Who Invented Little Black Dress?
29 Nov 2023
Something comes and goes, but the black dress is a constant. It's an outfit that has a place in everyone's closet. When you read fashion articles, especially about dress, you always see the word LBD. So aren't you wondering who first created this such a versatile dress? It appeared thanks to the famous Coco Chanel, who knew how to surprise and create truly elegant and simple things, which was another of her creations - the little black dress.
The phrase "little black dress" and the name Coco Chanel are practically synonymous today. Remembering the Great Coco, we necessarily imagine a strictly cut dress, and vice versa.
Stylish black dresses always remain fashionable and relevant, laconic, simple dress of black color, often quite short. The little black dress is so popular that it is sometimes simply called LBD (short for "little black dress"). Due to its versatility and practicality, such outfits are suitable for different events and activities. Black color is chic, giving the image of coquetry and romanticism, sophistication and restraint. Previously, this color, associated with mourning, was not a success, but with the arrival of the little black dress became very popular.
The simple black dresses that may be hanging in your closet right now have a big story behind it. In 1926, the little black dress was called "Chanel's Ford" and was proclaimed the dress that the whole world would wear. In the mid 50's it was dreamed to get fashionistas around the world after the premiere of the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's". And in the 90's Princess Diana made it a "revenge dress".
To date, the little black piece can be found for every taste and purse, but it still does not lose its position in the world of fashion. The variety of styles and textures allows you to choose "your" outfit, which will emphasize the advantages and present the figure in the best light.
The phrase "little black dress" and the name Coco Chanel are practically synonymous today. Remembering the Great Coco, we necessarily imagine a strictly cut dress, and vice versa.
Stylish black dresses always remain fashionable and relevant, laconic, simple dress of black color, often quite short. The little black dress is so popular that it is sometimes simply called LBD (short for "little black dress"). Due to its versatility and practicality, such outfits are suitable for different events and activities. Black color is chic, giving the image of coquetry and romanticism, sophistication and restraint. Previously, this color, associated with mourning, was not a success, but with the arrival of the little black dress became very popular.
The simple black dresses that may be hanging in your closet right now have a big story behind it. In 1926, the little black dress was called "Chanel's Ford" and was proclaimed the dress that the whole world would wear. In the mid 50's it was dreamed to get fashionistas around the world after the premiere of the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's". And in the 90's Princess Diana made it a "revenge dress".
To date, the little black piece can be found for every taste and purse, but it still does not lose its position in the world of fashion. The variety of styles and textures allows you to choose "your" outfit, which will emphasize the advantages and present the figure in the best light.
What Does the Term "Little Black Dress" Mean?
The little black dress is a simple cut dress in black color. Its distinguishing features: are durability, versatility, and affordable price. This type of dresses are so popular that in many people often called it simply LBD (little black dress).
The Fascinating History of the Little Black Dress
Coming back to the question that who invented these little black dresses? It turns out that this color (rather "non-color") was in fashion many times before Coco Chanel. At the beginning of the XVI century, Milanese dukes and Venetian merchants, who liked to show off their wealth, were fond of it. Thanks to processing, dyed-in-black fabrics did not shed, cost much more than before, and were very popular among rich merchants and fashionable aristocrats.
Italians were the first to combine black with black, playing on the difference in textures, then this color was loved by the Dutch, and in the early XIX century the loose waves of black velvet plunged pale-faced romantics. In the middle of the century, the French Empress Eugenie (a Spaniard by birth) introduced black into everyday fashion. In the 1850s, she made black lace shawls and mantillas famous, and in the 1860s, she introduced black Spanish dresses, blouses, and loose-fitting burkas with romantic names.
There is a story behind the scene: for Coco, black was the color of the uniform, of the bleak orphanage, of a girl's teenage years. In the 1920s, the outfit was a black dress and tights, white cuffs and collar, worn by girls in foster homes attached to nuns' orders. This uniform was modest and quite comfortable, but most importantly - hid the origin, and turned the children into a single black-and-white mass. Chanel has long tried to forget about the convent past - and in this, it must be said, succeeded: biographers still do not know exactly who her father was and how her childhood was, but it is known that she spent it in an orphanage.
There is another more romanticized version of this story. The history of the little black dress is closely connected with Coco Chanel herself, who invented the black dress in 1926 in memory of her lost lover. After all, in 1926, the year of the invention of fashion, it was inadmissible to go out in the light in black clothes, it meant condemnation and misunderstanding on the part of others.
The idea to dress women in black came to Chanel after the tragic death of her favorite man Boy Capel. "This death," she would later say, "was the most grievous blow to me. With the death of Capel, I lost everything." Since Mademoiselle could not officially wear mourning (The man was married), she created a black dress as a sign of grief for her lover.
Years later, the dresses were a beautiful and concise farewell to an uncomfortable, shameful part of life. Black is a democratic, patient, non-marking, and meaningful color, good on a cloudy day and appropriate in evening interiors, that is, it has excellent selling potential, which Chanel took advantage of. Noting obvious blunders and mistakes, and successful laconic variants composed by her colleagues, Coco secretly admired and quietly worked on her project.
However, there is a less romantic version of the story of the little black dresses: the world was changing and women needed practical clothes, not stained and comfortable. Coco Chanel kept up with the times and gave her clients what they needed, using ideas familiar to her from childhood.
In October 1926, Vogue magazine published a sketch of Coco Chanel's black dress. The model was unusual for that time: the dress was mid-knee length and repeated the narrow shirt cut, and most importantly, despite the color, it was intended for everyday life. However, Chanel endowed the black dress with new meanings - and for many women of that time, it became a symbol not just of elegance, but of confidence, independence, and readiness to make a statement.
"For several years, I made only black. My dresses sold like scones with a delicious filling. Everyone wore them - actresses, society ladies, maids." Chanel's invention was quite modest for those times when abundantly decorated dresses and hats: length below the knee, long narrow sleeves, understated waist, and only a pucker forming a fold as a decoration. Contemporaries called the dress "orphan" and "poor". But it was still bought... and they bought it! Soon American Vogue called it "Ford". Coco, sharp-tongued, picked up on the idea: "I design Fords, not Rolls-Royces." Like the Ford marque T car, the dress was available to everyone, but only in black. Mademoiselle truly believed that if a woman had a little black dress in her closet, she could not be ill-dressed.
But Chanel was by no means the first designer to introduce the little black dress to the world. It is known that back in the 21-24th years such fashion houses as Patou, Jenny, and Drekoll created their versions of shortened dresses of black color. Many of these outfits were almost an exact copy of Chanel's dress and their images were printed in Vogue magazine. But Chanel managed to create an advertising campaign, thanks to which it was her dress that made fashion history.
Italians were the first to combine black with black, playing on the difference in textures, then this color was loved by the Dutch, and in the early XIX century the loose waves of black velvet plunged pale-faced romantics. In the middle of the century, the French Empress Eugenie (a Spaniard by birth) introduced black into everyday fashion. In the 1850s, she made black lace shawls and mantillas famous, and in the 1860s, she introduced black Spanish dresses, blouses, and loose-fitting burkas with romantic names.
There is a story behind the scene: for Coco, black was the color of the uniform, of the bleak orphanage, of a girl's teenage years. In the 1920s, the outfit was a black dress and tights, white cuffs and collar, worn by girls in foster homes attached to nuns' orders. This uniform was modest and quite comfortable, but most importantly - hid the origin, and turned the children into a single black-and-white mass. Chanel has long tried to forget about the convent past - and in this, it must be said, succeeded: biographers still do not know exactly who her father was and how her childhood was, but it is known that she spent it in an orphanage.
There is another more romanticized version of this story. The history of the little black dress is closely connected with Coco Chanel herself, who invented the black dress in 1926 in memory of her lost lover. After all, in 1926, the year of the invention of fashion, it was inadmissible to go out in the light in black clothes, it meant condemnation and misunderstanding on the part of others.
The idea to dress women in black came to Chanel after the tragic death of her favorite man Boy Capel. "This death," she would later say, "was the most grievous blow to me. With the death of Capel, I lost everything." Since Mademoiselle could not officially wear mourning (The man was married), she created a black dress as a sign of grief for her lover.
Years later, the dresses were a beautiful and concise farewell to an uncomfortable, shameful part of life. Black is a democratic, patient, non-marking, and meaningful color, good on a cloudy day and appropriate in evening interiors, that is, it has excellent selling potential, which Chanel took advantage of. Noting obvious blunders and mistakes, and successful laconic variants composed by her colleagues, Coco secretly admired and quietly worked on her project.
However, there is a less romantic version of the story of the little black dresses: the world was changing and women needed practical clothes, not stained and comfortable. Coco Chanel kept up with the times and gave her clients what they needed, using ideas familiar to her from childhood.
In October 1926, Vogue magazine published a sketch of Coco Chanel's black dress. The model was unusual for that time: the dress was mid-knee length and repeated the narrow shirt cut, and most importantly, despite the color, it was intended for everyday life. However, Chanel endowed the black dress with new meanings - and for many women of that time, it became a symbol not just of elegance, but of confidence, independence, and readiness to make a statement.
"For several years, I made only black. My dresses sold like scones with a delicious filling. Everyone wore them - actresses, society ladies, maids." Chanel's invention was quite modest for those times when abundantly decorated dresses and hats: length below the knee, long narrow sleeves, understated waist, and only a pucker forming a fold as a decoration. Contemporaries called the dress "orphan" and "poor". But it was still bought... and they bought it! Soon American Vogue called it "Ford". Coco, sharp-tongued, picked up on the idea: "I design Fords, not Rolls-Royces." Like the Ford marque T car, the dress was available to everyone, but only in black. Mademoiselle truly believed that if a woman had a little black dress in her closet, she could not be ill-dressed.
But Chanel was by no means the first designer to introduce the little black dress to the world. It is known that back in the 21-24th years such fashion houses as Patou, Jenny, and Drekoll created their versions of shortened dresses of black color. Many of these outfits were almost an exact copy of Chanel's dress and their images were printed in Vogue magazine. But Chanel managed to create an advertising campaign, thanks to which it was her dress that made fashion history.
The Little Black Dress Hits the Big Screen
The little black dress has transformed to meet the demands of the times. In 1947, French designer Christian Dior released the New Look collection, including the LBD. The black dresses became tighter at the waist and gained a voluminous hem. Dior brought him a new round of fame by making the LBD part of the cocktail dress code.
After Dior, it was the turn of Hollywood and another French designer, Hubert de Givenchy. The black dress has become a real wand for celebrities, designers, and stylists. Elegant, sexy, modest! Black dress can be different, but one thing is for sure - it must be in a woman's closet.
In 1956, the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's starring Audrey Hepburn was released. Givenchy designed the black slip dress in which the film's heroine Holly Golightly appears in the movie. The success of "Breakfast at Tiffany's" combined with the love for the actress made the little black dresses as an object of desire for fashionistas. And the image of Holly Golightly is repeated to this day.
The black dress was not without its glorification. In 1972 The Hollies debuted with the super hit Long Cool Woman in a black dress.
As time went on, the LBD continued to change. Simple mini models of the '60s and '70s were replaced by basques, bows, and voluminous shoulders of the '80s. In the '90s, the dress returned to its minimalist roots: trumpet and mike dresses came into fashion. Women were inspired by the images of Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Aniston, and Winona Ryder. Princess Diana also contributed to the popularity of the black dress. In 1994, she arrived at the Vanity Fair summer party in a Christina Stambolian dress, turning the little black dress into a "revenge dress".
After Dior, it was the turn of Hollywood and another French designer, Hubert de Givenchy. The black dress has become a real wand for celebrities, designers, and stylists. Elegant, sexy, modest! Black dress can be different, but one thing is for sure - it must be in a woman's closet.
In 1956, the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's starring Audrey Hepburn was released. Givenchy designed the black slip dress in which the film's heroine Holly Golightly appears in the movie. The success of "Breakfast at Tiffany's" combined with the love for the actress made the little black dresses as an object of desire for fashionistas. And the image of Holly Golightly is repeated to this day.
The black dress was not without its glorification. In 1972 The Hollies debuted with the super hit Long Cool Woman in a black dress.
As time went on, the LBD continued to change. Simple mini models of the '60s and '70s were replaced by basques, bows, and voluminous shoulders of the '80s. In the '90s, the dress returned to its minimalist roots: trumpet and mike dresses came into fashion. Women were inspired by the images of Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Aniston, and Winona Ryder. Princess Diana also contributed to the popularity of the black dress. In 1994, she arrived at the Vanity Fair summer party in a Christina Stambolian dress, turning the little black dress into a "revenge dress".
A Timeless Womenswear Fashion Basic
One of the indispensable things in the closet is a little black dress, which helps fashionistas to create a flawless image. Black dresses are universal and will suit any woman, regardless of her age, build, and style preferences. It easily fits into both cocktail and strict styles.
What to wear a little black dress with? This thing perfectly harmonizes with other elements of the closet of all sorts of colors and shades, easily "befriend" with the brightest spectacular accessories such as beads of natural white pearls, a large Czech brooch, or earrings-pendants with amber, while the image will not look pretentious.
Putting on top of the dress a colored jacket or coat, you will create a strict business image, and complementing a denim jacket with rough boots, you will be ready for an evening walk. You can also dilute the image with a mustard-colored coarse knit sweater with a belt tied in a knot and boots. The main thing is not to be afraid to experiment with colors and textures with those black dresses.
For formal outings, such as a wedding or anniversary, it is enough to complement the dress with shoes and dressy accessories. It can be earrings, a necklace, or even a bag. For an evening out, it is worth giving preference to a clutch or mini dress.
For work in the office, LBD will look good with a jacket or cardigan. On the feet, you can put on comfortable loafers or shoes without a heel. In this case, short socks will help to complete the image.
For a walk, LBD can be worn with rough shoes, such as boots and platform sandals. For a more informal style, it can be complemented with a t-shirt underneath or a shirt over top.
In recent years, dresses have undergone several changes and today the concept of the "little black dress" combines many different styles, without losing the ideas of previous years. It can be both mini and maxi, fitted and loose, open and closed.
What to wear a little black dress with? This thing perfectly harmonizes with other elements of the closet of all sorts of colors and shades, easily "befriend" with the brightest spectacular accessories such as beads of natural white pearls, a large Czech brooch, or earrings-pendants with amber, while the image will not look pretentious.
Putting on top of the dress a colored jacket or coat, you will create a strict business image, and complementing a denim jacket with rough boots, you will be ready for an evening walk. You can also dilute the image with a mustard-colored coarse knit sweater with a belt tied in a knot and boots. The main thing is not to be afraid to experiment with colors and textures with those black dresses.
For formal outings, such as a wedding or anniversary, it is enough to complement the dress with shoes and dressy accessories. It can be earrings, a necklace, or even a bag. For an evening out, it is worth giving preference to a clutch or mini dress.
For work in the office, LBD will look good with a jacket or cardigan. On the feet, you can put on comfortable loafers or shoes without a heel. In this case, short socks will help to complete the image.
For a walk, LBD can be worn with rough shoes, such as boots and platform sandals. For a more informal style, it can be complemented with a t-shirt underneath or a shirt over top.
In recent years, dresses have undergone several changes and today the concept of the "little black dress" combines many different styles, without losing the ideas of previous years. It can be both mini and maxi, fitted and loose, open and closed.
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