MODA Features
PAINT IT BLACK
The evolution of the iconic Little Black Dress text by sara hupp
T
he Rolling Stones ballad “Paint It Black” may not make explicit reference to the quintessential little black dress, but when Mick Jagger croons, “No colors anymore, I want them to turn black,” it certainly captures the essence of the female population’s love affair with the style essential. Often abbreviated as simply LBD, the little black dress has made a permanent mark on the world of fashion for women as that one, universally flattering item that is suitable for almost any occasion. Popularized primarily by the late Coco Chanel, the LBD is a go-to piece for the likes of everyone from Victoria Beckham to the everyday working woman. To achieve its current notoriety, the modern LBD has undergone decades of evolution. One could even call the process Darwinian in nature.Though in constant competition with the other defining trends of each era, the now timeless little black dress continuously underwent natural selection—albeit at the hands of some of fashion’s most prolific designers. Over the years, its shape changed as it adapted to the style environment of the day, yet the LBD, like all species looking to dominate, has retained its defining features: An understated elegance and sophisticated wow-factor. As far back as the 1920s, celebrities and society women donned the little black dress. A longer, handkerchief hem, higher neckline, drop waist, and perhaps most importantly, beaded art deco details set their version of
the frock apart. It was a style that The Great Gatsby’s Daisy very well might have worn to a wild West Egg party. Jumping ahead to the mid-1950s through the 1960s, iconic figures ranging from Marilyn Monroe to Audrey Hepburn brought the little black dress to the forefront of pop culture. Hepburn’s Hubert de Givenchy LBD, which she wears with black sunglasses and double-stranded pearls as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffanys, has been immortalized in the pop art works of Andy Warhol. Karl Lagerfeld of the House of Chanel gave the little black dress its classy oomph back in the 1980s. Over the years, Lagerfeld would continue to modernize the classic little black dress as one of high fashion’s most iconic designers. The 1990s and 2000s saw a host of styles, from absolutely edgy to downright demure. Icons from across the globe—think of the late Princess Diana, current First Lady Michelle Obama, and fashion tycoon Heidi Klum— graced the glossy pages of magazines, wearing various versions of the little black dress. Such celebrities may be the public faces of the LBD, but just as important are the innumerable women who turn to the little black dress for occasions ranging from Sunday brunch to office parties to formal soirees. When slipping on a little black dress, it is as if the stylishness of its decades of development is suddenly transferred into one person, making her the epitome of class and fashion. MODA Summer 2012
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