black dress is considered essential to a complete wardrobe. Many fashion observers state that every woman should own a simple, elegant black dress that can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion. For example, the LBD can be worn with a jacket and pumps for daytime business wear. It can also be worn with ornate jewelry and accessories for evening wear or a formal event such as a wedding or ball.

History

Black has always been a color rich in symbolism. In the early 16th century, black represented wealth among Spanish aristocrats and Dutch merchants as it was incredibly expensive to produce the black color from "imported oak apples." [5] In the early 18th century, black represented romance and artistry. As Ann Demeulemeester said of it, "Black is poetic. How do you imagine a poet? In a bright yellow jacket? Probably not." In the early 19th century, black was adopted by the Romantics such as Byron, Shelley, and Keats, due to its melancholic aura. As the Victorian era began, black transitioned from a color of art to one of grief and mourning – widows were expected to wear black for at least four years – and also for service livery, as the uniform for maids.

In 1926 Coco Chanel published a picture of a short, simple black dress in American Vogue . It was calf-length, straight and decorated only by a few diagonal lines. Vogue called it "Chanel's Ford". Like the Model T, the little black dress was simple and accessible for women of all social classes. Vogue also said that the LBD would become "a sort of uniform for all women of taste". [6] This, as well as other designs by the house of Chanel helped disassociate black from mourning, and reinvent it as the uniform of the high-class, wealthy, and chic. As Coco herself proclaimed, "I imposed black; it's still going strong today, for black wipes out everything else around." [7]

The little black dress continued to be popular through the Great Depression, predominantly through its economy and elegance, albeit with the line lengthened somewhat. Hollywood's influence on fashion helped the little black dress's popularity, but for more practical reasons: as Technicolor films became more common, filmmakers relied on little black dresses because other colors looked distorted on screen and botched the coloring process. During World War II, the style continued in part due to widespread rationing of textiles, and in part as a common uniform (accessorized for businesswear) for civilian women entering the workforce.

Variations on Chanel's little black dress during the Chanel: The Legend exhibition at the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague in 2014 Klein zwart jurkje.JPG
Variations on Chanel's little black dress during the Chanel: The Legend exhibition at the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague in 2014

The rise of Dior's "New Look" in the post-war era and the sexual conservatism of the 1950s returned the little black dress to its roots as a uniform and a symbol of the dangerous woman. Hollywood femmes fatales and fallen women characters were portrayed often in black halter-style dresses in contrast to the more conservative dresses of housewives or more wholesome Hollywood stars. Synthetic fibres made popular in the 1940s and 1950s broadened the availability and affordability of many designs.

The generation gap of the 1960s created a dichotomy in the design of the little black dress. The younger "mod" generation preferred, in general, a miniskirt on their versions of the dress and designers catering to the youth culture continued to push the envelope - shortening the skirt even more, creating cutouts or slits in the skirt or bodice of the dress, using sheer fabrics such as netting or tulle. Many women aspired to simple black sheath dresses similar to the black Givenchy dress worn by Audrey Hepburn in the acclaimed film Breakfast at Tiffany's .

The popularity of casual fabrics, especially knits, for dress and business wear during the 1980s brought the little black dress back into vogue. Coupled with the fitness craze, the new designs incorporated details already popular at the time such as broad shoulders or peplums: later in the decade and into the 1990s, simpler designs in a variety of lengths and fullness were popular. The grunge culture of the 1990s saw the combination of the little black dress with both sandals and combat boots, though the dress itself remained simple in cut and fabric.

The new glamour of the late 1990s led to new variations of the dress but, like the 1950s and the 1970s, colour re-emerged as a factor in fashion and formalwear and repeatedly shows an aversion to black. The resurgence of body conscious clothing, muted colour schemes, and the reemergence of predominant black, along with the retrospective trends of the 1980s in the late 2000s paved way to the return of interest to the dress.

Famous examples

Betty Boop by Max Fleischer, 1931 Betty Boop patent fig1.jpg
Betty Boop by Max Fleischer, 1931

The black dress worn by Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in the film Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), designed by Hubert de Givenchy, epitomized the standard for wearing little black dresses accessorized with pearls (together called "basic black"), as was frequently seen throughout the early 1960s. The dress set a record in 2006 when it was auctioned for £410,000, six times its original estimate. [8]

Betty Boop, a cartoon character based in part on the 1920s it girl Helen Kane, was drawn wearing a little black dress in her early films, though with Technicolor later, Betty's dress became red. [6]

Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, was known to own several little black dresses and said much in praise of the garments. One quote of the Duchess: "When a little black dress is right, there is nothing else to wear in its place." [6]

Édith Piaf, the French folk icon, performed in a black sheath dress throughout her career: for this habit she was nicknamed "little black sparrow". It was thought that the dress helped audiences focus more on Piaf's singing and less on her appearance. [6]

Diana, Princess of Wales wore a black Christina Stambolian dress to the Serpentine Gallery's summer party hosted by Vanity Fair in June 1994, the night her husband Charles, Prince of Wales admitted to having an adulterous affair with Camilla Parker Bowles. Diana's dress has been likened to a "little black dress". [9]

Maria Sharapova wore a "little black dress" during her night matches at the 2006 US Open which she helped design with Nike and featured a round crystal-studded collar after being inspired by Hepburn, [10] and went on to win the tournament. Upon her return to the sport in 2017, eleven years after winning the tournament, she again wore a "little black dress" collaborating with Nike and Swarovski for her night matches at the 2017 US Open to celebrate her return at the championships. The look was intended to be reminiscent of her 2006 dress.

In an incident at London's Covent Garden theatre in 2004, a director fired the then-obese soprano Deborah Voigt from an opera because she could not fit into a "little black cocktail dress", replacing her with the slimmer Anne Schwanewilms. [11] [12] [13] [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miniskirt</span> Short skirt that usually extends to mid-thigh

A miniskirt is a skirt with its hemline well above the knees, generally at mid-thigh level, normally no longer than 10 cm (4 in) below the buttocks; and a dress with such a hemline is called a minidress or a miniskirt dress. A micro-miniskirt or microskirt is a miniskirt with its hemline at the upper thigh, at or just below crotch or underwear level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hubert de Givenchy</span> French fashion designer (1927–2018)

Count Hubert James Marcel Taffin de Givenchy was a French aristocrat and fashion designer who founded the luxury fashion and perfume house of Givenchy in 1952. He is famous for having designed much of the personal and professional wardrobe of Audrey Hepburn and clothing for Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. He was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jumpsuit</span> One-piece suit

A jumpsuit is a one-piece garment with sleeves and legs and typically without integral coverings for feet, hands or head. The original jump suit is the functional one-piece garment used by parachutists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chanel</span> French fashion house

Chanel is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. It is privately owned by the Wertheimer family and has been headquartered in London since 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cocktail dress</span> Semi-formal dress

A cocktail dress is a dress suitable at semi-formal occasions, sometimes called cocktail parties, usually in the late afternoon, and usually with accessories.

Givenchy is a French luxury fashion and perfume house. It hosts the brand of haute couture and ready-to-wear clothing, accessories, perfumes and cosmetics of Parfums Givenchy. The house of Givenchy was founded in 1952 by designer Hubert de Givenchy and is a member of Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture et du Prêt-à-Porter. It is currently owned by luxury conglomerate LVMH.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1920s in Western fashion</span> Clothing in the 1920s

Western fashion in the 1920s underwent a modernization. For women, fashion had continued to change away from the extravagant and restrictive styles of the Victorian and Edwardian periods, and towards looser clothing which revealed more of the arms and legs, that had begun at least a decade prior with the rising of hemlines to the ankle and the movement from the S-bend corset to the columnar silhouette of the 1910s. Men also began to wear less formal daily attire and athletic clothing or 'Sportswear' became a part of mainstream fashion for the first time. The 1920s are characterized by two distinct periods of fashion: in the early part of the decade, change was slower, and there was more reluctance to wear the new, revealing popular styles. From 1925, the public more passionately embraced the styles now typically associated with the Roaring Twenties. These styles continued to characterize fashion until the worldwide depression worsened in 1931.

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History of fashion design refers specifically to the development of the purpose and intention behind garments, shoes, accessories, and their design and construction. The modern industry, based around firms or fashion houses run by individual designers, started in the 19th century with Charles Frederick Worth who, beginning in 1858, was the first designer to have his label sewn into the garments he created.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coco Chanel</span> French fashion designer (1883–1971)

Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel was a French fashion designer and businesswoman. The founder and namesake of the Chanel brand, she was credited in the post–World War I era with popularizing a sporty, casual chic as the feminine standard of style. This replaced the "corseted silhouette" that had earlier been dominant with a style that was simpler, far less time-consuming to put on and remove, more comfortable, and less expensive, all without sacrificing elegance. She is the only fashion designer listed on Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. A prolific fashion creator, Chanel extended her influence beyond couture clothing, realizing her aesthetic design in jewellery, handbags, and fragrance. Her signature scent, Chanel No. 5, has become an iconic product, and Chanel herself designed her famed interlocked-CC monogram, which has been in use since the 1920s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheath dress</span> Type of dress designed to fit close to the body, relatively unadorned

In fashion, a sheath dress is a fitted, straight cut dress, often nipped at the waistline with no waist seam. When constructing the dress, the bodice and skirt are joined together by combining the skirt darts into one dart: this aligns the skirt darts with the bodice waist dart. The dress emphasizes the waist as its skirt portion is fitted. While the sheath dress can come in many patterns and lengths, it often is worn with short sleeves and reaches knee length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sportswear (fashion)</span> Fashion category of relaxed day clothes, originally separates

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pink Chanel suit of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy</span> Suit worn by Jackie Kennedy on November 22, 1963

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy was wearing a pink Chanel suit when her husband, President John F. Kennedy, was assassinated in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. She insisted on wearing the suit, stained with his blood, during the swearing-in of Lyndon B. Johnson that afternoon and for the flight back to Washington D.C. Jacqueline Kennedy was a fashion icon, and the suit is arguably the most referenced and revisited among her clothing items.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Givenchy dress of Audrey Hepburn</span> Dress featured in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffanys

Audrey Hepburn wore a "little black dress" in the 1961 romantic comedy film Breakfast at Tiffany's. The garment was originally designed by Hubert de Givenchy, with three existing copies preserved to date. A studio copy of this dress was worn during the opening scene of the film, while another during a social party held at the apartment of the main protagonist.

Oversized fashion, distinct from plus-sized fashion, consists of clothing and other accessories that are larger than normal and reflect some sort of attitude, message, or trend of the period at hand. While oversized fashion trends from the 1920s to the turn of the century vary from decade to decade, there are many overarching themes that have been expressed during the past one hundred or so years. Masculinity, for example, has played a large role in many of the underlying communications of the fashions, although virility is manifested differently in the clothing depending on the era. Oversized fashion production, furthermore, runs largely parallel with the states of the American and global economies. Modernly, oversized fashion has taken on a new form - primarily in the realm of oversized accessories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape dress</span>

A cape dress describes a woman's dress which combines features of the cape and the dress. Either a cape-like garment is attached to the dress, pinned or sewn on, and integrated into its construction, or the dress and cape are made to co-ordinate in fabric and/or colour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fashion icon</span> Influential people who introduce new styles

A fashion icon or fashion leader is a influential person who introduces new styles which spread throughout fashion culture and become part of fashion. They initiate a new style which others may follow. They may be famous personalities such as political leaders, celebrities, or sports personalities. For example, during the 1960s, Jackie Kennedy was a great fashion icon for American women, and her style became a sign of wealth, power, and distinction; and her famous Pink Chanel suit is one of the most referenced and revisited of all of her items of clothing. Twiggy was an It girl, she was a teenaged model and fashion icon of Swinging Sixties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green dress of Keira Knightley</span> Dress featured in the 2007 film Atonement

Keira Knightley wore a green dress in the 2007 romantic war drama film Atonement. The garment was created by costume designer Jacqueline Durran with director Joe Wright, and is worn during the film's climactic scene. The dress, combining period and modern elements, was praised by media publications upon Atonement's release, and is regarded as a standout in film fashion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fashion of Audrey Hepburn</span>

The fashion of actress Audrey Hepburn, both on and off-screen, has impacted trends and pop culture, and she is considered a style icon.

References

  1. Steele, Valerie (1988). Paris Fashion: A Cultural History. Oxford University Press. pp.  246–248. ISBN   0-19-504465-7.
  2. styledotcom (2010-08-19). "The LBD Gets Official". Style.com. Retrieved 2013-07-13.
  3. "Katy Perry looks stunning in slinky LBD". Mirror.co.uk. 2010-04-15. Retrieved 2013-07-13.
  4. "Women's History Month kicks off in 'Little Black Dress' style", Northern Illinois University Archived 2010-10-11 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Puhak, Shelley (2017-10-13). "The Underclass Origins of the Little Black Dress". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2020-02-22.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Edelman, Amy Holman (1998). The Little Black Dress. Aurum.
  7. Picardie, Justine (2010). Coco Chanel: the legend and the life. London: Harper Collins Publishers. pp. 92–93. ISBN   9780061963858.
  8. "Audrey Hepburn's Little Black Dress Sells for a Fortune". Hellomagazine.com. 2006-12-06. Retrieved 2013-07-13.
  9. Wong, Brittany (June 29, 2018). "The Day Princess Diana And Her 'Revenge Dress' Shocked The World". HuffPost Australia. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  10. Wilson, Eric (25 May 2011). "Maria Sharapova's Campaign to Establish Herself as a Brand". The New York Times . Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  11. Anthony Tommasini, "With Surgery, Soprano Sheds a Brünnhilde Body," New York Times, March 27, 2005, found at New York Times website. Before and after images included. Accessed May 27, 2009.
  12. Anthony Tommasini, "Second Date With a Little Black Dress," New York Times, June 11, 2008, found at New York Times website. Accessed May 27, 2009.
  13. Vivien Schweitzer, "Music Review: A Slimmed-Down Diva Keeps Her Vocal Heft," New York Times, June 18, 2009, found at New York Times website. Accessed May 27, 2009.
  14. "Deborah Voigt: Off The Scales: Opera Star Talks About Lifelong Battle With Weight," found at "Deborah Voigt: Off The Scales, Opera Star Talks About Lifelong Battle With Weight", CBS News. Retrieved May 29, 2009.

Further reading