lets talk about the little black dress
lillian bea dunn
If you’re anyone who knows anything about fashion, you should know the acronym LBD. I won’t judge you if you’re lost or anything, but it stands for the Little Black Dress. The famous, quick and easy fashion staple for any time or any occasion. For decades, people have been dressing up and dressing down the LBD, proving its versatility and longstanding hold on the fashion industry time and time again.
The dress in question has been around forever, but it is thought to have officially originated for mainstream fashion from Coco Chanel and Jean Patou based on their designs from the 1920’s. Most commonly, people think of Audrey Hepburn and her own LBD, famously worn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, designed for her personally by Givenchy in 1961. The color of the dress is particularly important. Black is a common shade that everyone wears for any occasion, but it is also a bold shade, giving the dress an audacious and seductive feel that is perfectly combated with an equally nondescript and camouflaged feel. Black is a comfort color, but it also makes a statement. There is emotion behind the color black and what it signifies. The LBD can be worn just as well to a funeral as it can be to a punk rock concert. It is practical and respectful and just as easily playful and flirtatious. The power the Little Black Dress holds is positively endless. The simplicity of this dress allows anyone who is wearing it to feel cute or sexy or fancy or cool or whatever the specific outing requires, depending on how it’s worn and styled. Wear a Little Black Dress with sneakers and some sunglasses for a laid back, quick and easy, thrown together, chic look. Wear a Little Black Dress, some heels, and a string of pearls for an important evening outing for a classic, elegant flawless-feeling moment. Now, don’t tell me you’re still not convinced the LBD is not the most perfect weapon of a clothing option the entire fashion industry’s got to offer because I’ve got more rebuttals.
Picture this. You’re a flapper girl in the 1920’s holding a cigarette in one hand and a glass of booze in the other. You’re rebelling against the typical ideals of dating and sexuality, disappointing your parents greatly, but you’ve got this awesome short bob of a haircut and a bold face of makeup. What’re you wearing? A Little Black Dress. It’s now the 1940’s, and your husband has gone to war. Sadly, you must attend his funeral after he so bravely served for his country. Hair tied up, handkerchief in hand, mourning over the loss of your dearly beloved husband, what might you be wearing at such an outing? No doubt, a Little Black Dress. The 1960’s roll around, and Audrey Hepburn has just appeared in Breakfast at Tiffany’s wearing her custom Givenchy LBD and an opulent string of pearls ever so daintily wrapped around her neck. Inspired, obviously, you’ve just gotta invest in one of these. Hollywood’s got you wrapped around their finger. Even Barbie (yes, pink-clad, bubbly Barbie) is wearing a Little Black Dress. The very next formal event to arise, you
hit the town, catching every eye on the street, turning heads left and right. And what are you wearing? Why, a Little Black Dress, of course. Not as fancy and classy, but just as prevalent, the 80’s has plenty of LBDs to offer. Can you see it? You’re blaring Madonna’s “Material Girl” from in your bedroom, crimping your already permed hair. You’re about to leave for a school dance, and you seriously didn’t have time to go out and buy a new dress. Throwing on a really tight, really short Little Black Dress with frilly, puffy sleeves, you’re totally satisfied with your finished look and ready to go to that dance.
90’s grunge fashion has taken over, and you’re, like, super into it right now. Your mom’s totally forcing you to go to this lame dinner party, and you’ve gotta, like, dress up. So you flat iron your hair until it’s pin straight, and you pull together a smokey makeup look with a dark red lip. You throw on some fishnets (and they’re ripped, of course), a pair of scuffed up, patent leather Doc Martens, and a satin, strapless, Little Black Dress to complete your look. And you didn’t even have to compromise your new go-to grunge look to appease your mother. Don’t even dare try to tell me you’re not convinced by this point. This dress is everything you could need and more. The Little Black Dress is irresistible and effortless and beautiful. It is conservative and provocative. It will never, ever go out of style. It is the one constant in a fashion industry that is constantly changing and evolving, and it will always be a staple in women’s fashion. It is simply timeless.
Watch Lillian’s cute vid on the LBD here!
