A Little History And Evolution Of The Little Black Dress
365 days of fashion: the e-ncyclopedia of fashion
Monday, November 13, 2023
The Little Black Dress, simply referred to as “LBD”, is one of the most iconic fashion pieces. Casual and sophisticated, conservative and sexy, simple and bold, the LBD has always been a black canvas with many possibilities. It is famous not only for the timelessness and versatility of the dress but also because it made black a strong, unrivaled color in the fashion industry, being one of the few creations that made a color so perfect, unique, and symbolic.
The fact that a dress has such a recognizable name and identity makes it even more powerful. There are countless iconic fashion pieces that have been released throughout the 20th century and beyond, but most of them are associated with a particular fashion house, like Burberry’s trench coat, Prada’s Nylon bag, or the Hermès carré scarf, even though other brands create similar products as well. One unique thing about the LBD is that it doesn’t belong to one or even a few designers, as many-many brands have their own little black dresses. Despite it was popularized by Coco Chanel, today, you probably don’t associate the LBD with Chanel only.
Let’s retrace the history and evolution of the Little Black Dress through the most impactful looks ever worn.
The moment when the little black dress gained its first big momentum was when Coco Chanel introduced it in 1926 in the pages of Vogue.
The little black dress was one of the preferred dresses to create the “flapper look” in the 1920s.
Although she did not design the very first Little Black Dress, Coco Chanel was the one who made it widely popular, and desirable. Her design was revolutionary for many reasons.