The evolution of: the little black dress - Reader's Digest (2024)

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How has the little black dress changed over time? ›

The LBD became more casual in the 1980s with the popularity of everyday fabrics and knitwear, while broad power-dressing shoulders and peplums also infiltrated the style. Nineties grunge culture combined a simple cut LBD with statement Doc Marten boots.

The little black dress is a symbol of class, business, elegance, and sexiness. Hollywood's influence on fashion helped the small black dress's popularity. In the world of fashion, the little black dress is very popular.

As Coco herself proclaimed, "I imposed black; it's still going strong today, for black wipes out everything else around." The little black dress continued to be popular through the Great Depression, predominantly through its economy and elegance, albeit with the line lengthened somewhat.

In 1961, Givenchy designed a little black dress for the opening scene of Blake Edwards' romantic comedy, Breakfast at Tiffany's, in which Hepburn starred alongside actor George Peppard. Her necklace was made by Roger Scemama, a French jeweler and parure-maker who designed jewelry for Givenchy.

“The original image was overexposed, rendering the illumination source uncertain,” explains Wallisch, who serves as a clinical assistant professor in NYU's Department of Psychology. “As a result, we make assumptions about how the dress was illuminated, which affects the colors we see.”

Some people have suggested that the dress changes colours on its own. Media outlets noted that the photo was overexposed and had poor white balance, causing its colours to be washed out, giving rise to the perception by some that the dress is white and gold.

Almost a century ago, Coco Chanel unveiled the original little black dress. The 1926 garment would go on to become a fashion staple, so well-known that it is often referred to simply by the acronym “LBD.”

Created by Coco Chanel in 1926, the little black dress was translated to ready-to-wear as a staple of late afternoon and co*cktail hours; American women at every level of consumption knew the importance of a practical, "well-mannered black." Black had been used for formal and semi-formal occasions in preceding decades.

Introduced by Coco Chanel and made famous by Audrey Hepburn, the little black dress redefined how women dress and remains one of the most elegant and versatile pieces in any wardrobe. Vogue said it would become 'a sort of uniform for all women of taste' – a prophecy that has more than come true.

Coco Chanel's dark side - Nazi spying, dangerous affairs, and 'revenge' sackings. She is one of the most notable fashion icons of the 20th century, inventing the little black dress and No. 5 perfume Marilyn Monroe wore to bed – and she still influences the way women dress today.

What Chanel quote is black? ›

When I find a colour darker than black, I'll wear it. But until then, I'm wearing black!

Womenswear. Broadly categorized, there were three main trends in 1960s womenswear: 1) the lady-like elegance inherited from the previous decade seen on the likes of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, 2) the fun, youthful designs popularized by Swinging London, and 3) the Eastern-influenced hippie styles of the late 1960s.

Audrey Hepburn was 31 years old when playing Holly. Holly Golightly wears the same dresses all the way through the movie, simply changing the accessories to give each outfit a different look. Her black shift dress features through the movie at least four times.

Her fashion has been referred to as sophisticated, minimalist, elegant, polished, and mod. Hepburn typically chose a muted palette of black, white, beige, and pink, which emphasized the darker undertones of her eyes and hair. She "compensated" for her height by wearing ballet slippers and flat shoes.

The part for "Breakfast at Tiffany's" protagonist Holly Golightly was originally intended for Marilyn Monroe.

Inspired by the fashions she saw on the streets, Quant raised the hemline of her skirts in 1964 to several inches above the knee, and the iconic miniskirt was born. She named the skirt after her favorite car, the Mini. André Courrèges, 1969.

The LBD Chanel introduced in 1926 was a simple, sporty black dress made of lightweight crepe de chine, with long sleeves and a hemline that hit just below the knee. Devoid of embroidery and embellishment—Chanel wore hers with multiple strands of pearls—it borrowed from the codes of menswear.

In the 1920s, womenswear saw an enormous change in length and style. The hemline of dresses continued to shorten from floor length to above the ankle in 1910-20, but they reached an all time high in the 1920s. Although hemlines were short, the androgyny of “La Garçonne” look remained.