LBD and everything Black

HISTORY OF THE LBD

In 1926, Coco Chanel created and designed the original little black dress and since has been a staple piece within every wardrobe. Before the dress was product placed for the first time in Vogue, black was previously referred to as a colour of mourning. The little black dress quickly became an item that everyone could wear, as it was accessible and affordable for every class. This resulted in the dress being nicknamed the “Chanel’s Ford”, as at the time Henry Ford cars were popular amongst the public. Fast forward to 2016, 90 years later the little black dress is still accessible for everyone, but it has developed greatly and it is not only perceived as the classic dress it first was.

Two key individuals come to mind when thinking about the little black dress. Firstly, Coco Chanel, the other Audrey Hepburn. In the 1961 film, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Audrey wore an iconic little black dress that the world fell in love with, creating the well-known image as we see her today. The infamous dress was designed by Hubert Givenchy; many mistakenly believe it was Yves Saint Laurent. For many years, Hepburn and Givenchy worked together on many films including Roman Holiday (1953), Sabrina (1954) and How To Steal A Million (1966). However, Givenchy was not credited for his designs and contribution to the wardrobe throughout the film. This famously disappointed Givenchy and Audrey Hepburn. After this, Audrey protested that Hubert’s name should appear in the credits of future films that they would collaborate on. From this, the two developed a firm friendship.

Elle magazine in 2014, created a gallery of the most famous Little Black Dresses in history, here are some of the examples.

• Audrey Hepburn, designed by Givenchy for the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961).
• Princess Diana, designed by Christiana Stambolian. This was known as the ‘Revenge Dress’ as the dress was revealing and was worn after her divorce from Charles.
• Kate Moss, designed by Balenciaga. The dress was worn in 2002 and created a edgier take on the LBD.
• A reinvigorated LBD by Karl Largerfeld for Chanel in the 1980’s.
• Elizabeth Hurley, designed by Versace. The dress was worn when she joined Hugh Grant to his film premier of Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994).

COLOUR BLACK

“The colour black will forever be stylish and timeless Johnson” (2001: online)

The colour black is considered authoritative and powerful. The colour alone can evoke strong emotions Smith (2015). For some people the colour black is seen as intimidating, unfriendly and unapproachable because of the power it exudes and for many others, black is often seen as a colour of sophistication, as in the consideration of 'the little black dress’. Empower yourself with colour psychology (2009: online) advised “a support of this information is the recognition of affluent and success orientated women who choose to wear the colour as it can give an impression of elegance, sophistication and confidence”.